Please Help - Valve Lifters Bad?

Hello,

I currently own a 1994 Honda Accord vTEC 4 cyl 4 door with a F22b 2.2L engine... automatic...

I have noticed for quite some time now a ticking during idle coming from what sounds like the header area but probably the block area. The tick has gotten much louder during the past 2 weeks. I notice the tick especially at startup idle, it's less obvious but can be heard when idling at a stoplight. I can also hear the ticking increase in speed sometimes at startup when I accelerate from stop.

I have over 160k miles now and my guess would be something with the valves... valve lifters.. springs... whatever.

Your guess is as good as mine, but if someone can help please tell me what the problem might be and how I go about fixing it -- or even, how can I open the head to check the lifters for damage or adjustment? Anyone have any links?

Sounds like you need to adjust your valve lash to me.

and how do i go about doing this?

and how do i go about doing this?
Well first you need to find out the clearance specs for your engine. I have never worked on an f22 before so I’m not sure whether you will check the clearance between the camshaft lobe and the rocker arm or the valve stem and the rocker arm. You are going to need to check the clearance when the engine is cold. You will first remove the valve cover and place the number one piston at top dead center on the compression stroke. Then you will be able to check and adjust the valve clearance for the number one cylinder using a feeler gauge. You will then place the next piston in the firing order at top dead center and check and adjust the clearance. Proceed down through the firing order until you have adjusted all the valves. This is a very short explanation of what needs to be done. If you don't understand anything I am saying I would suggest you don't attempt to tackle this project. Once again I have never worked on an f22 before so there is a lot of info that I left out. Maybe another member with more experience on your engine might help you by filling in the blanks, but I would really suggest buying a Haynes manual for your car. It will explain everything that needs to be done step by step with pictures. Hope I was able to help out some.

If you can afford it, purchase the Official Service Manual from Helm, Inc. It's very easy to do once you read the manual. I've done it to my 1992 Honda Prelude Si (F22) It took under 2 hours. No fluids need to get drained and the car doesn't need to be lifted off the ground.
Find a cool shady spot, bring a radio and have fun.

Wow thanks a lot for your help guys. I'll get this done today and let you know how it goes...

The only question I have now is where can I get one of these feeler things and how much is it going to cost me?

My car (92 honda prelude si 130,000) has been making a really loud ticking sound coming from the head too. I brought it to a mechanic and they said it was the distributor, because when i stomped on it one day a big cloud of black smoke came out meaning unburnt fuel. I put a different distributor in, and it's still ticking away in the head. Also, when i turn the engine off there's like a air wheezing sound coming from under the hood. Would mine be valve lash too?

My car (92 honda prelude si 130,000) has been making a really loud ticking sound coming from the head too. I brought it to a mechanic and they said it was the distributor, because when i stomped on it one day a big cloud of black smoke came out meaning unburnt fuel. I put a different distributor in, and it's still ticking away in the head. Also, when i turn the engine off there's like a air wheezing sound coming from under the hood. Would mine be valve lash too?

I would try to adjust the valve lash and then worry if that does not fix it. As for the air sound, do you have an aftermarket intake or a OEM intake box? If you have an aftermarket intake then the air sound is normal.

WoW mine's making that exact same air wheezing sound his does. Yes, I have an air intake installed but it's not the same sound for sure. The sound sounds similar to what you would hear if you cut a high power fan off, and after the power is gone you can stear hear the blades whizzing/scraping to a stop. keep in mind this sound is after the engine is turned off, so it's definately not the intake, and it only lasts about 2 or 3 seconds as I'm sure it does with the guy with the prelude, too

Mine's a stock airbox.

