after reading though posts and online walk-throughs about how to do a valve adjustment, i came up with a couple of questions. what do you all define "light drag" as, and how do you go about achieving this? i haven't attempted an adjustment before so i doubt i have the "feel" for it. plus, the term "light drag" is pretty vague and makes me a little nervous. thanks in advance and sorry for the stupid questions.

-tony

 

The "drag" I think is kind of misleading as you'll feel drag even when the adjustment is too loose. I did it this way and had mad valve tap after the adjustment.

I went back and did it again, but this time I just adjusted them so the correct feeler fit but the next size up feeler did not fit. No valve tap after doing it this way.

 

by correct feeler, are you talking about the high end or the low end of the spectrum (range?) that is given?

-tony

 

I adjusted using the lower (tighter) specs.

edit- .006" on the intake and .007" on the exhaust.


[Modified by SurferX, 7:09 PM 2/4/2003]

 

thanks

 

anybody else have any input? it seems like using the tighter tolerances would be more risky, doesn't it?

-tony

 

No, as long as its in spec why would it matter? Run too loose and you'll mushroom the top of the valve stems.

 

and if you run too tight, you'll destroy the camshafts...

 

I've seen people run as tight as .002 on stock cams, no problems.

 

You should really invest in some stepped(go/no go) style feeler gauges. You can get them from snap-on, Mac, Matco or even Craftsmen. These work really well because each guage has two thicknesses on them. On the intake I use a .006/.008 and exhaust I use.007/.009. That way you can get a little drag and as long as the second half of the gauge will not go under the rocker arm you are all good. I would also invest in a quality valve adjustment tool from snap-on, Mac or Matco. It makes the job alot easier.

 

Is there a reason they did that? That would seem too close to me when the engine gets hotter. (if they were adjusted cold, like some poeple do).

 

why?

 

They claimed to have gained in the area of 5hp from adjusting them with tighter clearances. I don't agree with it, just letting you know I've seen stock cams run with very tight clearances with no problems.

 

The best feeler gadge (IMHO) is the one by craftsman. They have one that is angled properly and you will get a proper "feel" as a result. Proper "drag" (I feel like where talking about a *** costume party or something) means that it "feels" like the gap tool is touching both sides; you can't wobble it. I always go with the notion that if it just b~a~r~e~l~y fits...then it is properly adjusted...




[Modified by Turtle, 2:10 AM 2/5/2003]

 

tighter clearance = more lift = bigger cam for free!

 

More lift? That's impossible.. think about this..

Tighter clearance + thermal expansion = valve/s not sealing properly = loss of power.

Your cam lift is always the same no matter what you adjust. There is no extra lift in there, the springs keep the valves touching the cam lobes the whole time. And that camshaft hasn't moved a bit...

 

Actually, from my experiances in adjusting valves when the engine was warm. When the engine heats up the valve clearance gets looser. I adjusted the valves when the engine was warm/hot. I went to check them the next day when the engine was cold and they were very tight.


[Modified by RyanR, 12:52 PM 2/5/2003]

 

nice flower!

 

You should NOT do a valve adjustment when your car is warm/hot! Who told you this was OK? ONLY do a valve adjustment when your car is COLD. Overnight is great...do it the next morning and you will be fine...

Read HELMS...then post proper information

 

sorry, this sounds backwards. as metal heats up it expands, so the space between valve and cam should get smaller not larger when hot.

anyone else have ideas on this?

 

That's why there's a clearance.. so you adjust when it's cold and when they get hot, they will be just right.

If you must adjust it when it's hotter, you can probably get away with something like .002 less that the tighter spec, but that's kindof stupid...

 

Don't start talking to me like I'm an idiot. I have about 8 different helms manuals for Honda's. I've gone through them all, cover to cover while sitting on the ******* or just bored starting from when I was 17 (different times, wasnt a 6 year ****, smartasses).
It's not necessary to be cold. Helms says under 100 degrees F. Read the helms for yourself jackass. I was doing it when hot cause I was in a big *** hurry while doing a cam install. BTW, the car ran fine with the tighter clearances.

 

i get what you're saying, but "light drag" and "just barely fitting" seem to be opposite sides of the spectrum. which do you go with? and why? thanks!!

-tony

 

When the .007 slips in easily, and the .008 won't fit at all, you are somewhere between .007 and .008, the proper gap for the exhaust side.

 

oh okay, got it...finally. thanks for all your help.

-tony