So far so good, Ive waited a little longer to do the 90k service in at 97k atm but everything looks pretty good under the covers.
The engine has been leaking oil form all of the upper gaskets on the valve covers. all gaskets are being replaced. all belts / water pump etc.
the most difficult part so far today was checking the valve clearances (0.006 / 0.007 intake and 0.007 / 0.008 exhaust) i wasn't quite sure i was doing this correctly as this was my first time. I lined up the cylinder marks on the front bank cam gears (rear cam indicator points directly to the center of front cam gear indicating corresponding cylinder # is at TDC) i started with the feeler gauge initially before loosening the lock nuts and re adjusting anyways for some practice. I used the 0.006 gauge and placed it under the rocker and cam and tightened until there was slight resistance then tightened the lock nut all the way and checked again. Is this correct?
pulled all the NGK plugs and they had a very nice medium brown char over the center porcelain, the diodes all looked good and no indication of oil in the cylinders or rich mixture. Replaced with NGK platinum.
the valve covers were coated with a light bead of honda bond and set gasket side down on some cardboard with a 25 lb weight on top so they will set flat and dry before installation. (i hate it when a gasket moves when trying to re-install a valve cover)
The valve train and cams looked very good besides the tip of the lobes which are showing some normal wear, everything was extremely clean and brand new looking, zero sludge or oil build up / signs of overheating or carbon are non existent on the valve train. A good sign of a healthy engine.
I plan on removing the headers / exhaust for a nice cleanup and replacing the gaskets, i can her a small exhaust leak that's a little peeve of mine.
For paint protection on the car i had a great idea that costs little to nothing, i have a box of microfiber towels of various sizes. i went to the dollar store and bought some saran wrap, covered the car in microfiber towels, then put saran wrap over the towels creating an oil / scratch barrier over the trunk and rear panels. it works very well.
will post some pictures soon! Tomorrow is the coolant draining / timing belt and water pump. i think i'll try and get a good cleaning underneath as well. There is a layer of dirt about 1/8" thick under the car, im sure theres a good 20 lBS total under the car. Anyone have any experience removing this stuff with relative ease and some elbow grease?
Next up will be to tackle the windows and stereo (showing signs of age).
The engine has been leaking oil form all of the upper gaskets on the valve covers. all gaskets are being replaced. all belts / water pump etc.
the most difficult part so far today was checking the valve clearances (0.006 / 0.007 intake and 0.007 / 0.008 exhaust) i wasn't quite sure i was doing this correctly as this was my first time. I lined up the cylinder marks on the front bank cam gears (rear cam indicator points directly to the center of front cam gear indicating corresponding cylinder # is at TDC) i started with the feeler gauge initially before loosening the lock nuts and re adjusting anyways for some practice. I used the 0.006 gauge and placed it under the rocker and cam and tightened until there was slight resistance then tightened the lock nut all the way and checked again. Is this correct?
pulled all the NGK plugs and they had a very nice medium brown char over the center porcelain, the diodes all looked good and no indication of oil in the cylinders or rich mixture. Replaced with NGK platinum.
the valve covers were coated with a light bead of honda bond and set gasket side down on some cardboard with a 25 lb weight on top so they will set flat and dry before installation. (i hate it when a gasket moves when trying to re-install a valve cover)
The valve train and cams looked very good besides the tip of the lobes which are showing some normal wear, everything was extremely clean and brand new looking, zero sludge or oil build up / signs of overheating or carbon are non existent on the valve train. A good sign of a healthy engine.
I plan on removing the headers / exhaust for a nice cleanup and replacing the gaskets, i can her a small exhaust leak that's a little peeve of mine.
For paint protection on the car i had a great idea that costs little to nothing, i have a box of microfiber towels of various sizes. i went to the dollar store and bought some saran wrap, covered the car in microfiber towels, then put saran wrap over the towels creating an oil / scratch barrier over the trunk and rear panels. it works very well.
will post some pictures soon! Tomorrow is the coolant draining / timing belt and water pump. i think i'll try and get a good cleaning underneath as well. There is a layer of dirt about 1/8" thick under the car, im sure theres a good 20 lBS total under the car. Anyone have any experience removing this stuff with relative ease and some elbow grease?
Next up will be to tackle the windows and stereo (showing signs of age).
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