^ That crossed my mind as well. Is there any print out or any specs they print out for you?

 

You can request that they note the before and after valve clearances, but even then they could just make up numbers. The only way to truly know that they do the job is to stand there and watch. I would recommend asking friends and relatives if they know of any good mechanics. Although many people assume the dealership is the most knowledgeable source for work, this is often untrue. They are generally just trying to squeeze every buck out of you that they can with minimal work and will often cut corners or rush the job. An independent mechanic knows that his livelihood depends on his reputation, and he doesn't have as much overhead cost so you have a better chance of getting quality work at a decent price.

 

I agree about watching the lobes. On transverse engine cars it's easy to use a breaker bar so you can rotate it 180 degrees at a time.

I wouldn't trust Honda. Find someone in the regional forums.

Not really. You use feeler gauges to measure it.

 

I agree, I would only get a valve adjustment from a known trusted source...otherwise I would say forget it, leave the car as-is and dont subject your car to being worse off. Too many variables, mechanic thinks good enough, doesnt let it cool down,etc.

 

^ Agree with this. Seems you're in Cali. Why not hit up a tech meet or one of the board members to do it for you?

Here in AZ, I'm doing 2+ VJ's at our Saturday meet. It will be iSpec quality all the way

 

I'm going to check the valve clearances on my AP1 with 24k miles this weekend, I'll report back with what I find, if the clearances are out-of-spec.

-Connor

 

Update: Adjusted the valves today. The intake valves on cyl. 1 & 2 were tight, while 3 & 4 were good. All of the exhaust valves needed adjustment, mostly too tight, with one or two that were just a hair loose.

This is on a motor with 24,000 miles.

-Connor

 

It seems strange to me how loose the spec is four our valve lash. Im used to old BVTEC motors where its like .005-.006 than the looser .008 on our F20s. Also, historically, I am used to the lash loosening up over time, not tightening. Anyone know why we have such a big gap or why these have seemed to be tightening over time on our motors?

 

What about Evasive motorsports? Would that be a good, trusted place to get it done? They have good prices.

 

Im at 114k miles with no valve adjustment yet. hope all is well. gonna order a valve cover gasket kit and feeler gauges from advance auto. im tech savvy and the pdf shows enouph info to get the job done well.
anyone find issues with the spark plug gaskets?