[chrisbreathes]

I just bought a Honda CR-V 2004. The air compressor has been replaced twice during the life of the vehicle. The last time it was done was a month ago by a professional. I’m wondering since it’s been replaced, that it wouldn’t have a risk of Black Death or of it imploding.
It seems to be turning off and on too frequently, like once every 10-20 seconds. Mechanic told me It should only be turning on and off once every 2 minutes. He also said that the A/C is a totally seperate and that metal shards wouldn’t be able to get into the oil and coolant, which is different than what other mechanics have told me Saying that metal shards can get into the oil and coolant if it implodes.
They also told me that the vvt or valve cover gasket does not need to be replaced because it is not leaking enough oil for it to be a problem anytime soon (to me it just looks like moister no significant leaking) looked up quick Google search and says any leaking is a serious problem. But these guys are honest professionals and have been in this business a long time, so assuming they are right.

insight on all of this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[rebuilder86]

yeh sounds like the aircon charge is too high. just cut your losses and take it to an aircon only expert mate! it wont be broken, it will just need to have its charge done correctly.

as for oil leak, by VVT i assume you mean thte VTEC solenoid body gasket at the back of the engine?
OR do you mean the VTC (hondas version of VVT) solenoid O ring which is on the side of the engine near the belt.

As for the VTEC at the back, ther are actaully 2 seals, one between the head and the solenoid body, and then one internally between the solenoid cylinder at the top and the solenoid body, which is a round seal and can crack. If this round one is leaking, then it will actually affect the operaton of the VTEC system because its leaking in the solenoid chamber. If its just the big gasket between the solenoid body and the cylinder head, then its not so muich an issue other than a messy pain in the backside.

If the VTC solenoids round O ring is leaking, its possible, but unlikely, to create drivability issues.It woudl have to be leaking so bad that u are loosing oil at a silly rate to be able to affect the VTC actuators operation.

 

[Carbuff2]

other mechanics have told me Saying that metal shards can get into the oil and coolant if it implodes.

WRONG: The 'Black Death' compressor failure sends metal shards into the air conditioning system, not engine oil or coolant.

Your rapid A/C cycle does sound like just improper amount of refrigerant.

+++++++++++++

Valve cover gaskets on these engines are robust. We haven't replaced ours even after removing the cover 3 times in 190,000 miles.
What CAN cause VC leaks, though, are a failure to seal the cracks in the cylinder head pieces, and at the 'corners' of the VC where it goes over the camshafts.

Another source of oil leaks on the Gen2 is the oil pressure switch. It is difficult to see at the right-rear of the cylinder head.

Best to clean everything up and evaluate.

 

[chrisbreathes]

WRONG: The 'Black Death' compressor failure sends metal shards into the air conditioning system, not engine oil or coolant.

Your rapid A/C cycle does sound like just improper amount of refrigerant.

+++++++++++++

Valve cover gaskets on these engines are robust. We haven't replaced ours even after removing the cover 3 times in 190,000 miles.
What CAN cause VC leaks, though, are a failure to seal the cracks in the cylinder head pieces, and at the 'corners' of the VC where it goes over the camshafts.

Another source of oil leaks on the Gen2 is the oil pressure switch. It is difficult to see at the right-rear of the cylinder head.

Best to clean everything up and evaluate.

yep I already did the oil pressure switch and one other thing was leaking that was replaced Professionally.

yeh sounds like the aircon charge is too high. just cut your losses and take it to an aircon only expert mate! it wont be broken, it will just need to have its charge done correctly.

as for oil leak, by VVT i assume you mean thte VTEC solenoid body gasket at the back of the engine?
OR do you mean the VTC (hondas version of VVT) solenoid O ring which is on the side of the engine near the belt.

As for the VTEC at the back, ther are actaully 2 seals, one between the head and the solenoid body, and then one internally between the solenoid cylinder at the top and the solenoid body, which is a round seal and can crack. If this round one is leaking, then it will actually affect the operaton of the VTEC system because its leaking in the solenoid chamber. If its just the big gasket between the solenoid body and the cylinder head, then its not so muich an issue other than a messy pain in the backside.

If the VTC solenoids round O ring is leaking, its possible, but unlikely, to create drivability issues.It woudl have to be leaking so bad that u are loosing oil at a silly rate to be able to affect the VTC actuators operation.

so I listened to it again last night for like 10-15 minutes and the a/c sounded fine this time around. Wasn’t switching on and off rapidly.
As far as your question with the gasket cover, it’s not in the back of the engine no, and the mechanics just said it’s called a valve cover gasket, or VVT cover and I think they said it’s a both that are leaking a little bit of it just looks like moisture to me not close to significant and they say I shouldn’t be concerned about it. I always like to get multiple opinions on things.

