[CajunMan89]

I have a question on checking the valve clearance on my 350. It's been making a ticking sound since I bought it...and I just recently thought about doing some research on the cause. I found some Youtube videos saying that it could be too much slack in the valves. My problem is, I forgot to line up the T with the index mark...I was only looking for the T. When I saw the T and checked the clearance, I found that it was impossible to get my feeler gauge in for a measurement...so I backed them off until I got a snug fit of 0.006 in (0.15mm).

I started it, and it's still making the noise.

My question is, if I goofed up and set the exhaust stroke to .006 instead of the compression stroke, how can I fix this and do it correctly? I was thinking of making sure of the T being aligned with the index mark, and then making sure that stroke was at 0.006, but thought that may not be the correct thing to do.

I'm hoping this won't be rocket science LOL the hardest part in my opinion, was getting the tank and heat shield off.

In that last video, it sounds like to me they both have a ticking sound...idk. Mine sounds similar to both of these.

 

[ktriebol]

You better do it over to make sure it is done right. The valve clearance must be set when the piston is at the top of the compression stroke. To find the top of the compression stroke, remove the valve cover so you can see the rocker arms move when you turn the motor over by hand. Turn the motor over until you see the intake valve open. Continue turning the motor over and you will see the intake valve close. Then slowly continue turning the motor over until the T mark lines up with the index mark. This is TDC on the compression stroke, and now you can set valve clearance for both the intake and exhaust valves.

 

[CajunMan89]

What is the clearance for the exhaust? Same as the intake .006?

 

[ktriebol]

What is the clearance for the exhaust? Same as the intake .006?

Yes, the specs call for .006 inches of clearance on both intake and exhaust. My experience has been that this is a little too much clearance, so I set them tighter, but use your own judgment on that.

 

[clofan]

I usually use the finger-over-sparkplug-hole method of determining compression stroke, but @ktriebol's method might be a little easier

 

[CajunMan89]

What is the clearance for the exhaust? Same as the intake .006?

Yes, the specs call for .006 inches of clearance on both intake and exhaust. My experience has been that this is a little too much clearance, so I set them tighter, but use your own judgment on that.

I did the procedure as you explained...and did it 3 times to make sure I did it right LOL! I'm still hearing the noise...could it be that there's still too much clearance, as you said? Since I'm not much of a mechanic, I'd be afraid to tighten it any more...any suggestions?

I'll attach a video I made today to show how it sounds.

 

[ktriebol]

Some valve noise is OK. It is better to have too much clearance than not enough. If there is no valve clearance, you run the risk of burning valves. Remember that valve clearance will reduce somewhat as the engine heats up.

If you like, experiment a bit with smaller clearances. As long as you have at lease some clearance, the motor won't be hurt by running it for a short time.

 

[CajunMan89]

Some valve noise is OK. It is better to have too much clearance than not enough. If there is no valve clearance, you run the risk of burning valves. Remember that valve clearance will reduce somewhat as the engine heats up.

If you like, experiment a bit with smaller clearances. As long as you have at lease some clearance, the motor won't be hurt by running it for a short time.

I didn't warm up the engine before doing this; is that a problem? Do you think it sounds normal as it is? I know it's 17 years old...I just want to make sure it runs as well as possible, since the previous owners didn't take care of it.

 

[ktriebol]

The engine is supposed to be cold when you adjust the valves, so it was good that you did not warm it up first.

I think your engine sounds like it should with .006 inch valve clearance. If you are happy with that, then just drive it. If you prefer quieter valves, set them to .003 inches and drive it for a year, then check clearance again next summer. That should give you confidence as to how much the clearance changes in a year.

 

[CajunMan89]

The engine is supposed to be cold when you adjust the valves, so it was good that you did not warm it up first.

I think your engine sounds like it should with .006 inch valve clearance. If you are happy with that, then just drive it. If you prefer quieter valves, set them to .003 inches and drive it for a year, then check clearance again next summer. That should give you confidence as to how much the clearance changes in a year.

As long as it's supposed to run like that, it'll work for me! I learned some new mechanic skills by doing this. Thanks for all the advice! After rereading that section in the repair manual, I guess the instruction to warm up the engine was just to check the compression?