On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 13:28:07 -0500, "asdf" <ramswaroop@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>This sounds terrible, but I tried turning the crank yesterday and I am
>hearing fairly audible hiss on cylinders 1 and 3.. I am gonna get a
>compression check done tommorrow, seems like its gonna be bad news.

Well you *will* always hear *some* hiss but along with the back pressure of
the valves sealing. IOW the air will escape slowly with the compression -
I guess you've compared with the "feel" of the compression stroke on the
other cylinders.

>I dont notice severe chugging but it is noticeable, even if i floor the gas,
>the car does not respond, then tries, gives up, tries gives up...
>
>Talked to the service manager today, and he is trying to escape from fixing
>the problem by saying that it is normal for a 70k miles car. These fellows
>are really bad.
>What can I do if they dont take responsibility??

Was it them who set the valves too tight in the first place? Is this a
Honda dealer? Only recourse I can think of would be if it fails an
emissions check... then it *could* be a warranty issue.

>Also, how hard is it gonna be to change the valves? Sounds like a time
>consuming task...
>
>In case I do have damage to the car, will it be just the valves or would the
>exhaust and intake manifolds also take some wear? If so, should I change the
>head?

New valves almost inevitably and it depends onhow bad the valve seats are
burnt, whether they can be reground or have to be replaced - a new head
might be a better option given the $$ involved. If that service place
can't set the valve clearances right in the first place, unlikely I'd trust
them with that kind of work.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??