HondaS

so trying to fix my smog proglem with the high nox i decided i should do a valve adjustment so i take off my valve cover and im like hey i should take a look at my retainer for cracks or anything.

I start with the exhaust and i notice some of the retainers on the exhaust side look like they were filed down or something. so im already thinking damn thats not good..

then i move on to the intake side... f@#k!



WTF it looks like the retainer has been pulled down into the spring???

well better check the rest right?


OMG this one is worse! I cant even see the retainer



but its there i think??



for reference this is what they should look like



how is my car even running still and how did this happen?


will i be able to replace them without pulling the head? since the retainers are so far down there?



Update: 8/22/13

so today i went to look at it again and try to figure out how its holding together still and i find that my springs are actually duel valve springs and the retainer fell onto the secondary spring and thats what keeps it running like that. This leads me to believe that they are Brian Crower duel springs and titanium retainers and im not a fan of Brian Crower products.

I have a question though can i re use the valve springs and put oem retainers on them or do i have to get aftermarket retainers? i kind of like the duel spring it apparently has saved my ass once now.

Also, can i use this to remove the retainers on our cars?



7/29/15 Just an update its been about a year and ive added about 15k miles since i swapped everything out for oem and its been running great. It passed smog with flying colors and the tech assumed i changed the cat out because thats what he was sure was wrong with my car when it failed.

It blows my mind at how easily this could have become catastrophic. If I would have let the shop do diagnostic, change out my cat and pass smog I would have never found this problem.

ninetysixyenko

I am surprised you havent had V2P contact from vlve float, I am surprised that it hasn't dropped a valve, and I am surprised that compression is even good..

Yes, you can change just the retainers without pulling the head, But I would be pulling the head to see if the valves/guids and possibly pistons are damaged.

Sub'd.

s2000maniac

Well there is your problem!

They look like aftermarket retainers, or maybe I'm seeing things!

OEM AP1 retainer..

HondaS

they do look shiny and slightly different maybe titanium?

i bought the car in 2006 with 50k car was bone stock other than an aftermarket radio that had the modifry DCI, It's possible the previous owner installed them but it wasn't me.

bgioan

If they're titanium they've definitely been replaced. I don't understand if you have an AP1... I think you do and in which case they've most likely been changed. If the previous owner knew enough that he should have a modifry DCI unit then he would know to change the retainers simple because that modifry is not common knowledge to everyone; just a theory.

Billman250

They are Ti and they chewed themselves apart. Replace them with ap2 retainers and keepers.

Looks like you ground up the intake camshaft as well.

No need to pull head. Anyone really good can fix it in 2 hours.

HondaS

So you don't think taking the head off and inspecting everything is that necessary? The car runs strong asside from my smog issue. No idle problems. No hesitations. No surging.

iamxpl

wow... just wow. thats a ticking time bomb.

92gli

Wow. That is crazy, can't believe the engine didn't grenade. I think it's safe to say that those retainers are 100% garbage. Wonder who made them.

Surprised you didn't see any metal in your oil.

MR.T

Is there any particular reason why they didn't last??? I just had ferrea beehive installed in mine and they are titanium.