 

[rebuilder86]

ahh i see, rocker cover gasket. sounds like a pretty average mechanic hey. it sounds like you know more about it than them mate, honestly.
SO as for aircon,if it suddenlyu got better and cycles less often, more like once every minute or so, then thats just wierd, and maybe the pressure swiothc is faulty.

btw, i think when you quoted your mechanci about metal shards, i think you meant to say "oil and rerfrigerant". shards would go into that if it shat itself.

 

[chrisbreathes]

Got an oil pressure switch replaced twice, and the solenoid valve. Engine oil light still comes on. Wanna check the oil pressure in case it maybe an oil pump problem but can’t find any instructions for how to do that in the manual or online.
how do I identify the oil pressure switch so I can take it out and check the oil pressure with a gauge? And what’s the pressure suppose to be on the gauge if it’s functioning properly? I’m from the U.S. not the UK

 

[Carbuff2]

Space is limited on the Gen2, but on older cars I have plumbed-in a Tee so that I can use a pressure gauge and the original low pressure switch at the same time.
Good luck.

 

[StormRockies]

What did you get for CEL? Just replacing without error codes doesn't help anyone here figure what is going on.

 

[rebuilder86]

here mate. the whole process for this vehicle model.
Just reading this myself yesterday with the same intention actualy, no oil light for me but some drivability problems which are having me suspect not enough oil pressure to make VTEC and or VTC system funciton properly when the oil heats up and thins out :/ but i jsut cant justify buying an oil pressure gauge when i could be barking up the wrong tree haha.

http://honda.automotive-manuals.com/cr-v-2002-2005/A00/HTML/51/S9A2E51A32200000000FEAT00.HTML

basicaly you get the engine hot, and test the pressure at idle and it sbhoudl be at least 10psi. lots of my older cars have regularly failed this test without the light turning on, so dont be surprised if yours does too.

You just pray that its jsut the wire to the sensor switcc is just grunded somewhere ok! I had an old toyota where the insulation on teh wire burned through up against the corner of the block and completed thecircuit for the light at differnet times depending how hot the engine got which changed the conductivitiy of the wire are the short! made it apear to be a genuine oil presure problem, but stuck a digital guage in my car and found everythign was rosey.

 

[chrisbreathes]

here mate. the whole process for this vehicle model.
Just reading this myself yesterday with the same intention actualy, no oil light for me but some drivability problems which are having me suspect not enough oil pressure to make VTEC and or VTC system funciton properly when the oil heats up and thins out :/ but i jsut cant justify buying an oil pressure gauge when i could be barking up the wrong tree haha.

http://honda.automotive-manuals.com/cr-v-2002-2005/A00/HTML/51/S9A2E51A32200000000FEAT00.HTML

basicaly you get the engine hot, and test the pressure at idle and it sbhoudl be at least 10psi. lots of my older cars have regularly failed this test without the light turning on, so dont be surprised if yours does too.

You just pray that its jsut the wire to the sensor switcc is just grunded somewhere ok! I had an old toyota where the insulation on teh wire burned through up against the corner of the block and completed thecircuit for the light at differnet times depending how hot the engine got which changed the conductivitiy of the wire are the short! made it apear to be a genuine oil presure problem, but stuck a digital guage in my car and found everythign was rosey.

Oil pressure is perfect. The last guys installed the pressure switch wrong or they used a cheap part because no more problems after installed by different professionals. Got my money back.

 

[rebuilder86]

mint. can i please just pretend that ive checked my oil pressue and got the same result LOL. I sooo CBF doing it.

 

[beww]

mint. can i please just pretend that ive checked my oil pressue and got the same result LOL. I sooo CBF doing it.

Sure, then you can pretend you have a working car.

 

[Lynn987]

Got an oil pressure switch replaced twice, and the solenoid valve. Engine oil light still comes on. Wanna check the oil pressure in case it maybe an oil pump problem but can’t find any instructions for how to do that in the manual or online.
how do I identify the oil pressure switch so I can take it out and check the oil pressure with a gauge? And what’s the pressure suppose to be on the gauge if it’s functioning properly? I’m from the U.S. not the UK

If you're talking about this solenoid;

I had a problem when mine was replaced. It seems the computer did not recognize the problem had been fixed right away. Had to have it towed long distance because the garage I went to could not find anything else wrong with it and I had to get back. After erasing the code a couple times and reconnecting an air hose it went away for good. I found an air hose had been disconnected which may have caused the computer to be confused and not quickly reset itself. Yes, I know it's air and not oil, but the P2646 & 7 codes stopped after all that.

