A few weeks back, I posted a few questions about oil returns, valve guide seals, and high oil consumption on a 1966 s-six 225...

I pulled the valve cover, and found about 2 pounds of sludge inside, plus broken bits of valve guide seals sprinkled on top of the head.

After some replies suggesting that my problems were as likely to be rings as any valve guides issues, I decided to clean-up the valve cover, replace the spark plug tube gaskets, install a new valve cover gasket, and put it back together and drive it for the remainder of the ragtop season.

While the valve area was open, I thought it a good idea to adjust the valves. My 1963-'70 Chilton manual lists the valve clearances as:
Intake= .010"; Exhaust= .020"; both set "hot".

I went through the sequence "cold", and found most of the intakes running about .020-.025", and the exhausts running .030-.035". I set the valves cold to .015" and .025", then installed the valve cover and started the engine & let it warm-up to operating temperature (t-stat open).
I then went along and set everything to factory spec: .010" / .020".

I am curious as to how often S-sixes need their valves adjusted...my car shows 97,000 miles, but the engine has been replaced, mileage unknown.
From the amount of sludge inside the valve cover, I would guess that it had never been opened until I went in...

Any thoughts?

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De Soto Frank

I seem to check my valve adjustment every 20-30,000 miles on average, about 3-4 years on a daily driver.

Truth is that you get an "ear" for when they need adjusting. It may sound funny but these days I go in and check because the valve lash sounds too tight. (valve seat recession from the unleaded gas takes-up the clearance)

Note, you can change valve stem seals "from the top" if you have a special spring compressor.
DD

First: Throw away your Chilton's book. It will get you into trouble because it, like the Haynes book, contains a lot of errrors and is missing a lot of necessary information. Factory manuals are all available used and reprinted. Get one for your car; it will pay for itself with the first repair done.

Second: How often the valves need to be adjusted depends on a lot of factors. I've had engines where the tappet screws are so loose in the rocker arms that an adjustment would not even last ten days! The official fix for this is new tappet screws and rocker arms; the unofficial fix is to remove the tappet screws and munge the threads a bit with judicious use of a ballpeen hammer or bench vise. Don't overdo it. I had one engine where the rocker shaft had been installed backwards (there IS a top, and there IS a front!) and the rockers weren't oiling properly as a result. That one wouldn't get quiet even with correct adjustment until I figured out the shaft was improperly installed.

Original cylinder heads, as Doug mentions, will tend to close-up the adjustments over time with hard use due to nonleaded gasoline. Whether this reduction in tappet clearance occurs faster than your tappets back off depends on the phase of the moon!

Dan,

Thanks for your reply; I think I'll hang onto my Chilton's...it's a big hardbound garage manual, covering all US makes 1963-1970.

I'm assuming you're referring to the paper-bound, model-specific Chiltons now carried by Auto-Zone and such ? ( I don't care for those... )


I do want to get the factory books for the Valiant, either OEM or reprint; whichever is the better deal. Any suggestions where to obtain one?

Have driven the car twice since adjusting the valves...it's a lot more pleasant to drive now that it doesn't sound like a threshing machine !

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De Soto Frank

Factory manuals are easily obtained over Ebay, from Year One, or out of the "All Makes Literature For Sale" section of Hemmings Motor News.

I have that! I bet it has an orange cover, right? My favorite book since I was a little kid. My dad gave it to me when I was old enough. Damn good book, not like the crappy ones now. Even has an auto trans section.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

Yep...orange cover, 'bout 4" thick.

I have received a number of shop manuals over the years, mostly MoToR's manuals...I have all the years covered between 1935 and 1970, except for 1962.

These old books were my bedtime reading for most of my youth (like some kids read comic books under the covers w/ a flashlight !).

Those paper-bound manuals are a bit disappointing, but sometimes they're the only thing available...

I once has a '63 Mercedes sedan, and the only service book I had was a very worn paper-bound Chilton book; better than nothing, I guess.

I like the Haynes books a little better, if I have a choice.

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De Soto Frank

Yep, it's right here by the computer, one of my "most favoritest" reference manuals, and I have a bunch of Factory Service Manuals and parts books (from before the days when everyone was selling them for a King's ransom on ebay). That particular Chilton's has a wide range of data and specs for all cars and engines of that era - carb #'s, compression, bore and stroke, well, you know! I thought I was the only kid to drool over the pages of an old Chiltons! I loved the front of every section where they show the grille of every year/model. That's how I learned to identify every car from that era

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

My fiance reads 'cat who' books, and I read service manuals. I guess it's 'to each his own'.

Who doesn't have a repair manual in the bathroom??? (or a 'cat who' book)

I just got a "automatic transmission service group, chrysler passenger cars techtran manual". Gotta change things up now and then or the reading gets old.

Just to be on topic, from the sound of things, you won't need to re-adjust your valves till after the rebuild. (Both my motors are aged about the same as your description)

"found about 2 pounds of sludge inside, plus broken bits of valve guide seals sprinkled on top of the head" This hit way too close to home. Just wait till you pull the pan

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1980 Aspen 225 super six