rusnak

Actually, all you do is close the tappet screw, then line up the left pointer with something easy to see. Then you "open" the screw, or losen it that 36 degrees while looking at your reference and the right hand pointer. Tighten and you're done. It's very fast. I learned to open the screw a little bit farther, then while you tighten the locknut, the adjustment comes to you, but you know your clearance by visual rather than tactile reference.

Ed Hughes

You're right, i've got rebuild on my mind. It is only one reference point. But, I think the one reference point was subjective in my mind. Even turning the bit to change position never seemed to deliver an absolute reference point.

rusnak

I totally understand where you're coming from.

But when you think about it awhile, say you want to go 1-2 degrees large. That's only 1/18th of .004. That's still a lot of control over that gap.

Todsimpson

OK, I'm going to pick on your math :-)

2 degrees too large would be 1/180th of .004, or .00002...

If I'm going for .004 and I get .00402, that's close enough for me.

I also like how this tool gave me a visual reference for when the adjuster turned with the lock nut. Didn't happen as often as I thought it would, but this tool takes that really small movement and makes it obvious.

Ed Hughes

Now, I'm going to pick on your math. 2 degrees will be 180th of .03937 (1mm) or .00022, so it would be .0042 if you went 2 degrees over.

rusnak

oh man....I'm sorry I brought it up.

I think my point was that I deliberately adjusted my valve gap 2 degrees over for safety, and I found that I have a large degree of control over the size of the gap.....whether that be .00402 or .0042 you get the point. It's accuracy and speed of use.

Ed Hughes

Just trying to keep the figures accurate.....

Todsimpson

Yep, .0042 is the correct figure for a 2 degree error. My bad.

arbeitm

I tried mine out for the first time yesterday, and I'm sad to say I had some trouble using it. I would tighten up the screw and back it off by using the "V". But I felt like the valves were way too tight, so I went back with the feeler gauge and they were.

Later, after I had finished I was thinking about it. When you tighten the adjustment screw there is a point where the foot makes contact with the valve stem. If you keep tightening, I guess you start to open the valve? So that's what I must have been doing and why they were so tight. I guess you need to stop tightening the screw as soon as the foot makes contact.

Is this right? How are you supposed to use this thing?

Ed Hughes

You start with the adjusting screw snug against the rocker. Then you LOOSEN the screw 36 degrees using the pointers.

I don't think you're using it correctly.

arbeitm

I understand the operation. I think I am getting stuck on how much do you tighten the adjustment nut before you loosen it 36 deg.? What should it feel like when you stop tightening?

Ed Hughes

You don't understand it, it seems. The locknut should be loose before you do the adjustment. Then you snug it down the same as you would in any valve adjustment. You're holding the screw with the tool to counter the effort snuffing the nut, thereby not affecting the clearance adjustment.

arbeitm

Oh...I see what happened. I wrote "adjustment nut". I meant adjustement screw. How do you know when to stop tightening the adjustment screw before you loosen the screw 36 degrees?

I felt like I could keep tightening the adjustment screw and didn't know when I should stop before I loosened back.

Ed Hughes

You stop when the elephant foot is snug on the valve. Anything further and you are compressing the valve spring, which will require much more effort than simply running the non-loaded screw down to touch the valve.

arbeitm

That's exactly what I needed to know! Thanks.

I wish I understood that before I started yesterday. I wouldn't have had to go back and use the feeler gauge. Oh well...next year.