Check Valve Clearance on fairly new 06 Civic Hybrid?

I know the official interval for check of the intake/exhaust valve clearances is way down the road, and now with Honda's Maintenance Minder there is no official date or mileage specified. Also, Honda says to only check them sooner along with other services "if they are noisy". For the record we're around 24000 km's now.

It concerns me that a overly-tight clearance will not be noisy, but is a possibility, since valves may be riding high on their seats when new, but after a few thousand kilometers/miles of break-in will be seating better, and closing up the clearance. I know my Honda Hurricane motorcycle specified a valve check as part of the first services.

I have the shop manual, and am thinking to check them. I've checked valves on a few previous Honda cars we've owned. It's always been fairly easy to get the valve cover off. With our 06 Civic Hybrid however, it's looking to be very awkward.

The main problem I see is dealing with the plastic encased wiring harness that runs along the top of the valve cover. It's cables continue off at the left (dipstick) and right ends. The left end cables connect to the dipstick tube. Removing the dipstick and the top clip between the dipstick tube and cable frees this end up enough to get it well out of the way of the valve cover.

Things aren't as easy at the right end, though. The right end cables are thick and go only a short distance, into another plastic encased harness running vertically down the right side of the engine (the drive chain end). This vertical harness case also partially obscures the back right valve cover hold-down bolt. Without getting this shifted, the only way to get a grip on that back bolt is by reaching around with an open-end crescent wrench.

It concerns me also that even with all the valve cover bolts removed and the cover loosened, it will be a fight to get it out from under the two harnesses. The bolts for this vertical right side harness were buried beside the air cleaner (see where this is going? ), so I tried, just as an exercise, taking out the air cleaner. This was a bit of a fight in itself, but got it done. Then I was able to access the 2 bolts securing that vertical harness. I backed them both out, and then was able to shift the vertical harness maybe 1/2" to the right, barely enough to get a proper socket on an extension past the harness and on to the right rear valve cover bolt.

At that point, I just buttoned everything up, we had to get somewhere. I'm really not to impressed with the valve cover access. I haven't mentioned but there are also the (8!) sparkplug actuators to contend with. The back row (exhaust side) actuators get increasingly awkward to remove, going left to right. The back right one seems impossible to remove at first. No matter how you turn and angle it, it's clunking against the rear lip of the engine compartment or the firewall. It is a fight. It can be done but it is very close. Getting it back in is even more fun.

Anyway, that's where I'm at. I do think it is a good idea to an early valve clearance, but am waffling, not looking forward to it. Anyone else done this themselves? Any opinions on the value of such an early check of the valve clearances? Any opinions on the likelihood of there being a tight valve or two in there, due to break-in and the valves fitting better on their seats?

Reply to
Mendel Leisk
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I would leave them alone. We had a 99 Civic that we sold last year that had

Reply to
Don R

waffling? dude, you got verbal diarrhea.

why not worry about potential for a weak cord in your tire casings too? bottom line, forget it. if something is wrong, it'll break within the warranty. [and, as a worrier, i'll bet you bought the extended warranty.] then the dealer worries about it. not you.

Reply to
jim beam

HaHa. Didn't get the extended warranty, or the sealant/undercoat, etc. But I've got to admit, me with a Shop Manual is like a hyprochondriac with with a medical Text Book of Symptoms. So I gather the valve clearance tend to stay pretty stable. Thanks for the info. Yeah, the engine compartment of the Civic Hybric is like an overstuffed fridge: everytime you want to get at something, you have to haul half the stuff out to get at it.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

nice!

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

"Mendel Leisk" Anyway, that's where I'm at. I do think it is a good idea to an early

Hi I thought the same thing, let me share my experience with a 2002 Civic. After two years and about 15,000 miles I was thinking the same thing you were. My car is a lot easier to get to the valves, though. After all the disassembly to get to the valves, I started adjusting away, and after checking and adjusting four rockers I realised that every one I had checked was exactly 0.001" tight. About this time I thought if they are all like this I should have left them alone, they will probably wear in to the right clearance in a few tens of thousands of miles . I then realised that the factory probably had this in mind all along. All the others were exactly 0.001" tight also. A total waste of time but for the peace of mind. If I ever get a new Honda again I won't waste my time. And my experience with this car will probably result in another Honda purchase. The only things I spend money on with this car are gas, oil and the oem tires are due for replacement (curently ~25,000 miles and weather cracked and I don't think I would want to take them on a long highway trip). Over all I am very happy with my car. Scott

Reply to
scott

Thanks for sharing your experience, Scott. So basically, you found your clearances were still close to spec., around the same mileage as we currently have.

As to the factory's strategy to set them a little tight, I'm not sure. My guess is they would set them right on spec., but not sure. Valve clearances can tighten (not just loosen), as the valve seats itself more uniformly. Though in my experience, I can't recollect that happening, it usually *was* the case that they got a bit looser. Also, I found once I'd set them all back to spec., they tended to stay there. This was on 83, 86 and 91 Accords, back a few years. I did a few checks where I adjusted only one or two.

Just speculating: the factory set them exactly on spec. By the time you checked them, the clearances had reduced slightly, due to the valves seating better, and riding up to be a little closer to the rocker arm. A little further down the road, due to rocker arm wear and loosening, they will loosen off a bit.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

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