Ahh, recursive link black hole... gotcha.

For what it's worth, internet chatter has honda valve clearance adjustment at anything between 15K and up. Burned valves seem to crop up way north of 100k. There's no clear link between this and too little valve lash (I'm sure some valves go bad regardless). I'll go by Honda's recommendation (unless they get excessively noisy, or there are other performance issues before service code 4 appears).

Coils have no recommended replacement intervals; they're not a maintenance item.

So to summarize your recommendations, you've got coil packs and valve adjustment every 50K? That's about $1500 unnecessary service for your average Honda owner over 100K. I'll put this in the same file as 3K oil changes.

 

Good luck with that. You are the only one that doesn't understand the link between no clearance and burnt valves lets just put that down to ignorance of the functioning of an internal combustion engine.

I'm not going to do your work for you do your own google search on burnt valves and the cause because I already know it's you that needs the education so do your own work LOL.

When you have a valve with no lash the valve is kept off it's seat partially and the combustion gases and heat coming out of the combustion chamber cut and burn the valve just like a cutting torch. The whole surface of the valve is not burned it is burnt in a very small area just like a cutting torch would do to it.

Only a miniscule area needs to be exposed and the gasses will melt their way out a pinprick of an opening and once that happens the hole just keeps getting longer across the seat face not around the whole face of the valve.

Maybe if you had ever actually seen a burnt valve you may be better able to understand the process.

And LOL your pricing is way out of line if you do your own work like me try it sometime and you may increase your knowledge by doing so. It doesn't cost me anything to run my valves.

I never recommended prophylacticly replacing the coilpacks at 50,000 because there will be no damage resulting from a faulty coilpack so leave out your red herrings please. What I was pointing out was the fact that Honda engineers are not miracle workers and do make products that fail in short amount of time. Coilpacks only need to be replaced when and if they fail.

 

Well, honda and me...

Please feel free to provide some link that lends weight to your argument. I'll read it.

Here I'll help.

Edit: if what you're saying is that the cam lash clearance decreases over time resulting in exhaust valves not closing completely (or long enough), I understand your link with burned valves.

What I don't see is cam lash clearance decreasing as the valve train wears. Cams, rockers, and stems should wear more than valves and seats resulting in extra clearance (causing noisy valves) that should be adjusted to a smaller gap. More often burned valves result when people over adjust, closing the gap too much (no clearance) resulting in valves not seating completely or long enough and then burned exhaust valves.

I don't see burned valves resulting from delaying valve adjustment; just a less efficient intake and exhaust stroke, poor idling, and loss of performance. If noise or any of these other issues occur, yes, have them adjusted. I'll wait till then or whenever the service code 4 pops up, whichever occurs first (as Honda recommends).

If you can provide a link describing the exhaust lash closing on Hondas (L15As in particular) as they wear, I'll take notice. I suspect they're designed to get looser as they age.

 

These were my thoughts as well and makes complete sense to me?

 

I'm afraid Mr. Bang may be right. Internet chatter on Hondas (and Fits) indicates the exhaust valves tend to recess (wear into the seats) causing too little gap over time, which will lead to burned valves.

The question is over how many miles this is likely to cause a problem? The ones reporting tight clearances on the exhaust side are DIYers; would they have experienced premature valve failure if they'd followed Honda's interval? We'll never know. The reports of burned valves come from those that never adjusted them and crop up over 150K.

Honda states service interval 4 which corresponds to spark plug replacement and should fall at the 100K mark (give or take). I'll go with this. I would be more than a little annoyed at major adjustments needed on a cars @ less than 100K. Cars today are designed for 100K "tune-up" service intervals.

Full disclosure: the valve-train lost motion spring (LMS) recall on my 09 @ 25K included adjusting the valves. Would I be so willing to wait until 100K if the LMS deal hadn't happened?

 

Hmm that is good to know, thanks to both of you

 

It the HEAT that makes the difference and that is why they get pulled up by the tension of the valve springs pulling on them when they are SOFTENED BY THE HEAT.

I you had read the link and read the explanation and results of EVERYBODY doing theirs we wouldn't have to have had these long back and forths.

Glad to see that you understand the process now.

But why in the world would anybody be so stubborn or lazy to risk catostropic engine failure, resulting from burnt valves, when the cure is simply adjusting your valves EVEN if Honda doesn't tell you to???? I mean is an hour of two of your time worth more than major engine repairs?

 

To the vast majority of Honda owners this isn't a practical solution for a problem that doesn't need solving. If I thought catastrophic engine failure would occur while following Honda's maintenance schedule, I wouldn't own a Honda.

If this were 1950 I'd follow your advice.

 

You living in the "internet age" looking for links and all but you even do not believe what you yourself find on the web LOL?

Honda is not infallible and will laugh in your face if you try the old "well I followed your recommendations line" when you try and get them to pay for your repair bill for a burnt valve.

Good luck with your attitude of "I'm Not going to do that just because this is a Honda and should live up to my expectations" hope it works out for you.

You could be SURE of not having the problem simply by adjusting your valve clearances but then that would involve thinking for yourself and not blindly following a SUGGESTED service recommendation. Guess you will be also changing your spark plugs at 100,000 miles too?

 

You, living in the "internet age" relying on anecdotes over the manufacturer's scheduled maintenance. LOL. (see how that works?)

Seriously, I don't doubt that the exhaust valves are recessing causing potential for burned valves. I don't see this happening in less than 150K (according to the internet chatter you so gleefully point to). Supports Honda's schedule, doesn't it?

What other nuggets of maintenance wisdom do you have to impart? I'm waiting breathlessly on the loudbang spark plug interval.

 

When I bought my first honda at 80-ish thousand miles and drove it to 340k miles when I sold it STILL RUNNING GREAT, it had seen its last valve lash adjustment at 150k miles

I still have yet to see anything directly relating burnt valves to bad lash adjustment

EDIT that was my d15b2 1990 civic dx 4dr. f--ker refused to die. Tapped out on a few transmissions and 2 starters and 2 distributors and 1 alternator, but the motor lived on

 

That is not a Fit VTEC 1.5 engine and has no relationship with what we are discussing. You really need to read the adjusting your valves thread to find what is happening to the Fit Vtec engine.