Valve adjustment help

[stomachmonkey]

Went to adjust the valves yesterday.

What is the easiest way to get the gauge in correctly. Come in from the top, bottom or sides?

I had a lot of trouble finding the gap between the adjuster and valve.

Resorted to loosening the adjuster to get the tool properly placed.

To make matters worse the tool was defective. One of the little nut/bolts that hold the feeler gauge on was stripped and popped off. Found both pieces so I know they are not in the motor.

I think it was loose from the start which did not help things. Not sure if I was feeling drag or the feeler moving on the tool. Have to redo #1 at least.

Also my fan pulley nut, Bently says it's a 23mm but my 23 does not fit, looks to be more like a 24.

Car is an 84 Carrera.

Thx
Scott

[Decolliber]

I had the same problem when I recently adjusted my valves, and several times had to resort to loosening the adjustor nut, opening the gap and then closing it again. Some time ago John Walker gave the following helpful tip: place the tip of the feeler guage as far down the valve stem as it will go, then slowly pull it upwards until you hear a slight click, and that may be the gap!
Checking my gaps both with the standard tool and with Island's tool, they don't seem to produce exactly the same gap. If you don't already have it, get the Island tool; it is a lot easier to use.

[makaio]

Go from the side.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

And put a little bit of loctite on the threads of the small bolts. This will help prevent the nut from coming off and falling into your motor.

[phaques]

Here are a couple of tips, learned from a couple of folks with a whole lot more experience than me, that will save you some time - I've had to do this three times over the last few thousand miles in order to get it right.

First, don't bother draining the oil from your car (unless you were planning to do it anyway) - rather, do all the intake valves first, with the car flat on the ground. Piece of cake. then, tilt the car up on one side, pretty high, then do the exhaust valves on that side - all the oil will drain to the other side, and relatively little (note - not "none") will spill out when you take off the valve cover. Repeat on the other side (Be sure to re-install exhaust valve cover before lowering the car!!!).

Also, don't remove the spark plugs - it is not necessary, and may risk screwing up your adjustment if some carbon drops into the valve seat.

Finally, how tight? This seems to be a case of learning the feel. Basically, I was instructed to make the clearance as tight as you can with your guage, but still allow yourself to be able to re-insert the guage after it snaps out of the gap. And it will snap or pop out if the clearance is pretty tight. If you can't get it back in then, its too tight. The guage should be quite stiff when you move it around in the gap. You are likely to break a feeler guage or two in this process.

good luck.
fax

[BobT]

When I adjusted my valves, I found that I could, with practice, tell by sound and feel if they were adjusted correctly. I could grab the rocker arm and feel how much movement, and listen to the tone of the sound as they tapped together. I would then verify to make sure I could still get the gauge in, and if I tightened down a bit, it was too tight, so it seemed to go OK. Has anyone else used the feel and sound method of valve adjusting?

[Kurt B]

It's no biggie to have to loosen all of them and tighten them down on the gauge itself--I have done every valve adjust this way. I can never squeeze it in there unless it's an exhaust valve and I'm lying beneath the jacked car--forget squeezing it in on the left intake bank at all.

Yeah, it's 24 or 25, don't remember which .

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by BobT
When I adjusted my valves, I found that I could, with practice, tell by sound and feel if they were adjusted correctly. I could grab the rocker arm and feel how much movement, and listen to the tone of the sound as they tapped together. I would then verify to make sure I could still get the gauge in, and if I tightened down a bit, it was too tight, so it seemed to go OK. Has anyone else used the feel and sound method of valve adjusting?

I use the "feel for the click" method to double check the valves before I put the valve covers back on. I wouldn't trust the sound alone because I think it is possible for the rockers to slide sideways on the shaft some and make a clicking sound that way also.
-Chris

[kpfoten]

I have the engine out of my car (Minus Trans). Can I adjust the valves? Do I have to worry about screwing the clutch up/flywheel turning/whatever? I'm a newbie to this sort of stuff. Thank you.

[marcesq]

Originally posted by kpfoten
I have the engine out of my car (Minus Trans). Can I adjust the valves? Do I have to worry about screwing the clutch up/flywheel turning/whatever? I'm a newbie to this sort of stuff. Thank you.

No problem adjusting with motor out. Remember to turn the motor ONLY in the clockwise direction as you face the fan when adjusting TDC of each cylinder.

[82SC]

yes don't cheat...only clockwise...my chain jumped a couple teeth...it was a headache figuring it out...

and don't go crazy on tightening the locking nut...you can screw up the threads like the PO did to my car...

it will be a headache the first time...I'd sugest double and triple checking...towards the end you'll be an expert at it...

I noticed that it became easier if I didn't look at what my hands were doing and just put the feeler in the approx area and did it by feel...when I used my eyes I usually ended up maggling a blade or getting really frustrated...

good luck

MJ

[stomachmonkey]

Thanks for the tips guys.

About this turning counterclockwise.

If you are turning the motor clockwise to get to the next cylinder and you overshot a tiny bit that you should go clockwise all the way around again?

Or just don't go turning the thing a full cycle the wrong way.

In other words how far is to far to go the wrong way?

Scott

[marcesq]

My 2 cents . . . go to the next cylinder or around the horn again !!