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Is the inspection process a separate process; ie - disassemble required, extra service fee? Or while getting valves adjusted this can be included?
Ive tried once to peek on the underside while a valve adjustment was being done but it is very difficult (for me at least), to determine. Im pretty sure to the skilled/trained eye this wouldnt be the case.
Originally Posted by slightly2ned,Feb 19 2011, 05:15 PM
Is the inspection process a separate process; ie - disassemble required, extra service fee? Or while getting valves adjusted this can be included?
Ive tried once to peek on the underside while a valve adjustment was being done but it is very difficult (for me at least), to determine. Im pretty sure to the skilled/trained eye this wouldnt be the case.
It really depends how anal you want to be but a visual is fine. The only way anyone can guarantee anything is by removing and inspecting them.
They were fine on the last adjustment.
With tracking it wouldn't hurt to pull the valve cover once a year just to be sure nothing is going on.
Originally Posted by obsess2k'ed,Feb 18 2011, 10:31 PM
Also, if you are thinking about upgrading retainers, I'd definitely encourage you to check over those links I posted. I don't think anyone is recommending upgrading unless your existing retainers are already cracked. So the most important thing is just to get a valve adjustment & retainer inspection to make sure your existing ones are not failing.
The other thing is if you do need to swap out retainers, you may want to consider doing as I did: AP2 retainers on the intake side, and AP1 retainers on the exhaust side. The reasoning for this is also explained in the links I posted above. Not that I mind explaining it, but I just don't want to get myself in trouble by explaining it wrong. Opinions may vary though and some have gone with AP2 retainers on both sides. However, the theory I have read as to why AP1 retainers are better on the exhaust side on an F20C makes sense to me, so I went with that.
Good stuff, Brendan. I should really have my car looked at too. Always figured it's a low mileage car that seems to be well taken care of, but who knows. My clutch just gave out recently too, so I'm starting to get a bit more concerned about what else could be wrong.
Anyway, great post..will have my valves and retainers inspected soon at least And I owe you a long overdue message...hopefully you've been more active with track days and auto-x than I have since that first time.
replacing the retainers are a lot easier then doing a whole head build, i am happy for you that was caught during the valve adjustment day. i would just buy a good forged set and set it to oem specs and good to go. wish you a good luck
Awesome post! Thanks Brendan. Sucks it was your car that had the problem tho.
Don't want to keep jumping back and forth on threads but here's a good pic from BrianZ of what they'd look like from the top. The cracks aren't visible from the top however you can see the valve stem tip is dropped by a few mm on the 2nd pic. It's 2nd nature for us to look for this during an adjustment. It's also quite hard to miss when you put the feeler gauge in there and realize you've got a huge gap.
From BrianZ:
On the topic of cracked retainers I have a few pics here that may help
Normal Good condition retainer
Failed / Cracked retainers (you can tell from the valve stem is NOT above the spring retainer)
Inspiring thread. I need to get mine checked out asap. It looks like Blacktrax has a good rep in the community. I'll be going to them as soon as I get the funds.
Good stuff, Brendan. I should really have my car looked at too. Always figured it's a low mileage car that seems to be well taken care of, but who knows. My clutch just gave out recently too, so I'm starting to get a bit more concerned about what else could be wrong.
Anyway, great post..will have my valves and retainers inspected soon at least And I owe you a long overdue message...hopefully you've been more active with track days and auto-x than I have since that first time.
Wow, clutch already?
I agree get that valve adjustment & retainer inspection when you have a chance.
As for the track and auto-x, I still only have one of each under my belt. I'd like to do another one soon though! Got to enjoy the car to its fullest.
02-19-2011, 04:15 PM
Opinions may vary though and some have gone with AP2 retainers on both sides. However, the theory I have read as to why AP1 retainers are better on the exhaust side on an F20C makes sense to me, so I went with that.
And I owe you a long overdue message...hopefully you've been more active with track days and auto-x than I have since that first time.
