Stellpflug

I don't have complete records for my 84, and don't know when the last valve adjustment was done. The car runs great, passed smog, and doesn't have any ticking sounds. It has 72,000 miles on it, and was just wondering how you know if it needs a valve adjustment or not? I've only had it about 2 months, and haven't stopped grinning yet!

Chris

cmoss

Think they should be done every 15K miles. Assuming maintainace was done as scheduled (hah!) you should be due at 75K miles.
Cheers,
Chris

Cookie Porsche

Rather safe than sorry I agree with Chris' suggestion.

You can listen to the tappet covers top and bottom with a long stick or similar when the motor is hot and running, just don't get caught in the fan!!! This will give you an indication as well as any other valve train issues.

Secondly a compression test will assist as an indicator, and will also be very informative for other purposes.

Regards Tom

hoffman912

as mentioned they should be done every so many miles, as should general maintenence.

with the 912/356 engine every 3000 miles it gets an oil change, valve adjustment, check plugs, points, etc etc etc.....

if you havent adjusted them in a long time.. well DO IT!!!! you dont want somthing to break in your head.

ive always adjusted everything exactly on time, but durring my cross country trip last month, the valve spring broke, valve seat and valve guide waisted on #3 exhaust. the good news, i made to the 912 registries' 912 rendezvous in california, and didnt launch a valve into a piston. the bad news... $1,200 bucks, and a week later i could hit the road again. that was just the one head. i couldnt afford to have both done at the same time, but i need to have the other one done, as they should both be done at the same time.

being stranded in santa barbra wasnt too bad though

the moral of the story.. dont mess around when it comes to engine maintenence, or you will pay.. like i said, im lucky my engine was still in one piece.

hoffman912

btw.. tapping isnt always bad. some times tapping can mean your valves are too loose. better to be too loose than too tight!!!! too tight and you will have some real issues down the road. (although too loose isnt the best either, its the worst of the 2 evils).

mtopp

If you're a DIY you can adjust the valves yourself. Here's a link outlining the process as well as describing why valve adjustments are so important.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...lve_adjust.htm

I've not tried this myself yet, No garage setup yet, I'm still waiting to win the lottery to build that ultimate garage. ;-) But I did get the valves adjusted recently and surprisingly it was only $200.

On that point you might to look at replacing the motor mounts. I DIY'd this last weekend and the improvement was amazing. I'm taking corners 10mph faster comfortably and with ease.

All I needed was a Jack and Jackstand to do this job, plus sockets of course. That said, you're at 75K and I'm at 175K so I was way over due but I pretty sure the mounts are not designed to last more than 75K either.

Welcome to the club and enjoy that baby, as I haven't stop enjoying it for a minute. What a car....

bones

Did you notice any difference in the running of the engine when you had the valves adjusted?

mtopp

There was an improvement but I couldn't say say how much was due to the adjustment, as I ended up having a major service done, new plugs, tune-up, etc.

ZCAT3

Well if you don't have records for the car and have been grinning for your 2 months of ownership then you obviously want to take care of it. Get an oil change and valve adjustment done ASAP so you have a baseline service to start with. Also have your mechanic look at the cap and rotor, the plug wires, the O2 sensor and the fuel filter if you do not know when these were last replaced. All of these things will make your car run smoother and stronger, and will keep that grin on your face longer.

mtopp

Don't forget the motor mounts :-)

Stellpflug

Thanks for the advice. I have changed the oil and brake fluid, and the fuel filter just got delivered. Don't think I'm ready to do a valve adj by myself, so I'll start looking for a good local mechanic.

thanks again,
Chris

ZCAT3

Chris - maybe you can find a mechanic that will let you watch - that way you can do the next one yourself. That is how I learned.

Stellpflug

that's exactly my plan!