Valve adjustment

[ZmeFly]

i was wondering i was reading about valve adjustment on www.Zhome.com they stated a cold adjustment of .008 intake and .010 exhaust cold then hot .010 and .012 hot respectively. they dont go into much detail. are they talking about the distance between the lash pad and the cam. if so is there any special way the cam should be set etc. can anyone give me more information. thanks

james

[jkube]

The gap is the distance between the cam lobe (big end not the "Pointy" end) and the rocker arm pad. Its the point when the valve is fully closed.

The cam needs a small clearance to rotate around without touching the pad in this area. It allows oil to lubricate the cam so it doesnt overheat.

You need to adjust the valves when the cam's pointed end of the lobe is directly opposite the lash pad

I usually put the car into 2nd gear and roll it backwards to get the cam into postion.

Make sure you mark down on a piece of paper the valve numbers you've done just so you dont miss any.

[Rags]

Just make sure that the valve you are adjusting has the cam lobe pointed directly away from the cam rocker. Stick the appropriate feeler guage between the cam and the rocker and adjust the pivot accordingly.

Joe

[2ManyZs]

Another way to do it is to take the plugs out and turn the engine over with a socket on the crank pulley. Any valve that has the lobe pointing straight up is one to adjust, take a magic marker and make a mark on the head where the valve gasket goes to keep track of which have been done and which are left to do. You can do multiple valves at once before you have to turn the engine over again. Just make sure you are putting the right adjustment on the right valves, it isn't hard to forget which is which if you get in a hurry. Don't ask me how I know that.

You will get a better adjustment if you do the valves when they are hot, it will take into account any variations in the expansion of the metal in the cam and rocker arms. You could do a cold adjustment and then run the car for a little while, then do it again when it is hot just to make sure the clearances are correct, or do it hot the first time and be done with it.

[ZmeFly]

Thanks for all your help

[Royce]

Howdy,

I don't remember the sequence but it is in the factory manuals, there is a point when you can adjust 6 valves then rotate the engine one more time to adjust the other six. In other words the cam lobe doesn't need to be directly opposite the rocker, although that is a good way to start if you aren't familiar with it. I agree with 2manyZs that hot adjustment is more accure, since you do most of your driving with a "hot" engine. Cold setting the valves is much easier, no hot hands, and will work fine if you aren't planning to push the engine hard and aren't conserned about max HP. Last thing, a valve that is set a little loose is better than a valve that is set a little tight!

Have fun!