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How important is it to adjust the valves on a Honda GVC140K1 OHV Engine. The engine is 15 years old with a new carb. It takes many pulls to start this engine. The valves have never been adjusted. Once started, the engine runs well.

The answer is in your question. If you don't adjust your vavles you can have starting problems. It's easy to do. Pop the valve cover off. Then take a feeler gauge and slip it between the rocker arm and vavle spring. Adjust if needed by loosening hex screw on the top of rocker arm. Many videos on how to do this on Youtube.

Of course adjusting valves requires the correct orientation of the flywheel, so the valves are on the cam 'heel' of the lobe(s).

Agree with Lawnboy18: "Many videos on how to do this on Youtube."

Oops, I did forget the most important. Get the vavles on the right TDC.

Just a quick added question to this as I've always wondered: Never adjusted any of my mowers or equipment and they ran fine - they are all briggs and stratton motors. Each motor has their own merits of course but how come the valve adjustments for the Honda or is it just this model?

Valves should be adjusted on the first service and perhaps the second by which time the engine has run in.
Under normal running you should not have to touch them for a very long time after this.
Different makers specify valve lash checks at intervals of 200 to 500 hours.
On side valve engines, you rarely ever need to do an adjstment.

Now days, to meet EPA specs, valve adjustment is very important because the emission standards are rediculously low for occasional use engines like mowers.
Thus makers emphasise the need for extra care in maintining the correct valve lash as a slightly tight valve can cause an engine to be non compliant.

Valves will get less clearance as you get more running hours on any engine with solid lifters. This will happen with just normal wear. So what will happen in time the engine will start running bad when the valves get to operating temperature because they can't close all the way. So this is the reason for the adjustments. What some manufactures have done they use hydraulic lifters which are self adjusting and they will never need to be adjusted nor can be adjusted.