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Valve rocker gear clearance adjustment | Checking valve gaps

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 4/10
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS, YOU PAY $25 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 3 HOURS TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • NO SAFETY ISSUES. THIS INTERVENTION REQUIRES A COLD ENGINE, SEE BELOW.

BEFORE YOU START
  • Valve clearance adjustment can only be carried out on a cold engine.
  • It is usually easy but you have to lift the vehicle on one side, rotate the engine by hand with the wheel and bend over the vehicle which are all quite tiring. Make sure you have no back or neck pain when proceeding.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

Engines with solid valve lifters: how to check and adjust valves

Click on the below button for checking and adjusting valve clearance on engines equipped with solid valve lifters:

Rocker gear: Valve - rocker clearance (gap) checking and adjustment

1- Start by removing the carburetor cover and the air filter for reaching the engine cylinder head cover.
2- Unscrew the engine cylinder head cover bolts or nuts.
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3-Use a magnet pick-up tool to collect the nuts that are difficult to reach.
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​4- Take out the rocker gear cover. 
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5- Lift the vehicle on the right side if it is a front wheel drive. For rear drives, the engine has to be rotated using the crankshaft pulley.
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6- Engage the highest gear shift and rotate the engine using the wheel. You can remove the spark plugs to make this easier. Always rotate the engine in the right direction (wheel rotated frontward).
7- Work on one cylinder at a time. When the rockers of a cylinder are exactly opposite, i.e. the inlet valve completely compressed and the exhaust released, work on the paired cylinder which is in compression mode.
8- You need a standard and commonly available feeler gauge set. Check your engine gap (valve clearance) values and use the matching gauges.
9- Loosen first the valve adjustment nut and then loosen it from the adjustment screw. A specific tool exists but you can use a spanner and long nose pliers as shown.
10- Place the feeler gauge of the right thickness and turn the screw in by hand until contact.
11- Hold the screw with the pliers and tighten the nut with the spanner.

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12- Make sure the gauge moves not to easy and not too hard. You may check if the thicker one goes in the gap to confirm the valve clearance is not too big.
13- Repeat the same for all valves and all cylinders. Prepare a new rocker arm cover gasket.
14- Remove the oil from the gasket seat with a cloth.
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15- Fit a new gasket.
16- Clean well the valve rocker gear cover if needed. Reverse all above steps.

See also...