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Ok, I've got a weird problem. What would cause the valve lash clearance to get tight in the course of 6 months? I mean so tight that that engine idles rough and CEL comes on. Let me explain..

Almost 2 years ago I had my head rebuilt (broke valves from broken timing belt), he didn't do that great of a job since it's loosing oil mist out the exhaust now from bad valve guide seals (I assume). About 6 months ago it started having CEL problems for random missfires. After some compression testing I found there was a mechanical problem in the engine (#2). So I did a valve adjustment on all valves and all were fairly good except the intake valves on cylinder #2. Torqued and rechecked, Got it all back together and it ran like new. Ok, it's now about 6 months later and now the same problem has returned except on cylinder #3

I am baffled at what is causing this. The tappets are torqued to spec. I did a valve adjustment years before the head rebuild and never had a problem. There must be some problem with the head. Any Ideas???

Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 812

yeah like you said. its never a good idea to rebuild a bad head. always find another one (even used) and just have it tested before installing (compression, specs, warpage, etc).

 
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how to i adjust the valve clearence?

 
Rep Power: 0

You may not need it. But it couldn't hurt. There is a DIY located here: https://www.civicforums.com/forums...
Takes a bit of time if you've never done it before.

Unless your engine is running poorly or you can still hear lots of valve noise when your engine is up to operating temperature, I wouldn't bother as you may just make it worse. Good Luck!

 
Rep Power: 812

you really need to know what youre doing if you try this yourself. if you havent used a feeler gauge before or dont even know what that is, then dont try. youre risking serious engine damage. too loose and youll lose power and hear alot of valve noise. too tight and you burn a valve up.