Does anybody use the automatic starter during VALVE ADJUSTMENT ?
 

What's up...

When I last did my valve adjustment in March, I remember how much pain in the butt it was to constantly go down underneath the car to turn the crankshaft. I'm looking to buy some type of electric starter to turn the motor over so it makes it easier to do. I have read somewhere here of people doing this exact thing. Where can I purchase this thing and what do you guys use this ?

Thanks

I have been designing one of those things.... but don't have my lathe set up yet well enough to make the parts ....
Hope someone has already made one....

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/OBJECTS/33900/33812.JPG

Just use the engine's starter to do the work for you. ;)


Bump, bump, bump, adjust this valve, bump, bump......

How does that work ? Do you just press the button ? Where does that plug into ? Where can I buy it ?

thanks

Just about any parts store should have one. Hook one lead to battery positive and the other to the S-terminal on the starter (small start wire). Bump the button to bump the engine over.

Remote starter:
 

You bet I use it.
On the passanger fender, you will see a plastic connector with three wire in it. One is hot one is ground. Just connect it up and test, if it don't work try third wire. Make sure it is in park or netural.
Mine like the one in the picture is a Snap -On. The on'e from Harbour Freight has little ckicken shet wire's. No thanks.
Charlie

I was referring to an 110 volt operated torque to the crank... which can be controlled to a degree of accuracy.... I have never found bumping the starter accurate enough for me unless one were willing to make multiple passes.

I bought my remote starter at auto zone. It's cheap but it works just fine. Especially since I only use it maybe 2 times/year. I cannot get mine to work by hooking it up to the connections on the fender. I have to hook mine directly to the starter. It works great. Just make sure you do it when your engine is cold.

Scott

It seems that some on this forum (Leathermang and others) think that the only place one can get a good valve clearance reading is when the cam lobe is pointed straight up (exactly). I don't believe there is an engineering basis for this belief, as a cam is perfectly round on the back 180 degrees. That said, you can check several valves without rotating the engine. I have proved this for myself by taking several measurements of the valve clearance with the cam lobe at various angles....it makes no differance as long as the you are measuring somewhere on the side opposite of the cam lobe. This logic would also imply that bumping the engine with the starter is plenty accurate enough for valve adjustments...and in paractice only 2 or 3 bumps is enough to cover all of the valves. This is coming from one who is known as a classic perfectionist, but the understanding of the way cams are designed has freed me from the onerous ritual of adjusting a valve only with the lobe 180 degrees from the valve stem.

My $.02 worth.

Link to a recent thread that you may like to read:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/97240-valve-adjusting-sequence.html?highlight=adjust+valves

I have always used the starter to bump an engine over to adjust valves. Back from chevy racing days, I learned the simplest way to adjust valves is to bump until the exhaust valve just starts to open and adjust the intake. Then bump until the intake opens and is closing and adjust exhaust. On overhead cams it's even easier as you can watch lobes.

Although I have a remote starter, I don't use it for the valves. I take off the fan (less than 2 minutes with a ratchet wrench) then do it from the top. Put a cheater bar on the ratchet and I never get under the car.

"It seems that some on this forum (Leathermang and others) think "--franklyspeaking

I am only going by the pictures and description in the Mercedes Factory Shop manual...... although your description of ' straight up' is not correct.... 180 degrees opposite the place the cam is touched by the follower I think is the way they say it....

I just bump the starter with the key (without glo-ing it). I don't find a risk of it wanting to start. This appears to have much less stress that using the bolt on the crank to me. I never liked that much.

Don

What has worked well for me on hundreds of cars is an open end wrench on the power steering pully. If you have good belts on the car, it works fine. To determine which is intake and which is outake, just look across to the manifold. They certainly don't put an intake valve across from an exhaust port.

Peter