Posted by Alan Bowes on November 06, 1998 at 13:13:52:
In Reply to: Valve Adjusting posted by David Goldman on November 05, 1998 at 20:42:03:
Hi David,
Try to set them hot if at all possible. Setting them cold will mean having to use a larger gap and not getting consistent results due to differences between the thermal expansion from valve to valve.
Hint: Remove the inner fender panel and the right front wheel to make it easier to get in to adjust the valves. Wear a high-temp sleeve protector so you don't burn yourself on the manifold. Some people use thin gloves, but it's really hard to "finesse" the adjustment with gloves on.
Also, use a thin, flexible valve adjusting wrench that will flex a bit as it moves up and down with the lifter.
If you really have trouble with the moving adjustment, it's possible to warm up the engine, then stop it, quickly rotate the crankshaft so that the lifter for the valve you are adjusting is on the opposite side of the cam from its lobe, and quicky adjust that valve before it cools down. You have to plan ahead and act fast. I'd guess that you should try to adjust the clearance within 30 to 60 seconds after shutting off the engine. Even that isn't foolproof, although it should be pretty close. Warm up the engine thoroughly between adjusting each valve.
Generally speaking, for best accuracy it's best to adjust it while it's running at a slow idle to make sure that the valves stay warm and that they're all a similar temperature. This is kind of a "lost skill" these days and it will take a bit of practice, but it's not really all that hard. You probably already know that the feeler gauge will always be tightly gripped as the cam lobe comes up on the valve lifter/tappet you are adjusting, and you only have a fraction of a second while the lobe is pointing downward to test the clearance.
Gaskets are easy to find at places like VPW or large auto parts stores.
Have fun.
Alan