[markheggie]

Ok, here is what happened. My first problem was rough idle, engine stalling after warming up and Check engine light on. Codes were P0339 and P0172. The repair was Idle and CPK relearn procedure. No change in problem. Second time, check engine light on again, codes were P0304 and DTC 0172, so throttle body replaced. No change in problem. Third time, check engine light on, air cleaner hose tightened. No change in problem. Fourth time, check engine light on, codes P0303, P0304, P0300, valve clearance adjust fixed problem.

A few months go by and vehicle starts to develop a vibration. Thought is was tires. Balanced and rotated twice, no fix. Had 100,000 tune up with spark plugs replaced. Still vibrating. Check engine light comes on, take to pep boys and they say cylinder 4 is misfiring, and cylinder 4 has low compression. They take the cover off and see that the cam lobe for cylinder # 4 is worn badly, with the diagnosis that the valves were adjusted incorrectly. Did Honda improperly fix my vehicle? it seems to me that the valve adjustment has caused this problem, with the cam lobe being worn so badly (the tech showed me the lobe). Any thoughts?

 

[ShinyQuickster]

I doubt that the technician is to blame. It sounds more like a manufacturing defect. The cam shaft goes through a hardening process. If done incorrectly, you may see abnormal ware.

 

[slimerdogs]

True as there has been a few people that have reported cam lobe wear and when it starts to wear out it goes pretty fast. You will need to replace the cam and followers or tappets as whatever they are called. Being that its on top its not hard to do. There are some Honda techs on here that can give you an idea what exactly you need and how much it will cost. By the way welcome to the club.

 

[marksbug]

that is probably what gave the code in the first place.but the honda techs should of seen it and reported it (witch is possiable but did nothing about it)or the tech is like the ones hear at my local honda dealer that dont know squat,and cant do squat,and wont do squat.witch is possiably the reason for not finding it sooner before it hurt more parts(oil pump,bearings etc.) so it's possiable that they overlooked it or worse & did not want to be part of the problem for not finding it. or #3 shiet happens,but those are usualy caused by lubracation(old oil,junk oil as in no name bubba's goose greessee.) thats a very good reason to run synthetic oil.(I do )or like slimer said soft cams,parts.but I'm not sure about that but I have seen it many times.loose lash is very hard on parts. I dont have any exp with honda engines (execpt the 2 wheel type) so I cant say positivly.but roller cams almost last forever.with that said I refer back to shiet hapens. If it was under warranty when the problem started then raise hell & make them pay for it. good luck

 

[judesminkey]

Not the mechanic's fault.

The 03 Elements obviously have a "soft cam" issue that I called Honda out on and they are not going to do anything about it. Kinda lame since its a manufacturer defect and the problem isn't noticed till we're out of warranty. I did a valve adjustment last month and to my horror my #4 exhaust cam lobe is very worn, with slight wear on another! I've found accord and cr-v owners ('03) with the same problem. I will undertake replacing the cam myself this summer, just wish Honda would hook us up on the cam, $300.

 

[markheggie]

So I just dropped the E off at the dealer that did the original valve job - i'll let you know what happens.

 

[ApriliaGuy]

How many miles on the E? (now, and when the problem started)

Did you have the scheduled valve check/adjustment around 100k miles?




It seems weird that they seemed to have solved the problem (after too many attempts), and then it got "worse." Did you notice any weird noises (tapping, clicking,etc) after they did the adjustment? What about when the light came on?


Good luck.

Will

 

[hondamike12345]

It's not very common, but I've seen a few of these worn cams at work. None on Elements. They've all been on Accords and CR-V's.
I wouldn't blame the technician. You just got a ****ty cam, unfortunately.

 

[Tim Vance]

It's not very common, but I've seen a few of these worn cams at work. None on Elements. They've all been on Accords and CR-V's.
I wouldn't blame the technician. You just got a ****ty cam, unfortunately.

But doesn't the E have the same engine as the Accord??

 

[ApriliaGuy]

But doesn't the E have the same engine as the Accord??

yes, the same as "newer" CR-Vs too.

 

[markheggie]

It has 120,000 miles. The 100,000 mile service was just spark plugs I think. I don't know if they adjusted the valves then. What I am pretty sure of is valve seat recession. That would explain the worn cam lobe of #4 (valve seat receeding into head, valve rubbing on cam lobe), plus the low compression in #4 (valve not seating correctly). I think the next thing to do is replace the head from another element or accord with K24A4 engine. I have found some used ones for $350 with machine shop check of head. Honda quoted me $2500 to fix and it was an %80 percent chance of a fix. That only involved recplacint the cam and valve. BS. I have dealt with this type of "service" with honda before, so I am taking this one into my own hands.

 

[judesminkey]

No tapping here.

It's not very common, but I've seen a few of these worn cams at work. None on Elements. They've all been on Accords and CR-V's.
I wouldn't blame the technician. You just got a ****ty cam, unfortunately.
__________________
Mike K.

Honda Certified Technician since 1999


I went to do my valve adjustment @ 125,000 and then realized my exhaust cam is toast. I never had any tapping or knocking noise except when the alternator started to crap out. I just replaced the p.s. pump, alternator, tension pulley, ELD, belt, spark plugs and all fluids. Runs like a new E, but I know my cam needs changed this summer and I have the manual.

Hey HondaMike, any tips or advice as to replacing the camshafts would be greatly appreciated!! I'm not afraid to do it, just was wandering if there are any tricks to the task. My dealer here in VT said the majority of problems he sees on E's is waterpumps, but he has replaced a few camshafts in '03 E's.