Adjusting "ticky tappet"

[sharpness]

I think I have a ticky tappet on my Beta 35

Back when I was a lad with my trusty Yukon Grey & Ivory Wolseley 1500, (formerly used as a chicken shed but reclaimed) we used to whip off the rocker cover, run the engine and stick a feeler guage in each tappet to find the noisy one and then adjust it. Seemed to work quite well. Is it safe to do the same on a diesel engine?

We used to use the "Rule of 9" when adjusting, adjust valve No. 2 with No.7 fully open, No 6 with No.3 and so on, does that work the same?

 

Thanks

 

Steve

[Steve Goddard]

You can do but it will probably knacker up your feeler gauge if you are not quick . When I worked at Morris Engines (probably made the engine for your Wolsley there) the tappets were always set with the engine running and the guys could do a whole set in less than 2 mins. You can also find the noisy one by just lightly pressing on the valve end of the rocker with your finger while the engine is ticking over. Just dont tell HSE. Rule of nine works on a four pot dont try it on a three or six

 

Steve

 

I think I have a ticky tappet on my Beta 35

Back when I was a lad with my trusty Yukon Grey & Ivory Wolseley 1500, (formerly used as a chicken shed but reclaimed) we used to whip off the rocker cover, run the engine and stick a feeler guage in each tappet to find the noisy one and then adjust it. Seemed to work quite well. Is it safe to do the same on a diesel engine?

We used to use the "Rule of 9" when adjusting, adjust valve No. 2 with No.7 fully open, No 6 with No.3 and so on, does that work the same?

 

Thanks

 

Steve

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Going back 20 (or more like 40 years!) SPQR (Leighton Buzzard) used to make a special 'easy to use' tool for adjusting tappets. Worth checking that the clearances you are adjusting to are for HOT or COLD settings.

 

Agree with comments about damage to feeler gauges.

 

Leo.

[luctor et emergo]

 

let me get this right...

 

You run the engine, with the rocker cover off. Do you atempt to catch the oil spurting everywhere, or just let it go? You 'check' the tappet clearance whilst the engine is running.

 

You ADJUST the clearance whilst the engine is running??? I'd like to see that

 

 

No wonder the precicion build Japanese bikes didn't take long to finish off the British Motorcycle Industry.

 

 

let me get this right...

 

You run the engine, with the rocker cover off. Do you atempt to catch the oil spurting everywhere, or just let it go? You 'check' the tappet clearance whilst the engine is running.

 

You ADJUST the clearance whilst the engine is running??? I'd like to see that

 

 

No wonder the precicion build Japanese bikes didn't take long to finish off the British Motorcycle Industry.

[JonL]

If it's just one, why go to all the hassle of adjusting it !

I was once told "look on the bright side at least you know a ticky tappet is working" !

[NB Alnwick]

 

let me get this right...

 

You run the engine, with the rocker cover off. Do you atempt to catch the oil spurting everywhere, or just let it go? You 'check' the tappet clearance whilst the engine is running.

 

You ADJUST the clearance whilst the engine is running??? I'd like to see that

 

 

No wonder the precicion build Japanese bikes didn't take long to finish off the British Motorcycle Industry.

 

There really is nothing unusual about this - especially on older engines that generally ran much slower, used drip feed lubrication (no spurts) and had much weaker valve springs.

 

If the valve clearances are adjusted correctly and are still audible - there are two possible reasons - the first is that they are intended to be that way! The second is that the mechanical surfaces that 'tap' are no longer flat and parallel which means that the 'gap' can no longer be measured accurately with feeler gauges. That was where the old micrometer screw adjusters were useful but the correct solution is to remedy the fault to restore the correct profile.

[WotEver]

Going back 20 (or more like 40 years!) SPQR (Leighton Buzzard) used to make a special 'easy to use' tool for adjusting tappets.

Now you've got me thinking... whatever happened to mine?

 

If I can remember who I lent it to 35 years ago and then track him down, do you think he might give it back?

 

Tony

[LEO]

Now you've got me thinking... whatever happened to mine?

 

If I can remember who I lent it to 35 years ago and then track him down, do you think he might give it back?

