A couple of newbie questions

[Jerry/MT]

Thanks for the replies! I was able to spend some more time looking it over. I checked the tire valve and liquid came out at the 6 and 3 o clock positions but not the 2 o clock so I am assuming the tires are about 1/2 full. I wished I knew what was in them. It looked like plain water to me. I tried to smell the liquid for antifreeze but didn't smell anything. I don't know what calcium chloride smells like.

I was able to adjust the clutch and found the PTO clutch was not disengaging. Once I adjusted it I could actually feel the PTO clutch vs the transmission clutch when I depressed the pedal. I also started to look over the owners manual and the maintenance chart. The previous owner said he had changed the engine oil and greased it. I do not know if he changed the transmission/hydraulic oil or filter. I looked at the filter and it is blue so I don't know if it is the original or not. I will change it anyway. Does anyone if there is a chart for oil and filter equivalents to the Ford filters? The dealer is 45 miles away and I am not sure I can get there before they close each evening.

I also have a question about the valve clearance adjustment. I doubt this has ever been done on it. I have adjusted valves on cars before but not when the engine is running. The owners manual says to adjust the valves with the engine idling. This is new for me. Does anyone have experience with trying to adjust a valve with it moving. It seems trying to loosen/tighten and get the right clearance while the valve is going up and down 300 times a minute would be difficult!

I've adjusted valves on a running gas engine (TO-30 Continental Z129) and the key is to get the idle speed really low to reduce the oil splash. I made a little shieds out of some sheet metal to deflect the splashed oil back down on the top of the head. the hardest part was keeping a screw driver in the slot on the moving rocker adjustment. If your engine has a bolt head adjustment screw, I'd use a socket head screwdriver to adjust them.

 

[edrobyn]

I agree that it should be challenge especially with a screwdriver adjustment. I just wonder what the advantage of trying to adjust the valves with the engine running is?

 

[Soundguy]

Money (liquid or otherwise) I don't like to waste. But I have read where CaCl or antifreeze will rust the rim from the inside out after a few years and that would be lots of $$$. Don't know if that's true or not.

lets apply some common sense to that question:

so. does antifreeze rust out your engine or radiator, or an rv water system? ( nope.. it has anti-corrosion addatives )

for cacl.. I run a tube. rubber don't rust..

soundguy

 

[edrobyn]

Actually antifreeze and water can rust a radiator if it's not changed and flushed out.

 

[Soundguy]

in a looooong time maybee.

besides.. paint don't rust either.. that's why I always paint a rim when I build them up.

soundguy

 

[Jerry/MT]

I agree that it should be challenge especially with a screwdriver adjustment. I just wonder what the advantage of trying to adjust the valves with the engine running is?

The theoretical advantage is that you adjust the valves with the engine at operating temperature so any non-linear dimensional behavior caused by temperature and component dynamics on the valve train is accounted for during the adjustment. That's the theory. Does it make any difference? You'd have to check it out on a dyno to validate that premise, in my opinion. One of things abpout the cold adjustment is the repeatability of the technique as you roll the engine to get the individual valves into position for adjustment. Ifyou don't stop the cam at exactly the right point for each valve then your indvidual adjustments may be off.

One of the guys on the YT forums adjusted his valve on a Ferguson TO-20 cold and then adjusted them running (as the manual suggests) and found no difference in the lash measurements hot to cold on that engine.

 

[edrobyn]

I see what you are saying regarding the contraction/expansion. I would think that warming the engine then shutting it off to adjust the valves would get me close. I know the owners manuals tend to take things a little to the extreme. I could understand if this was a Nascar engine trying to get it adjusted perfectly under running conditions. I wasn't sure if diesel valve adjustment was something special as compared to gas. Every gas engine I have adjusted the valves on have been shutoff.

 

[jimmysisson]

Might just be to save time, at the expense of oil splashing around. You'll start by loosening the injectors to reduce compression, figure out a way to get a breaker bar on the crank nose or pull the starter to notch the ring gear a bit at a time. Try to check the rocker position while off position trying to move the rotation (call the wife). Then reinstall everything. All steps you avoid with a running adjustment.
With a running engine, you pull the valve cover, start as usual, adjust, then replace, which you'd have to do anyway.
It is messy, though. I remember some little clips we used to use on the GM stamped rockers to cover the oil hole. If you don't bust open a knuckle doing a running valve adjustment you're doing real well.
Jim

 

[edrobyn]

I've always just bumped the starter when I've adjusted valves on a gas engine to get the rocker in the position where I wanted it . Of course that was with the distibutor cap removed so it wouldn't start. It just dawned on me that I can't do that with a diesel. I guess other than removing the injectors there isn't another way to keep it from starting? You may be right that it is faster with the engine running.