tell me the truth about valve clearance
 

I have a friend who sort of runs a mechanic shop. I've trusted him to help me understand a lot of how engines work and how to work on them. But when it comes to my noisy valves, he claims that there is nothing to worry about, and im 'spending too much time on the internet', because of my persistance in getting my valve clearance set. We did the timing chain on my truck a few months ago there, and the valves were never adjusted then, and i've been trying to get it done since. I'd like for professionals to do it right he first time, since i have never tinkered with valves before. if i could watch it done right once, i coudl do it myself in the future.

I just want to get this 22re runnning like new....but the dude i trust to help me understand engine maintenance seems to think it is a waste of money

at this point i either need to go and pay someone else to do it (which i'd rather not do, id rather give the work to my friends shop), or i can do it myself, which i wont do without a professional's help the first time.

What should i do? not worry about it? tell this guy he's an asshole and i'm taking it somewhere else if they dont do it?

What affect does correct valve clearance really have on power and engine longevity?

thank you very much for your help

with the valves not adjusted properly it will afect performance by not opening the valves all the way or letting them slam shut witch will cause premature wear. it can also effect gas milage and reduce engine life. now onthe other hand if he did the timing chain properly it sould have been done at that time..

OK, if its just the 22RE, pretty easy to do. I'll walk ya right through it. First off, get you a set of feeler blades. You need .008" and a .012" of an inch. Remove these fromt he feeler blade set so they are just singles. Warm the engine up to normal operating temps. Shut it down and quickly remove the valve cover. Roll the engine to TDC on #1, you want it to be on a compression stroke, so the cam lobes for #1 should be at 4 and 8 oclock position. You will do half of the valves on the first step, you will do both cylinder 1 and 2 intake, and 1 and 3 ehaust. .008 for intake and .012 for exhaust. You want to feel some resistance. Almost like you are pulling the blades from between somones fingers as they try to lightly pinch the blade. After you have done the first 4 valves in the above order, roll the engine over 1 revolution, so now the #1 cam lobes will be at 10 and 2 oclock. Then you will do cylinders 3 and 4 intake and 2 and 4 exhaust. Its important you get it done. Will start easier, run smoother. But be warned. Make sure both half moons are still in place when you set the valve cover back on and dont over torque the cover bolts. This will "lift" the rocker ass'y and make for noisy valves.

Valves set too tight, I thought you run the risk that they hang open a little bit, burning them.

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