 

Tony

 

Doubtful, I think he would claim 'Squatter's Rights'.

 

ATB

 

Leo.

 

PS, You only get a few splashes of oil with the engine running and the rocker box off. With the engine switched off it's possible to do the job 'flicking' it over on the starter.

Edited September 3, 2010 by LEO

[RLWP]

This "rule of 9" stuff. Am I the only one to use the "valves rocking" method? With the exhaust closing and inlet opening on four, adjust the inlet and exhaust on one, and so on? It's much less turns of the crankshaft

 

Also, the rule of 9 relies on the order of the valves across the head to be right too, doesn't it? I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E for instance, not E-I-I-E-E-I-I-E which is what an A-series is

 

Richard

[WotEver]

Am I the only one to use the "valves rocking" method?

No - it's what I used to do. Call it the rule of 5 if you like - 1 when 4's rocking, 3 when 2's rocking etc.

 

Tony

[Keeping Up]

I know the "rule of 9" doesn't work on my engine (Perkins MC42) but the trouble is I can never remember what the correct rule is.

[WotEver]

I know the "rule of 9" doesn't work on my engine (Perkins MC42) but the trouble is I can never remember what the correct rule is.

Think you'll find it's the same rule of 5 as described by Richard.

 

1's when 4's are rocking

3's when 2's are rocking

4's when 1's are rocking

2's when 3's are rocking

 

#rockin' all over the world#

 

Tony

[RLWP]

I like it, I like it, I like it...

 

Richard

[bottle]

Tappet adjuster still available

 

Machine Mart

 

Had one many years ago, could not get on with it, engine ran worse, so went back to the feeler gauge.

[sharpness]

 

let me get this right...

 

You run the engine, with the rocker cover off. Do you atempt to catch the oil spurting everywhere, or just let it go? You 'check' the tappet clearance whilst the engine is running.

 

You ADJUST the clearance whilst the engine is running??? I'd like to see that

 

 

/quote]

 

Sort of right, not quite.

 

The oil didnt spurt everywhere on my old Wolseley for the reasons Graham mentions below. You dont "check" the tappet clearance with the engine running, you just locate the ticky one, then stop the engine & adjust it. I never thought to try adjusting it with the engine running!!

 

Steve

 

This "rule of 9" stuff. Am I the only one to use the "valves rocking" method? With the exhaust closing and inlet opening on four, adjust the inlet and exhaust on one, and so on? It's much less turns of the crankshaft

 

Also, the rule of 9 relies on the order of the valves across the head to be right too, doesn't it? I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E for instance, not E-I-I-E-E-I-I-E which is what an A-series is

 

Richard

 

Richard

Thanks very much for that, its exactly why I asked the question. Theres a gap of about fourty years between the Wolseley & the Beta & it seems that things have changed.

 

Thanks again

 

Steve

[RLWP]

There was a point when I thought the engine was going to go E-I-E-I-O

 

Richard

 

With a feeler gauge here and a torque wrench there

[luctor et emergo]

Tie me engine down, sport, tie me engine down...

[bridge100]

I would adjust them all. Its tight or no clearance, that can cause expensive problems

[Semitrad]

Don't we have hydraulic self adjusting tappets these days?

[sharpness]

Don't we have hydraulic self adjusting tappets these days?

 

I dont think so, the top end of my Beta looks very similar to my memory (but it was a long time ago) of the top end of my old Wolseley right down to the adjusters on the rockers.

Perhaps an engine buff can confirm the similarity between a Kubota rocker shaft and a Series A.

An engine buff I am not, its that dirty noisy bit that pushes us along, but I do like to look after it.

 

Steve

[alan_fincher]

Don't we have hydraulic self adjusting tappets these days?

 

I dont think so, the top end of my Beta looks very similar to my memory (but it was a long time ago) of the top end of my old Wolseley right down to the adjusters on the rockers.

 

I don't know anything about Beta engines, but note that the Operators Manual for the 28 and 38 models, for example, makes no mention of tappet adjustment as a service item.

 

I'm guessing therefore that these do not need adjusting in the way that an old BMC does ?

 

Can someone in the know please confirm ?