Any luck getting a valve adjustment wrench on the cheap?

[dwoloz]

Planning on doing a valve adjustment but looking to get a tool to do it on the cheap

Seems like an offset crescent wrench from Sears or the like would work just fine. Anyone use something like this?

Also thought about using socket attachment crow feet with a socket extenstion. They look like this and you can get them cheap from Harbor Freight



Input?

[Monomer]

just get a craftsmen wrench and bend it.


cost would be around $10.

[dwoloz]

Or even cheaper, a Harbor Freight wrench

What is the size needed btw?

14mm.

[bgkast]

I've never used them, standard wrenches work fine.

[Douglas.Sherida]

Almost more important than having bent wrenches is having thin wrenches.

I bought a pair of extra long no name 14mm open end/box end wrenches from AutoZone, bent them myself then ground them down to make them thinner.

When I bent them I made a point to bend them so that I had one each of "left- and right-handed" offsets. You know how the open end of the wrench is angled ~10 degrees from the shaft? Well, one is angled to teh right and the other is angled to the left, relative to the bending I did.

To bend the wrench: clamp it in a vise (if you have one, if not C-clamp it to the edge of a sturdy bench or brick), use a propane torch (MAPP gas would be better) to heat the wrench up right at the "neck", and beat the crap out of it with a big hammer until you bend the headabout 45 degrees relative to the shaft. Heating it will not only make it easier to bend, it will reduce the likelyhood of breaking the metal. Flip the whench over and move it forward in the vise by about 5 cm. Repeat to put a second bend in the wrench that brings the head back into the same plane as the shaft. When all is said and done, grind the head of the wrench on a bench grinder down to about 6mm thick (I don't recall off the top of my head).

I think I spent about $6-8 each for the wrenches, plus $10 for a can of MAPP gas. I would highly recommend using exta long handled wrenches for bending as the overall throw you lose in the offset can really effect the effort required to loosen/tighten the valve nuts.

The only reason you need these bent wrenches is for clearance over the injectors, injector lines and leak lines. Having at least one of them be thinner than normal (for a 14mm wrench), helps to get the prober clearance to spin the (lower) lock nut on the valve. As stated, you can do the job without the "special" wrenches, but having the proper tool can make all the difference with your frustration level.

The other part of the valve adjusting wrench set is the spring retaining clip. It keeps the valve spring from rotating while you are turning the locknut/cap nut, making it easier/faster to set the valve clearances. It is not a necessity, but again... proper tools = less cursing. I swear I've spent 30 minutes trying to adjust a single valve when the spring keeps turning. I haven't made a home made tool for this one yet, but I sometimes use a pair of needle nose vice grips to keep the sring from turning. Again, clearance is the big issue.

Just my $0.02

[Stevo]

I would suggest starting out with half way decent wrenches, I used chepos and one of them opened up slightly You dont want to round off any lock nuts and they can be quite tight.

[caviterruptor]

Which way do I turn the valve adjusting nut to increase valve clearance?

Also, Haynes says to measure clearance between rocker arm & cam shaft, yet picture shows a guy w/ feeler between valve & rocker. Which is correct? I tend to trust the mechanic more than the book, in which I've found numerous errors.

Finally, is Haynes right calling the top nut the adjuster & the bottom the lock nut?

I can't believe I can't find an article on valve adjustment so I could toss Haynes.

[winmutt]

Rocker and cam. Get a cheap set of 14mm longs and bend them as needed. I have found that a vertical wrench placed between the cam towers and the valves will keep the lower spring part from moving.

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by caviterruptor

Which way do I turn the valve adjusting nut to increase valve clearance?
.

The nut on top is the "adjusting" nut. Turn it to the left (down) to increase clearance. Of course the lock nut has too be turned to the left (down) to allow the adjusting nut room to be turned down. When the top nut gives the right clearance, and your happy with what the "feel her" gauge says, hold it and turn the lock nut up to "lock" it.

[Shorebilly]

Originally Posted by caviterruptor

I can't believe I can't find an article on valve adjustment so I could toss Haynes.

Look here.....

http://www.mbusa.com/heritage/index.do

Mouse over "Classic Center" and select "Technical Literature"......then enter your vehicle info as directed.....the "W123 Service Manual Library on CD" is about $20.00....

The CD is in an older .pdf file, and uses an older version of Acrobat.....it isn't the best, but for $20.00 the price is right.....

SB

[rkpatt]

Would someone please post some pics of your custom ( bent / ground ) wrenches . - Thanks

[tankdriver]

Originally Posted by rkpatt

Would someone please post some pics of your custom ( bent / ground ) wrenches . - Thanks

bump. I'd like to see a pic too if possible.

[Douglas.Sherida]

Here you go:



I misspoke before, I only put one bend in the wrenches. Obviously I'm no fabricator (I've seen much nice home made wrenches), I'm just a guy with a torch, a big hammer and a grinder.

[tankdriver]

Originally Posted by Douglas.Sherida

I misspoke before, I only put one bend in the wrenches. Obviously I'm no fabricator (I've seen much nice home made wrenches), I'm just a guy with a torch, a big hammer and a grinder.

Thank you. They look to have accomplished the most important goal of fabrication - they work.