Hi,

I own a 96 Honda Accord 2.2L that makes a ticking noise in the engine when the engine is cold, but after the engine warms up (approx 5-10 mins), the ticking noise goes away. It sounds like valve lifter noise. Can the valve clearance be adjusted on this car? I know some cars are adjustable while others are not.

Thanks for any info!

 

Yes, the lash should be .010 intakes and .012 exhaust. Engine temp cold.

 

No lifters since it's an overhead cam. And to do the adjustment to dogg's specs you need to have the crank on TDC to do half the valves, then rotate one full turn and do the other half. Do not adjust too tight, err on the side of "loose".

 

Think of every air-cooled VW (except the '78 and above buses w/ hydraulic lifters) you ever heard. The characteristic clatter is the valve train. Unlike your overhead cam, VW had push rods about 12 “ long, so they needed to allow for expansion of hot parts. Those that did not clatter had owners that wanted to jump from 55 hp to 56 hp and had the valves too tight. On the VW, without the proper clearance the exhaust valves have a dramatically shorter life.

As the tow guy says too loose is better than too tight, but loose yields more noise. Also I think the car needs to be stone cold, so let it sit overnight for the correct adjustment. In addition, I do not think too loose is hurting you if it drives ok and passes emission tests, especially if it stops on warm-up, since the clearance is smaller with hot valve stems.

I have adjusted the valves on an '95 integra. I think tdc is marked on the pulley and also tdc plus 180 degrees or at least on the timing belt pulley(s), so the job required no guess work. At tdc all valves should be closed so the rocker arms should have some slack. Remember too that honda probably says check every 60,000 miles not change, so don't loosen the adjusters until you check.

 

Glad peabees mentioned timing belt. I always try to remind Honda owners of the importance of changing timing belt at recommmended interval to avoid a very expensive repair [about 3 or 4 times the cost of a preventive belt replacement].

 

Thanks for the replies and tips! The timing belt was replaced just before I purchased the vehicle (about 2 months ago)...did they adjust the lash after the timing belt was replaced? The car has great pickup and runs smooth, it's just the noise while the engine is cold that kinda bothers me...I guess I can live with it, if it's not doing any harm. Alot of people say Honda's are like that when they are cold. This is the first Honda I've owned.

 

What weight oil do you use? A thicker oil will cause the noise as well. I would try some 5W-30 and put a bottle of Justice Brothers Engine Tune-Up in.

 

I'm not sure what oil is in it now, as I've only owned the vehicle approx 2 months and have not changed the oil yet, but when I do, I'll try 5W30...thanks!