camuman

the adjustment was done LAST FALL. do it again, or at the very least make sure they are within spec before you go ripping the head off and replacing valves

sam_spider

The car has only done 1500 miles since the adjustment, it gets put away every winter. I think the bent valve was the problem from the beginning, but they didn't catch it.

turbo_slug

just because the adjustment was done, doesn't mean it was done correctly...most people i've talked to seem to do take lots of shortcuts while doing valve adjustments (ie. they only use one size feeler gauge so there's no max/min clearance check or they don't recheck the clearance after tightening the lock nut or they don't use a torque wrench to tighten the lock nut etc)

.Boston.

true i had to get it done 3 times in 6 months just because they place that did it really didn't know what the hell they were doing, and i finally just decided to do it my self. I guess thats what i get for being lazy

sam_spider

I've been going over my notes from when this originally occurred in the fall and I'm a little confused/annoyed now.

10/21/09 - CEL - Codes 0300, 0303 & 0304.

Dealer says I need a valve adjustment & new gasket. They also test the spark plugs, coil packs and injectors, those all come back fine.

10/27/09 - Valve adjustment done - still throwing CEL 0301 & 0304.

Dealer rechecks the coil packs & plugs, they say they are fine.

10/28/09 - Dealer adds fuel cleaner and CEL goes away, car runs fine and they return it to me.

I probably put around 300-400 miles on it before I put it away for the winter. I got the car out last month, put around 1000 miles on it this year, and last weekend I get the CEL with codes 0303 & 0304 again.

The dealer has been unable to get the car to throw a CEL since, but they perform a leak down test and get the results above, and tell me I've got a bent valve. Does this sound right?

I know the loss on cylinder 4 isn't good, but at the same time when fuel cleaner solved the problem before, how I can go from bad fuel to bent valves in less than 1500 miles...

camuman

heres the thing. you gotta pull the valve cover to replace valves. why not just check the damn adjustment first before tearing shit apart.

.Boston...im just trying to help the guy out. if you want to make this annoying, then i just wont help

OP... you said it was done last fall, then 1500 miles were put on the car. in addition, i personally dont trust most mechanics. that being said, maybe ask around in your local forum for a reliable trustworthy shop and have them check it.

your leak down numbers are not great, and if teh dealership says its coming from the valves, tehn ask them which ones, INTAKE OR EXHAUST? if they cant answer, then they havent a clue whats wrong.

i would have the valve adjustment verified to be correct. then have the leakdown done again and pinpoint what exactly is leaking. then fix that problem.

/rant

sam_spider

I appreciate the help.

The car hasn't thrown a CEL since Saturday when the other dealer cleared them, this is part of the problem my local dealer is having, they'd really like to have the CEL info.

The dealer stated the problem was on the exhaust side, not intake, so they did know that much. I asked for the leak down test on Monday since the car wasn't throwing a CEL and I really need the car back for Wake the Dragon next week. The thing that bothers me now is that after the valve adjustment it was still throwing the same codes, but fuel cleaner solved it (or masked it) until now.

I just want to make sure this will indeed solve the problem and that next week it doesn't come back on with it being something silly like the injectors.

turbo_slug

The leakdown test results are fishy (and i'd investigate further), but I also wouldn't doubt it if there's a problem w/ the fuel injectors. It seems that the s2k injectors and ports get dirty easily. I've seen 3 different sets of s2k injectors and they all had lots loose of carbon deposits on them (looks like coffee grounds stuck to the injectors). I suggest pulling the injectors out for inspection. If they're dirty, get them cleaned or replaced?

BTW, when I had misfire problems, if the CEL is reset, it took on average 50km of driving before the CEL would turn back on

sam_spider

I drove it back from the dealer down in Ohio on Saturday after the CEL was cleared which was around 150 miles.

I'm going to check the injectors as well.

dave2k

I had the dreaded misfire codes for quite a while. The dealer did a leakdown test and said I needed a new head for $5k or they could just redo the valves for $3k. My results leakdown were worse than yours but the car seemed to drive just fine. I decided to go to an independent shop. They did a compression test and the results were not too bad. I decided to have them rule out all the cheaper solutions first. After quite a few visits they zeroed in on the fuel injectors. Injector cleaner helped for a while but the CEL kept coming back. I finally replaced the injectors and have gone close to 5000 miles with no CEL. I'm using higher quality fuel now too, all fuel is not the same. If it were valves, how could it come and go? Good luck to you.