whiskeybill8

I am getting my clutch replaced by big 3 racing in Hinkley Ohio this weekend and thought maybe I would have them do a valve adjustment. I just read the 300 page thread on it and I'm pretty confused. My questions are, will the mechanic know what the right spec to adjust them to in our cars, how do you know when and if you need one and what does something like this normally cost...thanks in advance

steven975

I just did mine by myself last weekend.

I'd do a search to confirm, but the specs are .008-.010 inches for the intake and .010-.011 for the exhaust.

I did mine to where .012 wouldn't fit, and .010 had a good bit of friction. Most feeler gauge sets come with .008, .010, and .012 feelers.

It took me about 2.5-3 hours, but it was my first time, and I spent a lot of time cleaning and re-checking.

Also, this is CRITICAL. Have your retainers inspected for signs of cracking (keepers not flush with retainer and retreating into the retainer). Seriously, have the mechanic do that and be SURE he knows what to look for.

I'd figure that this is a $200-$250 job most places. I know many members will do it for $100.

How do you know when to do it? When the valves are out of spec, of course Seriously, though, if you hear slight tapping noises from the valvetrain it's time. I had 4 out of spec and I think the worst was in the .014 range on the exhaust.

whiskeybill8

Thanks for the info...I'm at 45000 and Definitly have some tapping noises...might just have a member do it then

steven975

100% agree with this. It's just too easy to take the money and do nothing, or half-ass it. And, yea, I think the interval is every 24K, but only as needed.

andy_intel

I've got to agree with some of the above posts, if you think you can manage the adjustment yourself it's nice to have the peace of mind that it was done correctly. Look at it this way, if you dilligently follow the procedure, and double check everything as you go along, there's no reason you can't do it better than a tech who has one eye on your car and another on the clock for lunch break. Take a look at this procedure, it covers everything you need to know,

http://squeezer.net/s2ki.com/S2K_Valve.pdf

The only thing I would change about this is to start at cylinder 4 (firewall) and work forward. This job is tough on your lower back, so probably best to start with the hardest cylinder first.

prj3ctm4yh3m

buy a good torque wrench. do not overtighten the tappet nuts. 17ftlbs i think?
and check the lash after you tighten. they move sometimes when torquing via a socket.

hirev

i just did mine a few weeks ago, more torque, quieter engine, smoother acceleration, a win win deal...took me closer to 4 hours, first time...the airbox had to be removed to get a better access to teh vibration dampner on the flywheel to turn the engine...i installed it correctly but had the hoses reversed, it made a weird sound and i set that straight....i would to it again.

i believe the specs are on the sticker under the hood with all the smog stuff on it...access was the bitch in this but it was worth it...this is my second time...in 54,000 miles so i will know next time, my engine was noisy...and it was the exaust valves that needed the adjustment mostly.

robmea

I did mine myself. If you have the ability and mechanical knowledge to do so do it. I went for the tight side. My car had never had one done and has 115000 miles on it. It didnt tick or anything but i did .008 with alittle drag on the intake side, and .010 on the exhaust side, and also re inspected for cracked retainers. Ive never over reved but still good to check or replace for piece of mind. Advance auto has a set of feeler guages that are bent almost to a ninty degree angle, and only cost about five bucks. They worked well. My cars valve trane still sounds bout the same (good) wasn't really outta spec but seems to pull slightly harder. (could and probably is in my head) But if possible just feels better to do the job yourself so you know its done right, torqued right, and that no short cuts were made, or steps left out with anything car related really. But good luck man. just my o2 cents.

Rob.

nartnailuj

I was suppose to have a local member do mine but idk what happened. I'm most likely gonna attempt this. I'm prob gonna use that diy on YouTube

K1LL3R 1NS1D3

It's really easy to DIY if your the least bit mechanically inclined. I picked up my feeler gauges from Napa for around $11 for a full set of angled/bent feelers from .06 all the way up to like .30 i think. My 2 cents of advise is just be careful when removing and reinstalling the valve cover not to tear the VC gasket. Its also a lot easier to do if you remove the battery/fuse box heatshield. Also when removing the valve cover bolts also remove the silver washer/cap things as well as the rubber grommets so when you reinstall the valve cover they dont get bumped off by the bolts and fall down under the car or get stuck in some crevice. Ask me how i know