tools for valve adjustment - Honda Prelude Forum

4bidden · 06-27-2002, 02:59 PM

hey guys, im about to do a valve adjustment and need some info!

first off, where can i get a feeler gauge that goes small enough to do the clearances with? the ones that i looked at online at like sears.com didnt look like they went small enough. what else is needed tool wise? just basic hand tools? i know i'll also need a torque wrench to correctly torque the bolts back down.

now, if you look at this page, which gasket do i use? or does it not list the right one? i wouldnt think id use the same as the si, but im not sure. now for the grommets, look at this page, it says i need 8 grommets and lists them at $2.89, is that each??? as in do i need 8 * 2.89 = $23.12?? no way!

so for you people that have done your own valve adjustment before, fill me in! also, someone with a helms, list me the correct clearances for the intake and exhaust valves on the h22, jdm if it matters

Cookout · 06-27-2002, 04:17 PM

Ok, as far as I know, this has nothing to do with the tools you'll need, but it has EVERYTHING you'll ever need to know when doing your own valve adjustment. You have to read it all though.

Tola · 06-27-2002, 06:49 PM

I didn't read the link that Cookout posted, but to answer your questions...

You can get the feelers gauge from Pepboys. It might be helpful if you get the angled ones, but I'm not sure where to get them from. I never looked for them because the regular straight ones does their job.

Another special tool that you need is the "valve adjustment" tool from Honda. It's a deep (i think it's 12 or 14mm) socket for the adjustment nut, at the top end, it's a hex, so you can use a 17mm wrench to hold while you stick a screwdriver through and adjust the valves. You might be able to use a regular deep socket and use a vice grip our something to hold it. I find it impossible to adjust the valves on a VTEC without a tool like this. The adjustment nut is deep in there...

Have your valve cover gasket ever been replaced? You can reuse your old one if it's not too old. I'm constantly taking my valve cover off and I reuse my old one (about 20k miles on it) and no leaks at all. For the valve cover grommet, you don't need new ones. And yeah, that price is correct.

If you're going to order the gasket anyways, goto www.hondaautomotiveparts.com. It's much easier to order from there, and they're a few cents cheaper.

Dr. James · 06-27-2002, 08:32 PM

You don't need all the little grommets. You will need the big gasket for your car only if yours has lots of miles on it and has never been taken off. They tend to get dry after a lot of miles and can crack when trying to remove them. the tool that you can use, is from Snapon www.snapon.com. The part number is YA8895. It runs about $46.10. It is a combo 10mm deepsocket with a screwdriver and a handle. makes adjusting the valves very easy. You can do it without the tool, but it can get a little tricky trying to keep the set screw from moving. As for the feeler gauges, any normal set will work. Remember that the specs that are under the hood on the sticker are in mm's not inches. So to conver from mm to inches divide the mm number by 25.4 to get your reading in inches. Some feeler gauges will have mm number's listed under the inches on each blade. And remember to adjust the valves when the engine is completely cold.