LAp1

whippets: isnt there a formal tool to check coil packs? or doesnt autozone or one of the acme parts houses test them?

cadams: thanks for your input. will update with valve adjustment results.

spook

Valve adjustment will most likely fix the problem. Do that ASAP.

LAp1

ok im figuring my retainers will be cracked so i ordered new ones and called around town for people to replace them. everyone referred me back to my local Honda stealership. they quoted me 650$ labor to change retainers. does this sound ridiculously overpriced or is it just me?

davidc1

Yes, that is ridiculously overpriced, but that's expected at a dealership

davidc1

Remember, you need to replace the cotters/keepers as well. The labor charge is far more expensive than the parts as you see. Also, most people feel you only need to replace the intake side, as the exhaust side never cracks. This is what Billman250 thinks.

LAp1

yes i bought all intake side keepers and retainers. told honda i only wanted intake sides changed. they quoted me 650$, after i explained to them what a valve retainer was. lawls

zeroptzero

Did you ever run the oil too low ?, given the excessive oil consumption it isn't a bad guess, reason I ask is that the roughness you feel through the clutch is not a good sign. I will hazard a guess that you've suffered some bottom end damage going by the roughness in the clutch and the ringing of the shifter, if you have run the oil low at times then it might make sense. Unfortunately the only way to know for sure is to spend some money investigating, oil pressure check, oil pan inspection, along with some of the other suggestions made above.

japhethwar

Don't go to honda. 650 is astronomical. You can pick up a tool just for the f22 head on ebay for 70 bucks that makes retainer swap a breeze. It doesn't take very long at all with the proper tool and a little know how. I would absolutely never take my car to a dealer for service. Nothing but kids with no experience. Real mechanics won't set foot in a dealership. Search around for a good local shop with import experience. There's plenty of them around. While this is not a difficult job, it does require a bit of finese and know how. If your gonna do it yourself, take your time. You can destroy the engine if one of the valves drops, so make sure its right before you attempt to crank it.

LAp1

jfusion: i have ran the car fairly low on oil a time or two. thats what worries me, spend money to get valve retainers replaced, valve adjustment done etc etc just to eventually find a larger problem that will cost so much to repair that it will be worth more than the car is.

zeroptzero

Yeah I know the feeling, my blown engine is doing a pretty good job on emptying my wallet right now. It is really hard to diagnose engine problems over the internet, but when my engine recently suffered damage the most noticeable symptom was increased vibration in the clutch pedal and shifter, that's why I posted my remarks. I hope it turns out to be something else and something easily repaired.