Hello Everyone,
Yesterday, I did a valve clearance adjustment on my 1974 MGB. The engine's from
a 1972 car, and is a rebuild with around 10k miles on it. I'm trying to do what
I can to use less gas and create less pollution while still having a fun and
reliable car. This is my only car right now. I searched the archives before
posting this, but didn't see anything that exactly answered my question. I've
done this before, but it seemed easier last time.
The books all say to adjust to .015 cold, so that's what I tried to do. I used
a clik-adjust, which I think is a good tool, and a feeler gauge. All the valves
were too tight when I started. I adjusted and slid the feeler through the gap,
and thought I was feeling just the slightest bit of contact between the the two
surfaces. It was late at night, so I didn't want to drive it. I started it and
it started quickly and chattered like a sewing machine, but seemed to be
running ok.
This morning, I drove it to work, and the valves chattered like that the whole
way there. It was noisy enough that I was hesitant to go up to 3000 RPM between
shifts. Even at normal operating temperature, the valves were making lots of
noise.
Did I adjust things to be too loose? I'll do it again, but didn't want to have
to for awhile. My commute's about four miles each way. Will driving it that
distance do damage? Also, is it true that the valves can be adjusted to .013
when the engine is hot/warm? Is it best to adjust cold or warm? Any advice or
suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
-William Killeffer
1974 MGB
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