Procedure

Before beginning, you must be sure that the temperature of the engine head is below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If the engine is above this temperature, the clearances could be wildly different than their cold measurements since metal expands when hot.

Keep in mind that while this article is written for the RSX's K20A2, the same methods apply to most all of Honda's other overhead cam engines.

1. Remove the (2) 10mm bolts that hold on the intake manifold cover (shown below in blue), then remove the manifold cover.
2. Remove the 10mm bolt holding the cruise control cable (shown below in green) so you can slide the cable aside to make removing the ignition coil cover removal easier.
3. Remove the (4) 10mm bolts securing the ignition coil cover (shown below in red) and remove it.
   
   
   
4. Remove the oil dipstick (shown below in blue) and store in a clean place.
5. Remove the (4) 10mm bolts holding the ignition coil packs in place (shown below in green).
6. Disconnect the blue wiring harnesses from the coil packs and remove them by pulling up. Store them in a safe place.
7. Remove the (2) 10mm bolts holding the power steering hose bracket to the valve cover (shown below in red).
   
   
   
8. Remove the valve cover breather hose (shown below in blue) and move off to the side and out of the way.
9. Remove the (2) 10mm nuts from the coil pack wiring harness (shown above in green) and move towards the firewall and out of the way.
10. Remove the (6) 10mm nuts holding the valve cover on (shown below in red).
    
    
    

Now you're ready to remove the valve cover. You can (but don't need to) remove the black rubber gaskets/washers from under the 10mm nuts you just removed. Just be sure not to lose them.

11. Remove the valve cover, making sure it is not caught on any wires/hoses/etc. It will likely require a little "motivation" before coming lose from the cylinder head freely. Once removed, everything should look like the picture below. Notice the area identified by the green arrows. This is dirt and grime. Before proceeding, get a vacuum and remove all of it. You don't want any getting into the engine and contaminating the oil, or worse, moving parts.
    
    
    

    Copyright 2003, Temple of VTEC