Cold valve adjustment

[Acollin]

1966 series V — stock

I know the valves on my car are supposed to be adjusted “hot”, but what is a person to do if the car has not been run for years and the owner is trying to set things up correctly for an “awakening”— a testing of systems so that all is working reasonably so a hot valve adjustment can be performed. Are there valve parameters For a cold valve adjustment?

thanks all
Andrew

 

[sunalp]

I do it the same way that you'd do a hot adjust, 012 for intake, .14 for exhaust.
Then run the car until it's hot & do it again. You could always just check them before
starting and see how close ( or far) they are from each other.
You're not going to hurt anything just by starting the car, just don't run it for miles
without checking it.
By the way, I do it cold only when assembling a newly rebuilt engine. If it hasn't been run
in a long time, you could just check the gaps, but don't adjust until the car runs and you
get the car hot.

Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Steve

 

[Alpine 1789]

Years ago, someone here measured the valves cold and hot and found very little difference. That doesn't mean a cold adjustment is good enough to keep, but does support Steve's 'cold then hot' recommendation.

 

[Gordon Holsinger]

I do it the same way that you'd do a hot adjust, 012 for intake, .14 for exhaust.
Then run the car until it's hot & do it again. You could always just check them before
starting and see how close ( or far) they are from each other.
You're not going to hurt anything just by starting the car, just don't run it for miles
without checking it.
By the way, I do it cold only when assembling a newly rebuilt engine. If it hasn't been run
in a long time, you could just check the gaps, but don't adjust until the car runs and you
get the car hot.

Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Steve

I set mine about two thousandths loose warm it up and reset the valves!

 

[hartmandm]

I do it the same way that you'd do a hot adjust, 012 for intake, .14 for exhaust.

Steve meant .012" intake and .014" exhaust.

Mike

 

[DanR]

WOrd of caution - Do NOT rotate the engine by use of the fan !!!

 

[tony perrett]

I have seen recommendations for inlet .015" and exhaust .017" cold.

 

[RootesRooter]

If its the current owner who last ran the car years ago, and it ran OK back then, there's no need to set the valves before starting it up again. They don't get out of whack just from sitting. Start it up, get it up to HOT running temperature, then check the clearances before it cools off.

 

[Thor 1211]

I set them with the motor running. Beats the s**t out of the feeler guages though.