My '81 started running crummy shortly after my last oil change. It sounds a lot like a valve sticking, with lots of snapping and popping and low power. I thought maybe it was ignition, but replacing the cap, wires, etc. didn't help, and I've got pointless ignition. I'm wondering about the oil, since what I usually use if straight 50wt Castrol in the summer, but couldn't find any, so got 50wt. Kendall instead. So I was wondering if that could have gummed up a lifter or something? It's clearly #3 that has the problem, so I pulled the valve cover, got it at TDC for #3, and loosened up the rockers -- yes, I know it's no clearance and then two turns to adjust -- but what I saw with the exhaust valve was that with the adjustment all the way out, there still was no freeplay for the rocker, like there was for intake. So I re-adjusted those two, then put the other cylinder up to TDC and unscrewed those -- both had freeplay. Adjusted those back to specs, and put the cover back on, and started it up -- very little snapping and popping, but still some. Haven't done a compression check because my wife's away and can't hold the guage on there and crank the engine at the same time. So what am I looking at here -- a burnt exhaust valve??
-- Harmon Seaver hseaver@harmon.bml.usouthal.edu http://harmon.bml.usouthal.edu ======================================================================= All is impermanent, but this too shall pass away, and the way of the Samurai is death -- so speak your mind now, or forever hold your peace. ======================================================================= Copyright, Harmon F. Seaver, 1998. License to distribute this post is available to Microsoft for US$1,000 per instance, or local equivalent. ======================================================================= |
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