Valve adjustment warning

[david.avery]

Hey guys

I adjusted my valves last night while getting the car ready for the turbo.

After I had done a few cylinders, I noticed that the feeler blade was moving around a bit on the little holder, and I notived that the tiny nut and bolt had fallen off, and landed somewhere in my engine.

The bolt was on the mat under the car, but the nut had fallen into a little puddle of oil that collected in the bottom of the head, *just before the oil return tube*!

So, a chase with the telescoping magnet found it, but it could have been very bad, that lil nut circulating around inside the engine. Mine are now sealed with blue locktite. No more midnight valve adjustments for me!

[Kurt B]

Yep, I lost one of those too. They tend to fall to the ground I think. But yeah, I spent a few hours look for that little bolt/nut!

[75blkcarrera]

Thanks a LOT for the info. I didn't even give thatr a thought when I did mine. Thanks again. JC

[david.avery]

Your welcome!

I spent easily 25 minutes looking for this little bugger. I was saying over and over in my head "oh *****, oh *****"...

I can only imagine how uncomfortable I would feel if I never found it!

I recently had tried to rebuild a Hayes disk brake for my Mtn bike, and had a circlip fall (spring steel) and bounce with a "ting" into the nether regions of my garage, never to be found again. I can imagine that finding this nut could have been a similar exercise!

[Scott R]

Just a question here, but I learned to do my valves by having a sit in session with my mechanic, and I was told to use a feeler guage bent at 90deg on the bottom to do this. (becuase the tool can loose a nut or a blade at the wrong time)

So I have a bent feeler, and have done my valves twice now without any incident, I mean I saw the tool here at our host, but why?

[david.avery]

I use the tool, and bent it a little more.

Once you bend the feeler gauge, you'll probably tear it, it's tough to get it in some of the intake sides near the AC compressor.

I tore one blade last night, it's only .004, it's like paper

[brcorp]

Been there too, so now I locktite the nuts!

[SLO-BOB]

Great thread! Thanks!

[Jim Sims]

From the archives: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=30757&highlight=loctite+AND+feeler