Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 18:43:00 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Valve adjustment advice
In-Reply-To: <CDBBA00995D24A618B52E7B6A0E2A4B8@ZoltanHP>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
The lifters will still work even 3 or 4 turns in. Just as long as you don't
bottom them out. It is still wise to pay attention to rocker-stem geometry.
One of the problems with rebuilding heads is not compensation for cutting
the valve seats or grinding the faces. Excess side load can cause wear of
the stem end and guides.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: thewestyman [mailto:zolo@foxinternet.net]
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2015 2:43 AM
To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Re: Valve adjustment advice
What happens if someone adjusted them three full turns? Just asking.
Can they be over adjusted?
Zoltan
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Haynes
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2015 9:28 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Valve adjustment advice
Why are you touching the adjusters on a running engine?
Before doing an adjustment you want to set the engine at TDC for the
compression stroke of the cylinder you want to adjust before loosening them.
That way you will feel when the tension is off the pushrod without getting
anything so loose the push rod can fall out. If you do get them too loose
and they fall out of the cup in the lifter you have to be very careful to
get the rod seated in the lifter cup and rocker socket. Then you want to
take up the slack and then turn another 2 turns. You will see the lifter
push the valve open slightly. Turn engine to next cylinder and repeat. After
all are adjusted wait an hour or so they can bleed down a bit. The engine
may be hard starting as some of the valves may not close. Once it starts and
warms up the lifters should adjust and all should be good. If this is a high
mileage motor you may want to inspect or just replace the adjusting screws.
They wear in pattern and often wear the valve stem to match. When you turn
them this wear path will be miss aligned and this can tear up the screw or
worse the valve stem.
So will suggest setting the valves with some lash like in the solid lifter
days. Resist this temptation. The will have a bad rocker geometry and make
for a noisy engine. If something is wrong it will need to be fixed. A valve
adjustment is only effective after someone screws it up and it gets noticed
and fixed before major damage is done.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Robert Clemmer
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2015 6:29 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Valve adjustment advice
Bentley says to back out the adjusting screw until it is flush with the
rocker arm, then turn engine to TDC on #1 and start from there.
If I back out the screws that far, don't I run the risk of the pushrods
dropping out of the lifters?
Bob C