How to: adjust valve lash
Nov 15, 2005, 01:48 PM
#18
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Myszkewicz,
Nice write up and good pictures. I wish you had done this a few months earlier so I could have referred to your procedures then trying go thru the shop manual with the lack of visuals
I have a suggestion for anyone doing this maintenance themselves, that if they find that turning the crank to seem a bit hard or stiff, they can loosen and/or remove the spark plugs to eleviate pressure of the piston moving up to TDC.
Myszkewicz, have you tried this with the engine cold? I know (from the shop manual) and from a mechanic that it should be done after the engine is brought up to normal operating temperatures, but I remember the first time I did this, I was a bit slow at making adjustments and by the time I got to the last few sets of valve/rockers the engine had cooled down. This affected the some of the valves from being adjusted properly of course. So I ended up doing the adjustments again a few days later but I adjusted it with the engine cold using the specs: 0.004" Intake and 0.012" Exhaust (as from the specs when you do an overhaul on the engine). Just wondering what your views on this would be?
RVS1111
Nice write up and good pictures. I wish you had done this a few months earlier so I could have referred to your procedures then trying go thru the shop manual with the lack of visuals
I have a suggestion for anyone doing this maintenance themselves, that if they find that turning the crank to seem a bit hard or stiff, they can loosen and/or remove the spark plugs to eleviate pressure of the piston moving up to TDC.
Myszkewicz, have you tried this with the engine cold? I know (from the shop manual) and from a mechanic that it should be done after the engine is brought up to normal operating temperatures, but I remember the first time I did this, I was a bit slow at making adjustments and by the time I got to the last few sets of valve/rockers the engine had cooled down. This affected the some of the valves from being adjusted properly of course. So I ended up doing the adjustments again a few days later but I adjusted it with the engine cold using the specs: 0.004" Intake and 0.012" Exhaust (as from the specs when you do an overhaul on the engine). Just wondering what your views on this would be?
RVS1111
Nov 15, 2005, 02:34 PM
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Thanks for the info Otter .... come to think of it, I do remember the shop manual saying that even after adjusting the clearance on a cold engine, I should check the valve clearance again after it's hot too see if it's within specs.
Oh well, time to do another adjustment .... oneday ...
RVS1111
Oh well, time to do another adjustment .... oneday ...
RVS1111
Nov 15, 2005, 03:01 PM
#21
I would think that the "overhaul" spec is just to get you in the ballpark, so the engine will start and run. Then once it gets up to temp, you set it while it's hot.
Next time I do mine, I'm not going to just run up and down the road I live on. I'm going to go for a longer drive, to get everything good and hot. It cooled off too quickly, so I'm sure some of mine aren't *quite* right.
<10,000 miles to go until my next 'adjustment'.
Next time I do mine, I'm not going to just run up and down the road I live on. I'm going to go for a longer drive, to get everything good and hot. It cooled off too quickly, so I'm sure some of mine aren't *quite* right.
<10,000 miles to go until my next 'adjustment'.
Feb 25, 2006, 12:56 AM
#22
So now its as quite as when it was new?
Id love that!!!
Is there something like this I can do to my '03 ES, to make it quieter?
I rememeber prior to 15K miles, it was so quiet I had to do a Rev-check cus sometimes couldnt even tell if the car was on or not!
Now, its still quiet... but not that quiet.
Even when driving it was quiet.
Id love that!!!
Is there something like this I can do to my '03 ES, to make it quieter?
I rememeber prior to 15K miles, it was so quiet I had to do a Rev-check cus sometimes couldnt even tell if the car was on or not!
Now, its still quiet... but not that quiet.
Even when driving it was quiet.
Feb 25, 2006, 08:23 AM
#23
I'd say it's still as quiet as when it was new.
The motor in an ES doesn't need valve lash adjustment, it has hydraulic lash adjusters that do it for you. Their oil holes can get clogged over time, making them louder. What kind of oil are you using in your car?
The motor in an ES doesn't need valve lash adjustment, it has hydraulic lash adjusters that do it for you. Their oil holes can get clogged over time, making them louder. What kind of oil are you using in your car?
