Thanks, everyone. Just ordered the tool and feelers.

 

Put the hood in the secret full up position to get room under it. And If you can put the car on a low lift or jack stands your back will thank you! And use lots of padding over the fenders as you're gonna be laying on top of them for a while.

On 2006+ DBW cars the latest Billman recommendation is 0.012" (vs 0.011" spec) as they tighten in use and the burned valves have been noted in tight valved DBW cars. He notes no maintenance or performance issues.

Best practice (and defined in the shop manual) is to fit new gaskets for everything. And since it's easier to turn over the engine with the plugs out a new set of plug is relatively cheap.

Don't forget to remove the wrench from the engine crank before starting!

https://robrobinette.com/S2000ValveAdjust.htm

-- Chuck

 

Thanks, Chuck. I was thinking about doing the gasket. Pulling the cover, I was concerned about it being old or damaged removing it, and needing to replace it. Better to have everything at the ready. I already planned to do the plugs (NGK), and I plan to go a compression test and the serpentine belt, so I assume banging all of those out at once is easier than one at a time. I figure:

1. Valve adjustment
2. Gasket change while reassembling
3. Compression test once reassembled, but before plugs
4. New plugs
5. Serpentine change
6. Fire it up and test

Is that biting off too much at a time? Troubleshooting 101 usually dictates 1 change at a time, then test... I've done my own brakes, oil changes, etc., but never dug this deep in (and slightly nervous about it), but I find doing the work is therapeutic and rewarding.

Also, is there an electronic online version of the service manual where I can get OEM part numbers, etc. for the gaskets and such?

 

Never mind on the parts list. Found this: https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-...ver.html?PNC=1

 

Is your car an ap1? If not, don't worry about this. But, if your car is an ap1, and while you have the valve cover off, take the opportunity to inspect the valve retainers, (especially the intake side), to verify they do not show the tell tale signs of cracks. You won't be able to see actual cracks because the cracks themselves are usually on the underside of the retainers. But, if there are cracks, the retainers generally deform a bit making it appear that the top of the valve stem is sunken into the retainer slightly. There is a thread around here that has a picture showing what it looks like normal and cracked. If they are cracked the Billman recommendation is to replace them with ap2 parts (retainers and collets).

 

No, it's an AP2. 2006

 

I'd just like to point out that bump steer doesn't require an actual bump to cause steer. It only requires suspension articulation. Letting off or hitting gas mid corner will cause weight transfer, which will cause suspension motion, which will result in bump steer if its present.

As for VA, some tips:

Do it with engine dead cold, like overnight.

Timing marks and countimg turns is where everyone messes up. Ignore them! Instead just turn motor until cam lobe points up, 180 away from that valves follower, then adjust it. You can't screw up this way, and its much faster. Its not critical how perfectly 180 the lobe is.

Valve cover might be stuck on real good. Mine was. Be careful not to damage red paint or gasket surface.

Don't go to a shop for this. Don't ever go to the dealer for anything with this car. Most auto shops have zero experience adjusting valves. Other cars don't have adjustable valves. Motorcycles do though, and the S adjusters are identical to what Honda used on their V4's. So if you have to go a shop for this, find a bike shop. They will know what to do.

The compression test should be done on a warm motor. The VA dead cold motor. So do this:

Drive around and get engine good and warm. Remove plugs. Do compression test (remove fuel pump fuse, prop open throttle, make sure battery is fully charged, don't use Harbor Freight gauge).

Leave plugs removed, wait until next morning to do VA so motor is good and cold.

You probably don't need to replace serp belt. The oem one lasts forever. If you replace with aftermarket it might actually go bad before the oem one if leave that one in place. There is a wear indicator mark baked into the tensioner metal casting. See if yours is actually to the wear mark yet. Google for photos that show how to read the mark.

 

I posted this thread a little while back and wanted to update based on the latest (in case future searchers come across it).

As I continued to drive it and learn the car's habits, I still noticed that when I put the clutch in on any turn (even minor curves in the road), it would turn in suddenly - not lose control kind of thing, but like it was almost understeering a bit before shifting, and when the pressure came off the drivetrain, it pulled into the turn more. It also was tramlining all over on uneven roads, and the rear tires had a bit of "slap" over certain bumps or seams in the road. None of this was particularly odd... just characteristic. I also noticed the steering was a bit heavy - not like the EPS wasn't working, but just a lot of road contact/feel. And lastly, on some zesty turns, the car would turn in sharply, then almost transition to a bit of understeer, then back in sharply... all as the turn progressed. Can't describe it any other way. All tire pressures were right on, and I even tried changing it up to see if it made any difference. Anyway... onto the results.

I replaced all 4 tires (remember, the were mismatched) with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. Also had an alignment done. Turns out alignment was off, but not terrible. But the results when driving were night and day. The tech said the front insides of the tires were pretty worn, as were the backs, but the fronts particularly so. The car drives smoother. The handling is actually a bit tamed down - not the sharp quick turn I was used to, but smoother and more progressive. No more tramlining, no more tire slap. The steering is much lighter too, but from reading reviews on the Firehawks, that was their feedback too and I was expecting it, so that's probably a combination of the tires and the correct alignment. The tires are brand new, so I expect things to improve even more after a few miles.

I'm sure my initial impressions when I first posted this were a combination of the alignment and mismatched tires. I don't know what the alignment was before they did it - I only have the after report, but I would be curious if those on here can tell me if the previous owner may have intentionally nudged the alignment away from OEM spec to change the handling, or if this was just time and NJ roads affecting it. Since the insides of the tires were worn, I would assume things were toe-out, and that leads me to think it was just time/roads.

Anyway... that's the update. Hope it helps someone in the future.

 

I did my valve adjustment a few weeks ago, and its not bad at all. Just use the DIY guide from youtube and The Rob Robinette guide (https://robrobinette.com/S2000ValveAdjust.htm) and you'll be fine. It took me about 2 hours. The written guide does a great job explaining how to get your gears in top dead center.

Make sure you get BENT feeler gauges and to check your spark plugs for correct gap. GL

 

Also as someone mentioned above you should check your retainers since you're doing a valve adjustment already, especially if you have an AP1.