"gsr_integra99" <gsr_integra99@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:93kqb.45231$un.19760@bignews6.bellsouth.net:

> I have a 1999 Integra GSR which recently started having problems when

Thank you all very much for your suggestions and advice. They helped out when I
retrieved my car from Acura today, since I was able to push the mechanic for
answers. In the end though, he said there was nothing else he could do under
warranty. I was able to get him to admit that a bent valve was not the only
reason I might have a pressure leak, but he insisted none of the other reasons
were covered under warranty either. Whether it be carbon build-up on a piston
ring, a bent valve, a bad gasket, etc... under their warranty those all imply
problems due to car use/driving style etc, and not a factory defect. He went as
far as to say a valve could have bent downshifting only one gear (like 3rd to
2nd) as opposed to something like 5th to 2nd. That, I'm not so sure I believe,
but I'm not an expert.

So the current status is the car is operable. It 'misfires/falters' on hard
acceleration, but otherwise it drives. He said he could hear air leak out of
the cylinder if pressurized.

I am going to perform on my own the various tests you all suggested to find out
as much as I can before needing to remove the head of the engine. I feel
comfortable with the help of my mechanic/friend removing the head, but I will
probably need his supervision and I might have to leave it to him to
replace/clean the valves, springs, etc, if necessary. I also don't feel
extremely confortable assembling it and doing the timing, etc... another task
which I will probably need babysitting on. Is it possible that I might have
carbon build-up on a valve and it isn't seating properly (not sure about the
terminology there)? as opposed to carbon build-up on a piston ring? Is there
still any hope I might get out of those without replacement parts?

Either way, what I thought was going to be an expensive headache will hopefully
turn out to be a good learning experience. I guess I can thank Acura's we-
don't-cover-anything-in-your-engine-warranty for that, hehe...

Again, thanks for the advice, it was my first post on this group...

99 GSR