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MG TD TF 1500 - Rule of Nines. Valve adjustment

The WSM shows the valves to adjust but not how far to roll the engine on each adjustment. Is it every 1/4 turn or half. My mind is not functioning today

Thanks

Bill Chasser jr
TD4834
W. A. Chasser Jr

No measurement. Just eyeball when rocker is clear down.
George Butz

As I recall, 1/4 turn. Regards, tom
tm peterson

Go to You Tube. John Twist has video.
david kirkpatrick

Bill -

If you are totally anal, you can attach a dial indicator to a magnetic base. Then set the magnetic base on the edge of the head. The indicator will show when the opposing rocker is at dead bottom. Not saying that I am anal, but it gave me a good education on how the cam, rockers, and crank move.

I print out this chart when I adjust my valves. It has all of the info in one place plus a place to check off each one after I adjust it:
http://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxisXBEpc-IWeFZSRWFZTUpRT1U

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

It becomes a bit problematic with the roller cam I have as the lobes have a kind of peanut shaped profile on the flats which give a false reading from what I think should be the correct position for adjustment. I would think that having #1 at top dead center and adjust for it then a turn 180 degrees to get #3 and turn another 180 degrees for the next and the next would have them set. Lonnie certainly a dial indicator would get it dead on but my butt hole has had enough to last me a long while. lol. Definately having valve #1 adjusted and going to #8 didn't provide the result I wanted. I spun it through several times trying to get it right having to continually make corrections. Think I'm close now and will Fire it off and see what it sounds like. Oh wait ... I can't now the the damn front carb is flowing fuel out of the bowl mounting rubbers again. These were new from Moss and worked fine on the previous run in. Bloody H$&%! I'm so fed up with these carbs leaking. Can't find a single thing wrong with the rubbers. No cracks, cuts holes and the mating surfaces are all clean from a fresh round in the carb cleaner getting the goo out of the fuel system from the race fuel setting up.

I'm about to light this car on fire!

Cheers

Bill Chasser jr
TD4834

W. A. Chasser Jr

I simply make the adjustment, roll the car forward a couple inches (in gear of course), check clearance, roll back a few inches, check again. If the gauge goes in easier at any point then you missed and need to slightly tighten it up. Takes a little longer but it's a sure fire way to get it set right.

Guys like Twist will give people crap for taking so long to adjust valves precisely like this, but he's running a business and can't afford to take his time like we can. I'd rather spend ten minutes instead of four and know it's dead on before driving another 10,000 miles on that adjustment.
Steve Simmons

There is another way that involves less crankshaft turning/carmoving. Once the valvecover is off, you can spot the inlet and exhaust valves. The crankshaft makes the pistons 1 and 4 moving in parallel and so do pistons 2 and 3.
Once you realized that topposition of a piston means either exchange of outlet and inletvalve (clearly visible whilst turning the crank) or ignite (so both valves closed) you can adjust two valves at one crankstop.
So, turning the crankshaft towards the TDC you can see if the exchange of outlet (closing) and inlet (opening) happens on either cilinder 1 or 4. If this exchange is happening on cil 1, than both valves of cilinder 4 are closed so you can ajust them both. Same the otherway around.
One crankshaft turn than allows to ajust both valves of cil4 or cil 1 if you started the otherway.
Turning the crankshaft half round will show which valves (cil 2 or 3) are exchanging and allowing both valves (inlet and outlet) to be adjusted.

Another timesaver on this is when you start on cil1, than make half crankturn, do cil3, make half crankturn and do cil4, make half crankturn and finish with cil2 but than you have to remember which you did/didnot and remembering is not allways easy.
Regards, huib
Huib Bruijstens

This thread was discussed between 10/08/2015 and 12/08/2015

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