i see online it says that a valve adjustment can help a hard start but if the clearance is messed up wouldn’t the idle also be rough? i’m a young mechanic learning on hondas so im trying to figure out how to tell the difference between a bad starter/a car needing a valve adjustment
Valves would really need to be messed up to cause a hard start.
On most Honda four cylinders the valves get a tiny bit loose after lots of miles and they get a bit noisy. But that doesn’t cause any drivability symptoms, it’s just going to hurt performance a tiny bit.
On Honda V6 engines it’s common for exhaust valves to get too tight over time. A tight valve may not close all the way when hot, then it cannot transfer enough heat to the head. For sure a tight valve can cause driveability issues because the cylinder is leaking compression.