valves adjustment

[jakub]

factory manual advise valves adjustment to be proceeded when:

1. engine is warmed up;

2. engine is running;

I have been tinkering with motor vehicles for years but never came against such advise, in most cases the valves adjustment is done on cold engine with exception for racing cars, but doing it with engine running ??? bit messy and dangerous and difficult to be precise, any idea why was it invented in such a manner ?? or is it another difference in between Europe and USA, and once differences are mentioned, all threads are UNC or UNF (which is not easy to deal with over here) with exception for spark plugs which are metric, and idea why is that ???

[dr deuce]

Yes it is correct.

BEFORE you start, if you havent already, clean the head and cement a new valve cover gasket to it using permetex gold/orange for example. The reason for this is the head eve very flat and the oil will just run off of it an make a BIG mess.

If the engine will not idle smoothly fix that 2nd before you start.

Take the truck for a run and get it hot. I usually put cardboard in front of the radiator while doing it to make it retain the heat and maybe get a little hotter. Too much valve clearance it not bad, too little will do in the valves!

There is a special tool to do them with if you can find it. It makes it somewhat easier.

Turn down the idle so that it just barely runs

Make sure you use the later bigger clearance # for the adjustments. Make sure you do all of one type 1st so you don't ger corn-fused.

Have fun!

[Karoshi]

Steve help me out here. You said to: "Make sure you use the later bigger clearance # for the adjustments."

I did that and it ran fine, but it sounded like a bag of nails, so I eventually went back to the smaller clearances.

Are the bigger clearances only applicable in certain circumstances, big valve model etc?

[dr deuce]

The bigger clearance is an insurance policy that:

That you may not adjust them as often as you should

That you may not have done it exactly correctly

That when the engine heats past the thermostat (which it will from time to time unless you live in Alaska) you will have a little more room.

That as you may get valve seat recession due to normal wear and lack of leaded gasoline or the gasoline additived they put in this week, that you will still have clearance.

[jakub]

Hey, guys, is it customary in USA to adjust valves on warmed up and running engine, I am asking that because other cars manuals I know advise valve adjustments on cold engine and while stationary, cranking engine by hand cradle (with plugs removed) or by lifting one wheel up, putting on fifth and moving crank by turning wheel,