1st time valve adjustment

[ernestovumbles]

Working on doing my first time valve check/adjustment on my 63 S3 later this week..
I've read thru the forum info, manual and watched the videos, so hopefully I am prepared..
I figure I will measure/check the valves cold first to get some practice before doing it hot.

Right now I am in the middle of cleaning up the valve cover gunk and trying to remove the old hardened cork gasket which has baked itself to the block. Going slow to fit in Sunbeam time between work and real life.

Dont tell my wife I borrowed her toothbrush

 

[hartmandm]

A gasket scraper is useful for removing old gasket material.

 

[ernestovumbles]

A gasket scraper is useful

Thanks.. currently using a razor blade and going slow. May need to pick one of those up.

 

[hartmandm]

Set that I bought: https://bowerstool.com/wilde-tool-3pc-11-professional-gasket-scraper-set-made-in-usa/

Not cheap, but they are good quality. Have used them multiple times.

Mike

 

[Aldave]

A gasket scraper is useful for removing old gasket material.

I use a plastic scraper because the Aluminum is soft, and easy to damage.

 

[ernestovumbles]

Making progress, but slow.
I have the valve cover cleaned up nicely and have most of the hardened old gasket removed from the block.

Only the difficult part is remaining now ;-)
Picked up a gasket scraper last night and will see if it works better than the razor blade I had been using.

 

[Aldave]

A little mineral oil or wd-40 to soak old material. should soften up nicely for easier removal. Gaskets are used to make up for any imperfections to the surfaces being mated, so a factory smooth original finish isn't required, unless You are obsessive compulsive like most Alpine Caretakers. I am resetting My valve tappets this week also. I have a slight tick at 3# cylinder. Sunset drive around town last night was smooth. We rebalanced the wire wheels and just had to see how it felt. For the Love of Driving, Dave.

 

[ernestovumbles]

A little mineral oil or wd-40 to soak old material

Thanks for the tip.. Will try some wd-40 on the remaining gasket crud.
Being a first time for me, I was just unsure how far to go on cleanup.

I dont think I have an issues on my valves, but they have not been checked in the past 5 years, so I want a baseline to make sure they are good.

 

[hartmandm]

Is that a 1725 in your series 3?

Mike

 

[ernestovumbles]

Is that a 1725 in your series 3?

Honestly dont know.. It is a Series 3 GT with single Solex carb, so I assume it is the 1.5 liter.

 

[sunalp]

Where is your dipstick located, in the block or in a tube that goes into the oil pan?
1725's go into the block next to the oil filter set up. 1592's have a tube that goes into
the sump.

 

[ernestovumbles]

1592's have a tube that goes into
the sump.

Thanks.. then I have a 1592.

WD-40 and some soak time is helping to clear the remaining old gasket. Not all done yet, but much improved.

 

[Acollin]

Assuming the procedure to adjust your valves is like the wsm I read for my series v, I questioned what “very hot “ meant. I read that some folks will do a few valves and go for a drive to make certain everything stays“very hot” through their entire process.
What I did: all works and sounds fine: I did mine on a hot summer day and warmed the car up thoroughly. I went very slowly through the wsm procedure making pencil marks in my book so that I would not lose track of where I was ( obsessive? Yes! ). By the time I got to my last adjustment, my motor was still pretty hot— uncomfortably hot to the touch — and sweat was dripping onto my adjustment. Were my valves as hot as they were supposed to be? I can’t say,but they were plenty warm upon completion, all functions as I hoped it would.
For what its worth, I found the wsm procedure very helpful ( clear and concise) for this shade tree mechanic.

Be well— Have fun
Andrew

 

[Tim R]

This is how we set the gaps. ad it has worked well for many years.

Tim R

 

[ernestovumbles]

Well.. My initial plan was to just measure the valves cold to see where I am at to start, and then adjust them hot if needed in a couple weeks.

The inlet valves are all .009 except Cylinder#3 which is .015 (cold)
The exhaust valves are all .011 to .013 (cold)

Is .009 too close cold (dangerous)? Should I adjust a little larger now and then again hot or it is ok to leave it alone now?
I will bring in the .015 inlet a little bit now to get it more in line with the rest of the valves since it is quite a bit different.

 

[Toyanvil]

I would not worry about the cold settings, they will all change at running temp. I only set the valves cold after a motor rebuild for the first start up, just to get it started then set them to spec at running temp.

 

[ernestovumbles]

I reduced cylinder 3 intake lash from .015 to .012 and put everything back together.
Hope to get a chance to check it hot in the next couple weeks now that I am a bit more comfortable measuring the gaps.
Nice to have a bit less leakage with the new gasket.

 

[Shannon Boal]

Bill Blue suggested using the crank (if you have one, I made one) to turn the motor. I find I can get a cylinder on top dead center by feel. Easy to find which one it is by shaking the rockers. Only one cylinder will have both rockers loose. Adjust that one, then proceed by firing order, 1-3-4-2. A thin wiped film of oil on top of the gasket will let you reuse it (it won't stick to the cover). My car needs very little valve adjustment, but if you adjust yours a lot, you'll get really good at it.......

 

[Toyanvil]

When I do a tune-up, I first remove the spark plugs so I can turn the motor by hand, then set the valves and points then install new spark plugs.

 

[Mike O'D]

From cold to hot, the valve clearances get significantly larger. I didn't measure the exact amount, but just guessing I'd say at least a few thousandths.