 

[StormRockies]

If you're talking about this solenoid;

I had a problem when mine was replaced. It seems the computer did not recognize the problem had been fixed right away. Had to have it towed long distance because the garage I went to could not find anything else wrong with it and I had to get back. After erasing the code a couple times and reconnecting an air hose it went away for good. I found an air hose had been disconnected which may have caused the computer to be confused and not quickly reset itself. Yes, I know it's air and not oil, but the P2646 & 7 codes stopped after all that.

So where was your vacuum air hose that was disconnected located at? This might help others check their own locations.

 

[chrisbreathes]

Honda CRV 2004 with 141k miles.
can misfires clear themselves automatically on this vehicle or are they continuously logged?
Was concerned about 1 misfire that showed up on my autel mid grade scanner. Took it to a mechanic, they checked spark plugs and ignition coils, drove it 100 miles plugged my scanner and it showed 6-7 misfires after 100 miles of driving. Took it back to mechanic and their very expensive scanner showed 0 misfires. They said even if there were misfires it would only be problematic if the check engine light came on and that a few misfires are normal and even happen to new cars and are not a cause for concern. They also said that my particular scanner is known to misread misfires and that’s why they don’t use autel scanners.
Two concerns
1. Reading lots of contradictory info about it online whether or not even a single misfire is ok.
2. Not sure if my autel cleared the misfire logs or if it clears itself. (I did not intentionally go in and clear anything with the scanner just pulled it out).
3. They said there’s trace amount of coolant in one of the cylinders. These guys are professionals and I would assume they would tell me if this was a problem but I always like to get different opinions.
4. They said my front breaks are glazed and didn’t tell me whether or not I should replace them. They cause a lot of skweeking. Even the break shop I took this car too wasn’t concerned about it.
Thanks so much.

 

[Carbuff2]

1. ANY misfire increases the amount of unburned fuel that enters the catalytic converter. This could make it fail or clog after many miles. Some misfires (during warmup for example) are not logged by OBDII.

Any record of a valve adjustment being done? 'Tight' valves could contribute to a misfire. We check our valve lash every 60K miles.

Hopefully the specified Iridium plugs are in your engine.

3. Keep monitoring that.

4. Squeaky Brakes

 

[chrisbreathes]

1. ANY misfire increases the amount of unburned fuel that enters the catalytic converter. This could make it fail or clog after many miles. Some misfires (during warmup for example) are not logged by OBDII.

Any record of a valve adjustment being done? 'Tight' valves could contribute to a misfire. We check our valve lash every 60K miles.

Hopefully the specified Iridium plugs are in your engine.

3. Keep monitoring that.

4. Squeaky Brakes

I am not aware of a valve adjustment no and not sure what valve your referring to. Can you be more specific about this? Your talking to a noob here.
So your saying a misfire can cause a catalytic converter to fail or become clogged? Can you link me any professional information on this topic? Thanks so much for your reply.

 

[Carbuff2]

Sorry, I was referring to the intake and exhaust valves in the K-Series engine. Honda says to check them every 100,000 miles or IF NOISY. Trouble is, the exhaust valves tighten with age and wear, and that means they will not open sufficiently...and cause misfires.

There is a link PINNED to the top of this section with a shop manual. The valve adjustment procedure is there. It (usually) requires no parts...just labor. Figure 2 hrs shop time.

Or, you could watch a video

+++++++++++++

Google is your friend regards catalytic converter theory.

What Damages a Catalytic Converter? | Hollenshade's Auto Repair

Learn more about a catalytic converter & the consequences of one not being repaired in a timely manner. To schedule an appointment, call: 410-828-5750.

www.hollenshades.com

 

[craig baconator]

South main auto has great videos about misfires on YouTube. I’m confused about whether you had misfires (could feel them) or whether you just checked the car with a code reader for some reason, and found misfire codes.

My experience with misfires on my first generation CRV (different engine) is after I changed my timing belt the car was misfiring. Lots of little pops. It didn’t throw and codes though until I started unplugging spark plug wires to try and figure out where the misfire was coming from. Adjusted the timing and now it seems good.

 

[chrisbreathes]

South main auto has great videos about misfires on YouTube. I’m confused about whether you had misfires (could feel them) or whether you just checked the car with a code reader for some reason, and found misfire codes.

My experience with misfires on my first generation CRV (different engine) is after I changed my timing belt the car was misfiring. Lots of little pops. It didn’t throw and codes though until I started unplugging spark plug wires to try and figure out where the misfire was coming from. Adjusted the timing and now it seems good.

Sorry should have specified, no feeling of misfires or rough idle at all engine sounds excellent. There are no codes that come up nor check engine light but the live data showed some misfires. The mechanic I took it too said diag reads wrong because their 10k scanner showed 0 misfires after I drove it 100 miles so it’s either my diag that misread which they said is common for my brand or the vehicle cleared what it had logged which they said it wouldn’t have cleared anything unless I did it manually which I did not.