Loose Valve

Well like the title says, i think i have a loose valve. There is this clicking noise noise coming from under the valve cover (at first I thought it was an exhaust leak but in fact it was under the valve cover)and when i open up the throttle the clicking gets faster. * Very embarrasing as you’re idling or ripping it :pale:

I was wondering how i would tighten it back… i went to my buddy whos a “honda specialist” and he said on older civics the have a point to adjust them on the rocker arm and he couldnt really find out where it was on the 240 ](*,)

btw its the 89 SOHC 12 valve motor … if anyone has any insight it would be appreciated… thanks a lot!

  • Fabio

try putting some more oil in it…mine would make a simmilar noise if i was low on oil. or even crack off the valve cover and pour 1/2 a liter over everything under there.

naw it’s not the lack of oil… we took the valve cover off and “shook” all the valves and only one was a little bit off and making a rattling noise so I’m sure that its loose… just need to now where to tighten it (?)

your buddy is a honda specialest and hes never heard or hydraulic lifters? one of your lifters is weak. and won’t stay pumped up the take up this slack. which is causing your click.

so would be fair to say, adjust the lifter for ZERO clearance so the ticking would stop? how would I go to stop the noise?

I dont think the lifters are adjustable…on my 91 accord they were. I think your looking into some pricey work…ive never had my lifters serviced so i cant say…but before you do that why not try a oil change with castrol GTX and add some lucas oil stabilizer into the oil…lucas made my sohc stfu before i ripped it out.

I’m not sure that would work because I can jiggle the valve with my hand so i dunno… but will definately give that a try… thanks

let’s be clear, unless you have the head off you are not “jiggling” the valve

hydraulic lifters pressurize like airbags, whatever height they have to be to make the rocker hit the valve they will expand to… the oil pressure keeps them inflated, if the seals are bad they won’t hold pressure and will collapse… collapsed lifters can sometimes be cured with heavier oil (not a good idea in canada/winter) but the only real solution is rebuild/clean and if it still doesn’t hold then replace it

lol yes the head was off, how else would the valve been “jiggled” lol

and with summer just around the corner ill switch to thicker oil (not too thick) somewhere around the lines of 15W40 should suffice… yea its a temporary noise fix, won’t actually fix the problem but just to drown out that embarrassing noise until the SR comes into play by mid-june hopefully

thanks again for everyone’s help

http://www.forums.son240sx.ca/showthread.php?t=25272

i dont think its a loose valve

damn i read that whole thread… however my gay tick doesn’t come during 2-3000 rpms it ticks moderately as it idles, more i press on the gas the louder it gets, and as i decelerate the ticking gets slower and slower till where we’re back on idle (still ticking lol) but I’m changing my oil today and if that won’t work ill tighten my lower belt tensioner because it was removed and maybe not done up again properly (?)

i’ll keep you guys posted…

edit: I’m also losing some mad HP to… slow as shit

cool, sounds just like mine…lol

sounds like a collapsed valve. ree and ree my friend

can’t he just pic up another sohc head and slap that on? wouldn’t that be cheap and easy fix? If what he is trying right now fails.

timing chain?

The DE’s have the defective timing chain guide, not the 24E’s.

i didnt even read as to what he has

just saw “ticking”