Jump to content

Valve Lash Setting


Branded

Recommended Posts

36 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

page 150 of my 1946-1954 Plymouth manual clearly states the valve lash preliminary settings when cold

Care to share or is it Confidential LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

so, the dog ate that page in your book....10 on the intake.......13 on  the exhaust...ensure that you are not on the quieting ramp but on he heel  

Damn dog, Thanks Plymouth Adams. I also talked to George Ashe son this morning and received basically the same info. He recommended .010 intake and .012 exhaust cold setting. Maybe going a little on the loose side, less chance of burning a valve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Adam H P15 D30 said:

Yeah, it's hot and messy

I can understand, however would like to offer another perspective that I have, from setting my 1953 265 valves. I am not a seasoned pro. However I I did set my valves cold, then later checked and re-set them hot, with the engine running.

The exhaust manifold is hot. An average pair of gloves takes care of that easily. It's not messy.  Pretty well most of the same steps are taken to set the valves cold or hot. The front wheel comes off. The inner fender window removed. The valve covers removed. Then the feeler gages and wrenches are needed. 

When cold, the engine must be turned over so that you are setting the valve clearance with the tappet 180 degrees from the top of the cam ramp. I believe TDC gets you there. Once set, the 6 cylinder engine is turned again another 120 degrees to set the next set of valves. In the proper firing order. You carry on, for each cylinder. 

With the engine hot and running, for example you put your .010 feeler gage in the exhaust valve/tappet gap and measure. If it won't go in the gap, clearance is too tight. If it goes in easily and ticking stops, then its too loose. I found that a proper valve setting, offered a slight tug on the feeler gage. It naturally wanted to slowly, and softly pull the feeler gage into the clearance gap while the engine was running. There is no mess. Oil is not splashing around and getting on everything. The feeling that l developed, of the running engine, the engine pulling the feeler gage in, was solid confirmation that I felt I had it set right. 

The fine threads on the tappets make for nice easy adjustments. After a few trial and error lessons you get a good feeling how much to turn the threads to make up a 1 or 2 thou adjustment. My engine is running excellent and I feel like I got the valve clearances right.

Seems to me that setting the valves cold is a great start. Then put the valve covers back on and the front tire. Go for a drive and come back home hot. Quickly jack up car, pull wheel and valve covers. Access  the valves and test the clearances with the car running. Its a nice confirmation. As you know, incorrectly set valves often leads to a mess of related problems.

Yes its hot. Messy? I did not have a mess. I found it was way messier pulling the oil filter, sucking the oil out and removing the sludge, than setting hot valves.  Good luck whatever you decide to do. I just thought it may be helpful to share my experience. Initially I was intimidated at the thought of sticking my hands in a hot running engine. Near hot exhaust and moving parts with tons of force. In the end I thoroughly enjoyed the new experience.

 

Edited by keithb7
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use