109,000mi on 20 weight--valve gear pics

[Jay]

I just finished the first valve adjustment on my '02 Acura RSX. The owners manual says the first adjustment is 110,000mi,and subsequent adjustments are 110,000mi intervals. I used 20-weight oil exclusively since new, except for one interval of Mobil1 0w-30 early on. I did oil analysis regularly which led me to choose Havoline 5w-20. Most of the oil changes were with Havoline or Chevron Supreme 5w-20. I thought you guys might want to see the pics.

Here's the oil cover. I'm pleased with the cleanliness. There's no sludge or varnish that I can see:

Here's some valvegear photos:

I tightened all the intake valves clearances a little. All the exhaust valves were OK except two where I opened clearance just a little.

Here's a picture of my OEM iridium spark plugs after 109,000mi:

I'm really pleased with the reliability, durability, and low maintenance of the engine.

 

[Michelob]

Was this Havoline 3 or Havoline DS?

 

[mgm13]

Nice pics of really clean looking engine. What was the OCI and what oil filter pls.

Thanks
Big Mike

 

[IntegraVT]

Very nice! Got to love the K20 engine...

Jay, what was your OCI, btw?

 

[ericthepig]

That is, in a word, Amazing. Props to Havoline.

What were your OCIs & driving style?

 

[02zx9r]

very nice

 

[tackleberry625]

I have rebuilt numerous engines with only 60-80k on them. They did not have proper OCIs and they were poorly maintained / run hard.........lots of sludge/varnish in those but yours is clean. Good job. Be careful not to knock any of that dirt inside the engine....that is [censored] on bearings.

 

[wavinwayne]

NICE!

 

[FZ1]

Really nice looking engine. Thanks for the pics of the plugs. Just changed my oem 02 v6 plugs at 90k and they look just like your plugs. Gonna change the next set much sooner at 5yrs or 50k.

 

[rationull]

To echo other respondents, looks very nice!

How much adjustment did the valve lash actually need?

 

[Jay]

I follow the owner's manual OCI which is 7500mi for my driving conditions. That's about 70% city 30% highway and no freezing conditions. Michelob, I didn't know there were types of Havoline 5w-20. I buy whatever Autozone has.

By the way, the valve adjustment was a struggle! The valves are tough to get to, and I'm all beat up and sore from it today.

 

[jpr]

Spec oil for that engine is 20-weight, right?

 

[Max_Wander]

not bad. What was it like adjusting the valves? Did you enjoy it? I adjusted the valve train on a Prelude, to spec, a few times actually because there was no improvement in valvetrain noise. What a disappointment, it still sounds like a loose bike chain dragging over metal. When it actually was tightened past spec, it was actually quiet!; but it ran like [censored] due to excessive duration... I hated that car for not being capable of having a quiet valvetrain. At least the K20s have roller finger followers and can go a little longer before adjustment. BTW thats nice and clean, Havoline FTW!

 

[Max_Wander]

Originally Posted By: jpr
Spec oil for that engine is 20-weight, right?


Yes for all iterations of the K20 engine, except A2 and Z3 which call for 5w30, and I may be wrong about the Z3, but it should use the same as the A2 because of similar tuning

 

[Jay]

Max, I had a '93 Civic Si before this car and I think the valve adj intervals were 35Kmi, so I adjusted them quite a few times over the 140,000 miles that I kept the car. They were no big deal, but this K20A3 engine is the toughest engine for valve adjustments ever! I've even adjusted valves on my Honda VFR V-4s which are no picnic, but they are no match for the K20A3 in difficulty.

Ahh well. I won't have to do it again and there are no leaks. The engine runs a teeny bit smoother at idle, otherwise I feel no improvement. I'm watching gas mileage for a small change...

 

[Jay]

Originally Posted By: mgm13
Nice pics of really clean looking engine. What was the OCI and what oil filter pls.

Thanks
Big Mike
About 7500mi for the OCI and I use Nippon 15400-POH-305 filters. The manual recommends changing the oil filter every other oil change. I tried that once, but my silicon and wear numbers increased noticeably. Now I change the filter every oil change.

 

[Jay]

Originally Posted By: rationull
To echo other respondents, looks very nice!

How much adjustment did the valve lash actually need?


It's hard to say. I would guess I adjusted the intakes about .001" closer. It was so tough to get at the valves lash adjusters that I didn't spend much time making absolute measurements.

 

[cos]

Impressive! Dino 5W20s certainly get the job done.

 

[Dale_Knight]

Nor sludge, nor varnish...well done.

 

[Drew99GT]

At least the Hondas have a needle/screw type adjuster. With new Toyotas, you have to remove the cams and lifters for crying out loud!