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No wonder my valves were noisy!

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  • No wonder my valves were noisy!

    I was visiting a friend in the local chapter today, and he complimented me on the car sounding nice as we drove it down to his barn. Besides the minor boost to my ego, it also reminded me of the valve adjustment I did several weeks back.

    I'd owned the lark for over a year by the time I got around to adjusting the valve lash, so I figured it would be due anyway. On a lark (pardon the pun!) I thought I'd use the feeler gauge to measure where the lash was before I began tinkering. And so, for your viewing pleasure:

    Click image for larger version

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    Note Cylinder 5! The >.035 is because that was the largest feeler I had. It wasn't quite wide enough to fit the .034 in there with it, and I didn't want to bend up the thinner ones. Needless to say, a valve adjustment made a world of difference! If you haven't done yours lately, maybe it's time.
    Last edited by JimC; 08-14-2013, 09:22 AM. Reason: correcting my poor thinking
    '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

    "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

  • #2
    Spacer? Do you mean the Feeler Gauge you were using? I hope!

    Not sure what all those numbers mean, before, after or what but I hope you did set them all equally at .024 Hot or .026 Cold.

    If they are or were at .035 it should be Clacking like an old Steam Engine!
    Last edited by StudeRich; 08-13-2013, 11:08 PM.
    StudeRich
    Second Generation Stude Driver,
    Proud '54 Starliner Owner
    SDC Member Since 1967

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    • #3
      Originally posted by StudeRich View Post
      Spacer? Do you mean the Feeler Gauge you were using? I hope!

      Not sure what all those numbers mean, before, after or what but I hope you did set them all equally at .024 Hot or .026 Cold.

      If they are or were at .035 it should be Clacking like an old Steam Engine!
      Good grief! Talk about "sins of the father"...

      My dad would always call his feeler gauge "spacers". I have no clue why. Growing up, that's what I heard over and over, and I think as I was posting last night is a somewhat sleep-deprived state, I reverted back to that! I'm going to change that so it's not confusing to anyone else.

      Yes, these were the "before". I measured them specifically because of how noisy my valves were. It sounded like someone was shuffling a deck of steel playing cards anytime the engine was running. Nonstop "clack clack clack" all the time. I had been painting my valve covers and I ordered new gaskets, as my old ones were literally falling apart, so I took care of everything at the same time.

      Clearances were set to .026 cold on the intakes, and .027 on the exhausts, and it sounds great. Super quiet.

      I really wish I'd had a feeler larger than .035 though. I'd have loved to know where that one was. It still had plenty of gap after the .035 feeler was in there. I thought about bending up the smaller ones and adding it all up, but decided I'd like my tools to remain nice.
      '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

      "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

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      • #4
        It's always better to have them a *little* loose than a *little* tight. I don't mind a little gentle, comforting click symphony as long as it's not just one solo.....

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        • #5
          Mine will be tightened for the PSMCDRs, but I've run with them loose, too. A retired Czech engineer had a ride and said; "That's a happy motor."
          Dave Warren (Perry Mason by day, Perry Como by night)

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          • #6
            What 63 R2 said...

            Mike

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            • #7
              Originally posted by 63 R2 Hawk View Post
              It's always better to have them a *little* loose than a *little* tight. I don't mind a little gentle, comforting click symphony as long as it's not just one solo.....
              for everyday driving, i would agree. however, if you are trying to get the most out of a combination, less lash= more lift. and remember this lift is then multiplied by the rocker arm ratio. the intakes can be run considerably tighter when using a stock cam and the result is a slight "split-phase" which increases horsepower. this is magnified if you have a supercharger.
              61 lark cruiser
              64 daytona 2dr hardtop

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              • #8
                The Tappet Brothers on Public Radio would be proud of you for "singing their song". It was always a problem keeping the valve lash on my Triumph motorcycle where is should be. As the engine warmed up something expanded and severely decreased the lash to the point that it would not run on the highway. Never had that problem with a Studebaker though.

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                • #9
                  Grand pop would always say "better to hear em than not"
                  sigpic1957 Packard Clipper Country Sedan

                  "There's nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer"
                  Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle
                  "I have a great memory for forgetting things" Number 1 son, Lee Chan

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by JimC View Post
                    Good grief! Talk about "sins of the father"...

                    My dad would always call his feeler gauge "spacers". I have no clue why. Growing up, that's what I heard over and over, and I think as I was posting last night is a somewhat sleep-deprived state, I reverted back to that! I'm going to change that so it's not confusing to anyone else.
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                    JimC: No need to feel uncomfortable because you used a term learned from your father. At 76 years of age, I, too, use words or phrases that I learned from my family as a child. Those words or phrases pop out every so often and causes a big stir with friends and relatives.

                    My wife, raised in a metropolitan setting whereas I was a poor ol' country boy, gets quite a kick from my 'upbringing'. But that's OK. I mean what I say! Why just this noon we stopped at a IHOP. Both of us ordered a breakfast. She ordered and when I ordered the waiter asked me how I wanted my eggs. I said, "Over light". My wife speaks up and says, "He means over easy!" Everyone got a laugh out of it. Then we had an argument because I said that's what I heard my father say. Her response was, "It's not correct". I just say what I mean.

                    Thanks for lighting up the day! Nothing wrong with 'spacers'.

                    Frank Drumheller
                    Locust Grove, VA
                    60S-W6
                    M16-52 '48 Studebaker-Boyer fire truck

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                    • #11
                      "Back in the day", a friend of mine and I would drive his '63 409 Impala from Merced CA to LA. We'd adjust the valves loose for the 300 mile drive and readjust them when we got to LA. Got slightly better gas mileage with loose valves- remember, premium octane leaded gas was an exorbitant 38 cents per gallon back then! Readusting them was necessary for street racing once we got to LA.

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