Valve Adjustment Help

[JPL]

Anyone know what the best way to go about adjusting the valves for a M20. Or, if its a bitch to do how much a shop might charge to do it?

jake

[KenC]

Buy a Bentley... it's all in there. Or go to www.pelicanparts.com - and find their article on how to do it. It's not hard at all. A shop will charge probably $70 - $100. Remember that you'll need a new valve cover gasket too.

[jlevie]

Adjusting the valves is not a difficult job. And it becomes almost trivial if you have a spring tool (e.g., Part 113070 from Bav Auto). With one of those you loosen the lock screw, back off the adjuster, slide in the gage, and turn the adjuster until the spring bends. Tighten the lock screw and move on to the next valve.

[Erick]

Just pray to god you dont tighten the nut too hard trying to find out "how much is enough" and strip it.

I speak from experience.

And if you have to remove a stripped nut, then dont drop that nut in the oil return lines, because it does fit in there and it does slide all the way down the oilpan... meaning you have to jack up your engine and unbolt the entire oilpan to get it.

I'm still speaking from experience :(

- Erick

[markseven]

Just pray to god you dont tighten the nut too hard trying to find out "how much is enough" and strip it.
- Erick

Was this with the spring loaded tool thingy?

[JGood]

Was this with the spring loaded tool thingy?

It is a metal rod that goes into the eccentric. You stick it in the eccentric hole and lift up or down to swivel the eccentric upon it's offset mounting point to close or open the gap above the valve.

The reason the spring loaded tool is easier is because it allows you to put the lightest amount of tension on it and tighten the nut. It's also angled to reach down in and put the handle at a useful angle, unlike an allen wrech.

Worth the money IMO since it should be done every ~30k miles (15k according to BMW).

[JPL]

.

Worth the money IMO since it should be done every ~30k miles (15k according to BMW).

good because i purchased one

[Erick]

Was this with the spring loaded tool thingy?

No, I used an allen, a feeler gauge and a 10mm wrench.