Date:         Sun, 8 Apr 2001 16:07:18 -0500
Reply-To:     Larry Alofs <lalofs@ENTERACT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Larry Alofs <lalofs@ENTERACT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Adjusting valves on '91 Carat?
Comments: To: TStone8359@AOL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Tom Stone wrote:

> I have a '91 Carat on which I just had installed new heads, head
> gaskets,
> etc.  WHle I was driving yesterday, one of the valve adjuster screws
> backed
> out and fell out of the arm.  When I got home and diagnosed the
> problem, I
> found that the screw threads were damaged beyond use.  No problem, I
> pulled
> another screw from an old 2.1 and tried to screw it in the arm.  The
> threads
> in the arm were damaged too.  No problem, I just pulled the rocker arm
>
> assembly off the old 2.1 and installed it on the Carat engine.  Now
> the fun
> begins.  This happened to the head on the right side of the engine -
> cyls 1 &
> 2.  I have set the distributor to show #1 at TDC and after figeting
> with the
> push rods to get them to fully seat, have gotten the valves adjusted
> on #1
> (the adjusting screw touching the valve stem plus two full turns
> clockwise).
> My problem comes when I try to do #2.  The way I figure it, if i turn
> the
> engine backwards 180 ddegrees, both valves should be closed.  The mark
> on the
> pulley shows that I am at the right spot and the end of the rotor on
> the
> distributor is 180 degrees from the mark on the edge, but it appears
> that the
> exhaust valve is still open.  The push rod won't seat as far as the
> others
> did and the adjusting screw is out all the way and there is no play
> between
> it and the valve stem.  What gives?  I wanted to go to my son's
> ballgame
> today but this is standing in the way big time.
>
> Tom
> '91 Carat (broken)
> '85 Westy (engineless)

180 degrees on the crankshaft does not correspond to 180 degrees at the
distributor.  The distributor turns once for two turns of the crank.
  Grab that pushrod with your fingers. Twist and wiggle and push until
you feel it seat itself in the lifter properly.  Have someone else turn
the engine slowly, back and forth if necessary until you know you are in
the center of the low part of that cam lobe.  Put in the screw and
adjust.

Larry A.