Hello all, I've got a 2008 honda fit sport, 132k, MT, bought it off craigslist so it's had its fair share of things that have needed replacing and it's unclear what the maintenance history was. I was having all the classic valve adjustment problems, rough idle, would constantly stall out after a cold start, including when driving and coming to a complete stop, and it had a habit of losing torque under 3000 rpms. I took it to mechanics multiple times asking for a valve adjustment and they looked at me like I was crazy so I got the tools and finally got down and dirty with it this weekend.

Here's how it went:

Realized the feeler gauges I got didn't go down to .6/.7 so tried adjusting so .8 couldn't fit through on the intake side and one of the valve cover bolts snapped in the process of tightening them back on post-valve job and of course I didn't have a replacement nor could I get the snapped bolt out. It broke just at the start of the threads. Although I got everything back and in the right place I now have a ticking noise I didn't have before. The engine drives better than it ever has, but makes a noise that gives me pause. What went wrong here, I'm going to tear it down again in the next week or so (it's also my only car, so when it's out of commission, I'm out of commission) to double check the valve clearances. Could leaving a valve too lose cause a ticking noise? Also any advice on how to get that snapped bolt out?

 

A loose valve would cause a ticking noise. Are you sure each valve was fully closed before you adjusted the clearance?

 

I had thought so, was pretty careful going to TDC for each valve but i must have missed something or mis-adjusted something. second q is: safe to drive?

 

A loose valve is safer than a too-tight valve by my estimation. If you're missing a bolt head due to the snapped bolt, though, that could theoretically also just be making the normal ticking of this engine sound louder.

 

Loose valves cause ticking as do loose spark plugs. I would double check both.

 

I recently adjusted my valves. I’ve always found the GD3 really ticky, like a sewing machine. To my surprise, nearly all the valves were still within spec. To see if I could make the valves less ticky, I adjusted the exhaust to 11 thou instead of 12 (the tolerance is between 10 and 12). I think the engine turned out even trickier than before!

ive had the same experience as others on Fitfreaks: when I first did the valves, the intakes were slightly loose and the exhaust on the tighter side. I adjust my intake to the low end of the tolerance (6 thou) and exhaust to the high end (12 thou) to try and keep them within spec for as long as possible. Like I said, I tried 11 on the intake and saw no improvement.

ps. Bent style feeler gauges make the job a million times easier.

 

PPS do NOT forget your wrench on the crank bolt when you first start your engine. Ask me how I know.

 

I'm not sure I've had a Honda that didn't sound like a sewing machine, most likely simply due to the fact that Honda uses solid lifters (not hydraulic).

Classic haha

 

As above, ticking noise usually comes with valves that are adjusted on the loose side. Not necessarily a bad thing if you like your valves on the loose side. I find that engines run better that way . . . although, if the whole truth be known, the last time I adjusted my '13 Fit loose, I went back and adjusted them a little tighter because they seemed too loud. Engine didn't run as well with the tighter adjustment, but whatever.

However, if you are thinking, "Wait a minute! That ticking noise is way too loud!" then you could have a valve that is too loose. It's happened to me. As for it being your only car, you could probably drive it easy for a short distance if you had to, but I wouldn't attempt the Baja 500 until you rechecked the clearances.




P.S. I always liked that Honda sewing machine sound. Am I the only one?

 

Mister Coffee I didn't much like the ticking at first, but I've come around to appreciating it a bit as characteristic of Honda engines. Historically my experience with ticking and engines has a negative connotation.

 

Howdy Fit-Freakers . Mine is a 2013 with 60K on it, Lifter noise annoying so I changed oil to 10 - 30 and added Rislone Oil treatment. Problem solved. It has been running quiet since for 15K. 0 - 20 oil is maybe good for winter starting in Alaska but it just like cat piss in the southern climate.
Life is short, eat your dessert first.

 

I also switched from 0w-20 to 5w-30 and it seems to have quieted it down a little.