did i mess up my valve adjustment?
did i mess up my valve adjustment?
Recently purchased a 2010 honda fit with 210k miles. It was on original coils, spark plugs, drive belt, and without a valve adjustment. Did all general maintenance without problem until the valve adjustment. After starting the car up and doing an oil change since it was due, I noticed the car sounded a little too clicky. Did I leave the valves too loose?
Last edited by justafih; Mar 11, 2026 at 01:01 PM. Reason: Link change
Sounds like it.
The engine is supposed to be overnight-cold for the adjustment. Valve lash shrinks as the engine warms up, so setting it to the specified value with a warm engine will result in too much lash, causing valve train noise.
Too little lash can result in the valves not closing fully when the engine is hot. That would obviously cause compression leakage (loss of power, emissions problems), but also overheated valves, as the valves shed most of their heat through the valve seat (the ring where they seal against the cylinder head). Overheating causes "burned" valves, where the heat warps and/or erodes metal from the valve such that it no longer seats and seals properly, even when cool and/or lash corrected.
To much lash = noisy valves. Too little lash = cylinder head rebuild with machine shop work. You need less lash, but be careful.
The engine is supposed to be overnight-cold for the adjustment. Valve lash shrinks as the engine warms up, so setting it to the specified value with a warm engine will result in too much lash, causing valve train noise.
Too little lash can result in the valves not closing fully when the engine is hot. That would obviously cause compression leakage (loss of power, emissions problems), but also overheated valves, as the valves shed most of their heat through the valve seat (the ring where they seal against the cylinder head). Overheating causes "burned" valves, where the heat warps and/or erodes metal from the valve such that it no longer seats and seals properly, even when cool and/or lash corrected.
To much lash = noisy valves. Too little lash = cylinder head rebuild with machine shop work. You need less lash, but be careful.
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