fred57

This post is actually for my Son. I'm trying to help him sort out his problems. He took his 2008 Civic Si to the dealer to clear up some engine codes. It is at 100K on the odometer and is not modified.

So they changed plugs and adjusted the valves for $700.00!!! He was told it would take another $2,000 to fix the #3 cylinder misfire due to slack in the valve system? The valves clattered after they were done, which it was not doing when he brought it in. He complained and they said they re-adjusted the valves, I haven't heard it yet, but he says it still clatters? This is the Rhinelander, Wisconsin Honda dealer!!

I always thought that the Honda engines were very good and a valve job at 100K sounds a little outa line to me. He just got the written quote and its actually $3,200 to do a valve job???

One post a saw talked about fuel injectors being the possible cause of misfire. I know we could do a compression test or a leak down test also.

I'm thinking if we take this to a reputable mechanic and it needs a valve job,
it will cost a lot less??

I would like some advice from you guys that have worked on these motors and what we could look for and what we can expect as reasonable repair costs.

Thanks

Fred

RIPSAW

Depends on how the car has been driven. Some people think these are race cars and have no problem banging the rev limiter between ever red lights. If so, not a clue.
If it was driven like I drive, I would say they are crooks. I have only had 4 Hondas (3 way past 100K and the CRV at 85K) Never had a problem except son wound the cam shaft in two on my first 85 Civic on his prom night. Do all my own work and rebuilt the head in that one.
Check it out yourself if you have the ability.

ezone

Someone had to approve spending that kind of money.

They aren't finished with the valve adjust job?


Noise....there's a lot of ways a job like this can go bad in a hurry.....but we don't have eyes and ears in there, we don't know what actually happened.

Whut?

What codes did it have BEFORE the dealer got into it?

IMO they are, but as Ripsaw stated some people just drive the dog poop out of these cars.

It could have another problem such as rocker and VTEC lockpin issues or spring issues.
Maybe someone missed a shift and over-revved way past redline, that can bend valves...
Maybe it's getting ready to puke the timing chain for all I know.
All we can do is guess here....


If you want to get into checking it out yourself, yes a compression and leakdown would be among the first checks to do---assuming a true valve sealing problem should show up there.. (if it's a problem in the rockers and VTEC it may not show up in comp/leak tests though)

I'd probably start with trying to pinpoint the area of the noise first though, see if it really is in the valvetrain or if it might be in the chain area.

Um, maybe. There's a whole lot of labor in doing a real valve job to that engine. Probably over 2k in labor alone if it were in the shop I work in. A plain head gasket job would be pushing 1500 just for labor.
What all is on the written quote? I'd hope it is itemized so you can see where all the money is going.


Pulling the head on one of those is a huge ordeal, and if it were me I might drop the entire drivetrain on the ground before trying to pull the head. (I think dropping the engine and trans is quick and easy on those LOL and it makes the rest of the work sooo much easier)

I did a head gasket (and warped head) job on an 08ish CRV a while back --- and labor time to do that was higher than the labor to replace the whole engine.



One more thing....I found a bulletin that may or may not apply, can you PM the VIN to me?

fred57

My son spent the money on the initial repairs before he talked to me

He revs it a bit, but probably not as much as I would

And I think the dealer is a crook, no details on the valve job quote at all. Just $3,200 to replace up to 2 valves?
It also sounds like they weren't specific on what codes they found
I have a generic OBDII code reader, engine light is on again will that give me the Honda codes?

ezone

Probably, try it out