Quote:
Originally Posted by pwagon
I've used the lovely search button and read the step by steps on doing a valve adjust on this forum and also the pictorial at dieselgiant, but I don't want to get in over my head. I change filters/belts/fluids, but I've never popped off the valve cover. People seem to indicate this is fairly easy to do, but I'm wondering exactly how easy.
so, on a scale of 1-7
(1= programming stereo and 7= rebuilding the engine) where does this fall?
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For me, it was about a 1.5. You need to know how to use a feeler gauge, where to make the test, which direction to turn the engine crank shaft, and how to know when the crank is in the right place for a measurement on the valve you're working on... all of which you probably know by now from reading the threads.
There's lots of theories on order of nuts and stuff that confuse things. Just loosen the nuts, make the adjustment on the top one, then tighten them back together..
then measure. Redo until the measurement is right, then move on to the next. The only measurement that acutally matters is what it reads when the nuts have been retightened, so do that, and you can't go wrong.
Some styles of working will get you there faster, and with less loosening/retightening and less turning the engine crank shaft, but they don't make a difference in the fact that the measurement needs to be correct once the nuts are tight again. The order you do the valves, and how many times you go through them is merely personal preference. I do, however, recommend doing a pass through them all to recheck your measurements, and repeat until you get a full pass where you need to make no adjustments.
A set of valve wrenches will make things easier, but I managed to do mine with a couple of 14mm (?) bicycle cone wrenches. My normal open ends would have been too fat to get to cyl #5, and I managed to do it without rounding the nuts even a little bit. Lesson learned.. I'll buy or make a set of valve wrenches next time.