Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 08:38:33 -0700
Reply-To: gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Valve Adjustment
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Stan,
Some well written words on adjusting valves, a job
most people can do but perhaps will only have to do
when they are doing there heads.
I do not think that you need to stick anything into
the cylinder to find TDC. It is a safe assumption
that when the rotor points to a cylinder that the
timing notch will be at the bottm or the top of the
engine on the back pulley. There is a nut back there
that can be used to turn the motor over if you have a
socket big enough to fit or loosely fit.
Also if your lifters are very good, you should not
experience any lifter noise at startup. The engine
may sound odd at first startup but should sound good
within a minute or two as the lifters find there new
positions. gary
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:50:00 -0700
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Valve Adjustment
#6) adjusting your lifters: (this section applies only
to hydraulic
lifters and stock VW camshafts)
Lifter adjustment should be done on a cold engine.
Locate Top Dead Center on #1 cylinder by dropping a
thin wire through
the
#1 spark plug hole and rotating the engine until
piston top squeezes
the
thin wire between the piston top and the cylinder head
(don?t force it)
the rotor arm should be pointing very close to the
notch in your
distributor rim if you?re at TDC. If not you?re 180
degrees off. While
you're adjusting the valves inspect the valve stems
for chips and the
adjusting screws for heavy pitting. Either of these
signs can represent
a
weak / bad lifter or a valve seat that is loose.
(minor pitting of
adjusting screws OK most of the time.)
Adjust #1 valves at the following settings.
Option #1: One full turn down from the point that the
rocker arm just
touches the valve stem.
Option #2: Using a feeler gauge set the clearance to
.006 as the rocker
arm just touches the valve stem.
Both settings have worked for me and many others. Do
Not Use the full
two
turns as described in Hayes, Muir or Bentley Manuals.
#1. Remove the valve covers. Read the part number on
your heads, make
sure that they are the same.
VW heads will have a VW Logo on them, AMC heads will
not and they won't
have a part number. The one thing you need to
establish is that are
both
VW or both AMC. You can't mix the heads, they should
be the same.
#2. Loosen the adjusting nuts about two full turns.
#3. Start the engine for about 1 minute. Be sure
you've got some
cardboard under there to catch any oil that slings
out. Most cases
there
will be very little.
#4. Go to the back of the car and slip another piece
of cardboard under
there so I don't lay in the oil that dripped.
#5. Bring #1 cylinder up to TDC, Remove #1 Plug, I use
a flashlight and
a
piece of flat steel that comes off windshield wiper
blades to get TDC.
(others use a screwdriver or coat hanger wire) The
steel will not
rotate
when the piston is at TDC but it doesn't bind the
piston. (depends on
your piston/head clearance)
#6. I rotate my distributor so the notch in the
distributor rim is
right
in line with the rotor arm.
#7. I adjust the first #1 intake and exhaust valves to
one turn after
the
rocker arm just touches the valve stem. Or use Bobs
way of .006 with a
feeler gauge (you are eliminating pre load by using
his method, nothing
wrong with it).
#8. Since I've got a manual transmission I put the
gearbox in 2nd gear
and rock the car until the next cylinder comes up to
TDC, I watch the
rotor arm and when it is 90 degrees past the notch and
first position I
set the next valves. (leave the spark plugs in, only
#1 needs to be
removed)
#9. While all this is going on the sealer that sticks
my new valve
cover
gaskets to the valve covers is setting.
#10. Just follow through on each cylinder until you've
got them all
set.
#11. Check the general condition of your valve stems
(no chips) and
your
adjusting screws (few tiny pits OK, but no chips or
hard wear signs).
#12. Reinstall your valve covers.
#13. Crank your engine, pay attention to the oil
light, if it doesn't
come on immediately stop cranking and then crank
again.
#14. Your engine may be noisy for as long as 15
minutes, don't panic.
Just take a gentle trip around the block and it will
normally settle
in.
#15. I don't bleed the lifters, I've never to my
knowledge had air
locked
lifters. If the above procedure doesn't quieten your
lifters then you
could possibly have the air locked problem. If you do
you'll just have
to
follow the procedures in the Bentley or get info from
Boston Bob about
the bleeding procedure.
#16. I made a tool consisting of a wood dowel with a
finish nail in the
end of it so I could bleed the lifters, pushing it
down in the relief
valve releases pressure in the lifter but I envisioned
it as
introducing
air into the lifters and could never see that it did
anything. It could
be an option if you decide to try it.
#7) After adjusting the valves your engine may be hard
to start. Give
it
a few tries and it should start up. The lifters may be
noisy for a few
minutes and this can continue for fifteen minutes.
I?ve found that a
quick trip around the block at moderate normal speeds
will normally
quieten the lifters after the adjustment process.
#8) Clean all electrical connections in your engine
compartment. You
can
use spray Berryman B12 or other spray carburetor
cleaner. Agitate the
cleaner with a brush at each connection and then give
it a shot of
cleaner to rinse out the residue.
#9) Inspect the condition of your Distributor Cap (Air
Cooled Require
Copper Contacts, Water Cooled can use either Aluminum
or Copper).
Inspect
your Rotor Arm for burnt contractor end. Inspect you
spark plug wire
(Air
Cooled Require solid core, Water Cooled Require
Graphite Fiber Wires).
Clean all connectors in the cap, spark coil and wire
to plug. It is
best
to have all Bosch brand ignition but other brands are
good as long as
they meet the required contractor requirements. If you
have a point set
ignition the points should be inspected and adjusted
to .016/. 020,
this
will get you within the required dwell range. Rule:
Dwell changes
timing
so if you change dwell you?ll need to reset your
timing. Be sure that
the
right spark plugs are installed.
#10) Set your timing as specified by the manual you
are using for
reference. Take special care to check the timing at
the full advance
specified. While progressing from idle timing setting
to the full
advance
setting the advance should be constant without
dropping back and forth
during the increase of engine speed. The timing mark
on the Air Cooled
is
a small saw cut in the rim of the Fan, it is difficult
to see and a
drop
of Liquid Paper or white paint will be a big assist in
sighting it with
the timing light.
#11) Replace your fuel filter, don?t pass this up just
because the PO
said it had a new filter. The Berryman or other Fuel
Injection may have
loosened up ancient contamination in your fuel tank
and started
blocking
the filter with debris.
#12) Test your fuel pressure at the fuel rail per
specifications of the
manual you are using.
#13) Visually check all fuel lines for leaks. Replace
any leaking lines
or lines that are hard, have splits or any aging
signs.
#14) Check all vacuum lines for leaks, replace all
lines that are soft,
split or have loose connection. Installing hose clamps
on vacuum lines
is
a good idea.
On Fri, 6 Jun 2003 13:10:42 -0700 John Schaper
<JSchaper@SCHSA.ORG>
writes:
> I went back about 2 years in the Archives to find a
step-by-step
> idiot's
> guide to adjusting valves for 1.9 WBX. But I
couldn't find what
> appear to
> me to be an idiot's guide. Does anyone have or
direct me to such a
> step by
> step procedure for this?
>
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