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VALVE ADJUSTMENT WITHOUT A FEELER GAUGE -- CH-106

At 10:40 PM 7/31/02 -0700, Larry Colen wrote:
>"I'm not suggesting that you actually adjust your valves without a gauge, but .... if I tighten the valve until it is just touching, then back it off 3/8 of a turn, it is really close to .015"....

Uh, not that close. The screw is 24 threads per inch. The rocker arm ratio is 1.42:1, so that amplifies the motion of the screw. As the calculation goes, 0.015/1.42 x 24 = 0.25 turns. Easier than you thought? Just 1/4 turn will do it.

This can be a handy technique if you find yourself caught on the road with a nasty case of valve recession and no valve clearance. The 1/4 turn technique will get you in the ballpark and back on the road, and you can fine tune it later. In fact this 1/4 turn method can be quite accurate. To miss the adjustment by 0.001 inch you have to miss the rotation angle by 6 degrees.

Find additional information on valve adjustment under Clik-Adjust in the special tools section.

    P.S.
One characteristic that leads to making a good engineer is being basically lazy, so one is always looking for the quick and easy way to do things.
    BG

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