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Re: Valve Adjustments

To: "Charles D. Sorkin" <cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com>, "Spridgets list" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Valve Adjustments
From: Gerard Chateauvieux <pixelsmith@gerardsgarage.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 09:17:26 -0800
In-reply-to: <000701bf23a1$2b4df7a0$6b17d3c6@ht3zv>
Reply-to: Gerard Chateauvieux <pixelsmith@gerardsgarage.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
Charles,

Did you find you were loosening the adjustment screws rather than
tightening them. If so, they would have been too tight eliminating the
noise, You might want to recheck them and make sure one or two of them
isn't too loose also. Sometime you can be a bit off the cam alignment
causing you to set it too loose. I usually pass the feeler guage through
the adjusters while the engine is running to "feel" how snug or loose the
clearance is. You'll be able to tell if you adjustment are even this way.
Valve clearance is .012, but the wording in my Sprite shop manual is:
Running(cold)

Gerard

Gerard

At 8:09 AM -0500 10/31/99, Charles D. Sorkin wrote:
>Good morning, list:
>
>I finally readjusted the valves on my 1275 engine yesterday to what I
>believe is the correct clearance of 0.012 inches when cold (or in my case, a
>little bit warm).  I have no knowledge of when the valves were previously
>adjusted ever, but they were relatively quiet before I did the adjusting.
>Subsequent, I noticed two things:
>
>1.    I am getting significantly more tappet noise than before.  Not
>terribly loud, but noticeable.  Is this normal?  Even if its not...
>
>2.    I am definitely getting more power output, maybe 5-15 hp, especially
>in the midrange of RPMs.  The engine, besides the tappet noise, is
>generating an exhilarating low frequency rumble/roar that really sounds
>fantastic, better than I've ever heard this car sound.
>
>Should I be concerned about the valve noise given this?
>
>Later in the day, I fixed an exhaust leak between the manifold and the pipe,
>an after breaking one of the studs (profanity omitted), I discovered that my
>idle is now siting exactly at 1000 (as per the factory specs) and the
>backfiring problem (a pop whenever the RPMs dropped quickly) vanished.
>Unfortunately, the above-mentioned roaring sound quieted a bit.
>
>After I finish up this tuneup, next step:  rust repair.
>
>Regards,
>
>
>Charles
>'74 Midget
>cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
>Bloomfield, NJ


If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos... then you
probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

G G              Gerard Chateauvieux
 E A
  R R        pixelsmith@gerardsgarage.com
   A A
    R G          Pixelsmith  on  Duty
     D E
      S      http://www.gerardsgarage.com







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