Mine does the same thing after you turn the engine off you hear the wheezing sound like a fan turning off.

and sometimes when you're driving, does it feel like you lose power especially at the low end of 4th gear? my guess this is oil pressure loss from the valves...

and maybe one of the valve heads are coming to a screeching stop because of lack of oil (possilby damaged)

but this is all just my guess.. i'm have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever lol

Yea, sometimes it feels like it doesn't have as much power as it should, and sometimes it runs fine.

and sometimes when you're driving, does it feel like you lose power especially at the low end of 4th gear? my guess this is oil pressure loss from the valves...

and maybe one of the valve heads are coming to a screeching stop because of lack of oil (possilby damaged)

but this is all just my guess.. i'm have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever lol

The valves have no effect at all on oil pressure. The air sound is pressure bleeding back through the intake from one of the cylinders that was on the intake stroke, when you trun the motor off the pistons stops moving and the vacuum stops, so that air has to go somewhere. Make sense now? Trust me that sound is normal.

so why then do we notice it now and not when we got our cars?

so why then do we notice it now and not when we got our cars?



The sound should be random, meaning that it probably won't do it every time the car is turned off. Most of the time people notice it after they install an aftermarket intake, or filter. Sometimes people will notice it after removing the stock intake resonator, and leaving the stock intake box and filter. If you think that the sound is not normal then I would look over all the vacuum hoses and make sure they are all connected and tight. While the motor is running put your ear close to the motor and move around slowly listening for a whistle noise. If you don't see or hear anything from the vacuum hoses then you are fine.

Exactly.

Mine isn't random, it happens everytime, and i have a stock airbox. The honda mechanic said that it was normal also, just compression from the cylinders. However, how come it just started happening like a month ago, when i've had the car for a year? I found what looked like a vacuum hose sittin near my fuel rail last week, i couldn't find where it goes tho.....

..... I found what looked like a vacuum hose sittin near my fuel rail last week, i couldn't find where it goes tho.....


Is it comming out of the valve cover? Is it comming out of the Intake manifold? If not hten were is the end that is still hooked up?

neither end was hooked up, it was simply sticking straight up in the air, neither side hooked to anything. I think it was smooshed inbetween my fuel rail and intake manifold.

neither end was hooked up, it was simply sticking straight up in the air, neither side hooked to anything. I think it was smooshed inbetween my fuel rail and intake manifold.

So it won't come out? Do you have a digital camera? If so try to take a pic and maybe I can tell you what it goes to.

I'll try to get a pic of it.

I can now assure you this sound after turning the car off is NOT related to the air intake; it now lasts long enough for me to turn the car off after a regular drive and pop the hood and still hear it.

It's coming directly from the headers it sounds like. MAYBE the block but I seriously doubt it. I have pretty good hearing and depth perception and I'm pretty sure it's the headers but as always I could be wrong.

I can also better describe the sound to you:

After the whizzing (not the constant low hummmm my intake makes) sound dissapears in 2-3 seconds:

It sounds exactly like water hitting a dry metal pan. Every drip is 1-2 seconds apart initially. There are 5-10 drips, and then a loud CLICK!
then the dripping starts again, but slower. then the CLICK!
slower again, click again, til the final click in which all sounds stop.

All this is AFTER the initial 'fan whizzing' sound immediately after I turn it off.

Helpppppppppppppppppp!

I can now assure you this sound after turning the car off is NOT related to the air intake; it now lasts long enough for me to turn the car off after a regular drive and pop the hood and still hear it.

It's coming directly from the headers it sounds like. MAYBE the block but I seriously doubt it. I have pretty good hearing and depth perception and I'm pretty sure it's the headers but as always I could be wrong.

I can also better describe the sound to you:

After the whizzing (not the constant low hummmm my intake makes) sound dissapears in 2-3 seconds:

It sounds exactly like water hitting a dry metal pan. Every drip is 1-2 seconds apart initially. There are 5-10 drips, and then a loud CLICK!
then the dripping starts again, but slower. then the CLICK!
slower again, click again, til the final click in which all sounds stop.

All this is AFTER the initial 'fan whizzing' sound immediately after I turn it off.

Helpppppppppppppppppp!

If it sounds like liquid hitting something than it is probably oil or coolant dripping on the exhaust pipe under the oil pan. Have you looked on the under side of the oil pan to see if it has any liquid on it? Also look to see if there is any burnt lokking spots on the exhaust pipe, or any discolor specific to one area.