Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Exhaust valve clearance

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Exhaust valve clearance     MOXIE 04-04-2010 @ 4:15 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 102 Joined: Oct 2009 I put new valve springs in my 21 stud engine. On one of the exhaust valves, there is .018 gap between tappet and end of valve stem. Is this to much. Will it make a chatter noise. Pauls39 04-04-2010 @ 4:57 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 81 Joined: Oct 2009 The quick answer is yes it will probably be noisy. Clearance should be .11-.12 on the early engine. If you have adjustable lifters the fix is easy. If not you will have to grind the valve seat to reduce the clearance. supereal 04-05-2010 @ 9:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The correct exhaust valve clearance is .014 to .016. The intakes should be .010 to .012. If you set the exhaust vales at .011 to .012 they will quickly burn. Invest in a set of "go-no go" feeler gauges to accurately set valves, adjustable or not. Pauls39 04-05-2010 @ 12:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 81 Joined: Oct 2009 Super is correct, 14-16 on the exhaust. The early Ford service bulletins list it as 11-12 for both. I should have known that didn't sound right. Other manuals list the exhaust at 14 to 16 just like the later engines. 37RAGTOPMAN 04-07-2010 @ 6:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1943 Joined: Oct 2009 hi I would run the engine, I doubt .002 will make any real difference., if you have solid lifters the engine will be quieter,then the adjustable lifters, and you can later go over the adjustments, when the engine will have been broken in,like next winter, setting them hot is the way to go, if you work fast with helper you can get to adjust valves on the warmer side, FORD DEALERS had a special intake manifold fixture to adjust them hot,made by KRW, but even cold is ok to do, I have had no problems, I adjusted my valve and could not hear the valves but after running the engine for a couple of hunderd miles is a little more noise. drive it the way it is, do not loose any sleep over it, hope this helps my 3cents worth 37RAGTOPMAN supereal 04-07-2010 @ 8:07 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 .002 is quite a lot when adjusting valves, particularly the exhausts. Too tight, and they will burn, too loose, and they will click. A noisy valve may be due to a guide with too much clearance, or an incorrect valve face or seat angle. A weak spring will also do it. We replace all valve springs when servicing valve trains. It is a rare engine that doesn't have at least one noisy valve. 37RAGTOPMAN 04-09-2010 @ 8:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1943 Joined: Oct 2009 MOXIE to have a quiet valves you would have had to install a new cam, or a cam with NO WEAR on the LOBES,to get a accurate ajustment ,plus have new cam bearing also installed, with also new lifters,and both new cam and crank gears,these all can lead to noise,also the valve stems did you have them resurfaced flat ? also the valve guides, was there any wear, this a must do if you want accurate adjustment lets hear how you made out with the one noisy valve my 3cents worth 37RAGTOPMAN, This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 4-9-10 @ 3:56 PM supereal 04-10-2010 @ 8:29 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Unless you have an aftermarket camshaft, I doubt that is your problem. The "genuine" Ford camshaft hardly ever shows signs of wear unless the rest of the engine is damaged. Today, we see lots of "flat" cams in newer vehicles, and apparently are not hardened as much as the old ones. 37RAGTOPMAN 04-15-2010 @ 4:12 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1943 Joined: Oct 2009 MOXIE what I meant , if you have any wear on any of the valve train, you could get a ajustment,and then turn the engine over and the parts land at a different spot and will be out of adjustment, I have seen worn cams.lifters valve guides. some of the cams get pitted from not being lubed and sitting in one position for years, the FORD cam as such are made out of good metal but you should measure the cam lobes,to make sure they are all the same lift, hope this clears this up 37RAGTOPMAN supereal 04-16-2010 @ 8:15 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Many times, improper valve clearance is caused by weak valve springs, particularly those that have taken a "set" from being compressed, often for years. If you find that the clearance of the same valve changes after setting, it is a safe bet the spring is at fault. We always replace all valve springs when rebuilding. The same is true of brake system springs. Reusing is not advisable, as metal "fatigue" reduces resilience.

<< previous || next >>

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1