Feb 25, 2006, 11:10 PM
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damb guyz , i was foiled again! i just took my ra into the dealer the other day to get the 30,000 mile service wich includes ajustment of the vavle lash , and if your directions are correct wich i know they are , that punk mitsu. tech didnt ajust anything . tha car was on the lift for a few min. for him to change the oil and i didnt see him even try to set the crank and ajust to top dead center , matter of fact he droped the car back down right after the oil change and started it up . so when i asked him about it he said he didnt need to ajust them because they were fine . i asked him how did he know they were fine cause i didnt see him do anything except change the oil and start it up, he started to studder and said "oh we have a special tool for that" , like im some kind of retard right , so i say to him whats so special about a feeler gauge and what specs were they set at if they are supposed to be fine? ok silence for a second and then he runs off searching through the shop looking for a feeler gauge , finds one runs back over to me and says i used this . im thinkin to myself no**** you used that i hope you used that . ok so i asked him again what the specs were and he said he cant remember but they were good .
what do think guys think i should do ? take his word for it ? or go back and give em hell ?
i mean , cause i really can prove anything so im a little p'd off and confused
what do think guys think i should do ? take his word for it ? or go back and give em hell ?
i mean , cause i really can prove anything so im a little p'd off and confused
Feb 26, 2006, 12:27 AM
#26
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Originally Posted by ralliart 04
damb guyz , i was foiled again! i just took my ra into the dealer the other day to get the 30,000 mile service wich includes ajustment of the vavle lash , and if your directions are correct wich i know they are , that punk mitsu. tech didnt ajust anything . tha car was on the lift for a few min. for him to change the oil and i didnt see him even try to set the crank and ajust to top dead center , matter of fact he droped the car back down right after the oil change and started it up . so when i asked him about it he said he didnt need to ajust them because they were fine . i asked him how did he know they were fine cause i didnt see him do anything except change the oil and start it up, he started to studder and said "oh we have a special tool for that" , like im some kind of retard right , so i say to him whats so special about a feeler gauge and what specs were they set at if they are supposed to be fine? ok silence for a second and then he runs off searching through the shop looking for a feeler gauge , finds one runs back over to me and says i used this . im thinkin to myself no**** you used that i hope you used that . ok so i asked him again what the specs were and he said he cant remember but they were good .
what do think guys think i should do ? take his word for it ? or go back and give em hell ?
i mean , cause i really can prove anything so im a little p'd off and confused
what do think guys think i should do ? take his word for it ? or go back and give em hell ?
i mean , cause i really can prove anything so im a little p'd off and confused
In all seriousness, call up your dealer and ask to speak to the shop manager. Calmly and politely explain to him that you suspect that the mechanic did not do the appropriate maintenance required on your car and the reasons why you feel this way. If you watched him from start to finish, tell the manager that and see what the manager will do. If he explains how the technician was able to do everything so quickly to your satisfaction, then fine. If he offers to have you bring the car in to be rechecked, I'd take it. If he blows you off, or gives you some lame explination, ask to speak to the dealership's GM, and go through the process again. If the dealership GM also takes a dismissive attitude, THEN get pissed. Threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, that usually grabs their attention, and it'll usually get it resolved to your satisfaction.
It's pretty important to minimize your stress to be polite first, and get angry later. If you go in there right away and threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, they'll probably make you do it. It'll get the issue resolved to your satisfaction, but you'll have to go through the trouble of calling them to begin with, which is a bit of a pain.
Last edited by kericr; Feb 26, 2006 at 12:29 AM.
Feb 26, 2006, 12:42 AM
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Originally Posted by kericr
You can tiger uppercut him. That won't do anything for your car, but it might make you feel better.
In all seriousness, call up your dealer and ask to speak to the shop manager. Calmly and politely explain to him that you suspect that the mechanic did not do the appropriate maintenance required on your car and the reasons why you feel this way. If you watched him from start to finish, tell the manager that and see what the manager will do. If he explains how the technician was able to do everything so quickly to your satisfaction, then fine. If he offers to have you bring the car in to be rechecked, I'd take it. If he blows you off, or gives you some lame explination, ask to speak to the dealership's GM, and go through the process again. If the dealership GM also takes a dismissive attitude, THEN get pissed. Threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, that usually grabs their attention, and it'll usually get it resolved to your satisfaction.
It's pretty important to minimize your stress to be polite first, and get angry later. If you go in there right away and threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, they'll probably make you do it. It'll get the issue resolved to your satisfaction, but you'll have to go through the trouble of calling them to begin with, which is a bit of a pain.
In all seriousness, call up your dealer and ask to speak to the shop manager. Calmly and politely explain to him that you suspect that the mechanic did not do the appropriate maintenance required on your car and the reasons why you feel this way. If you watched him from start to finish, tell the manager that and see what the manager will do. If he explains how the technician was able to do everything so quickly to your satisfaction, then fine. If he offers to have you bring the car in to be rechecked, I'd take it. If he blows you off, or gives you some lame explination, ask to speak to the dealership's GM, and go through the process again. If the dealership GM also takes a dismissive attitude, THEN get pissed. Threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, that usually grabs their attention, and it'll usually get it resolved to your satisfaction.
It's pretty important to minimize your stress to be polite first, and get angry later. If you go in there right away and threaten to call Mitsubishi HQ, they'll probably make you do it. It'll get the issue resolved to your satisfaction, but you'll have to go through the trouble of calling them to begin with, which is a bit of a pain.
