Tappet adjustment, filth and dipstck

Post by **MarkyB** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:56 am

I've just got round to using to using my Gunson Clikadjust (Christmas pressie)
Has anyone else used one?
After a few tries I settled on 8 clicks as being 12 thou. This has made the tappets nice and quiet (they were rather noisy)
Now I'm a bit worried they may be too tight but there is no way to double check them with a feeler gauge. Any thoughts?

FILTH!
Under the rocker cover everything was really filthy, encrusted with thick black tar like gunge.
Supposedly this car had been regularly serviced by a garage but I now suspect the previous owner was being ripped off. Certainly the tappets hadn't been done for ages and they must have been using the worlds cheapest oil.

I topped it up with about a pint of diesel engine oil for the extra detergent content. I plan to drive it around for a short while then add some ATF (also full of detergent) drive it till it warms up then change the oil and filter.
Any other ideas on sorting this out short of dis-assembly and steam cleaning?

While checking the oil I noticed there was no felt washer on the dipstick I have a feeling there should be one but I may be thinking of some other car I've worked on.
Should it have a felt washer? where can I get one?

Mark
--
"Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas"
( Happiness is understanding how things work)

Post by **Willie** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 12:07 pm

Do not understand why you cannot double check the valve clearances
with a feeler gauge? I would change the oil immediately and then drive the car for a few hundred miles including blasts down a motorway and then change the oil again. I have no felt washer on my dip stick!

Post by **gairlochrosie** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:25 pm

Why can't you check them with feelers? New one on me. I do have a washer on my dipstick

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:42 pm

Clean off all the muck you can from rocker cover etc - and change the oil as soon as possible. Be wary of diesel oil - it may unstick whatever is sealing the piston rings and the thing may turn into an oil-burner overnight. Just use 20W50 (Asda/Morrison is fine) and change it and the filter regularly.

Post by **Axolotl** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:31 pm

there was no felt washer on the dipstick

You can get a rubber one from ESM:-

http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... 11a00a2bec

It stops the dipstick rattling, but not much else. An old (or new) tap washer would probably do the job as well.

Post by **flying** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:32 pm

i have one of those Gunson click adjust tools............they are crap!.....just do it the normal old fashion way and you will get it right 1st time....and no reason why u cant use feeler gauges......

Post by **MarkyB** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:35 pm

Why can't you check them with feelers? New one on me. I do have a washer on my dipstick.

The Clikadjust is designed to compensate for wear on the tappet face so all the clearances seem to be tight if checked with the feeler gauge.

Clean off all the muck you can from rocker cover etc - and change the oil as soon as possible. Be wary of diesel oil - it may unstick whatever is sealing the piston rings and the thing may turn into an oil-burner overnight.

Done. I think you are right about the diesel oil it seems to be leaking more oil already

Post by **gairlochrosie** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 8:12 pm

Throw it in the bin and do it with feeler gauges then you will know for sure that the settings are correct. Also, I would not encourage using the diesel oil...for reasons that I see...you have already found out.....just change the oil and filter for a short time...then change it again (including the filter)....and keep changing the oil and filter regularly

Post by **rayofleamington** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 11:35 pm

when the rocker faces are worn with ridges at the sides, a normal feeler gauge is not ideal - therefore trim it down to be much more narrow and it will work fine.

Post by **Axolotl** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:12 pm

I too have just tried my Gunson Clik-Adjust. I seemed to make it 10 clicks = 12 thou. But in the end I gave up and used the old spanner, screwdriver and feeler method as the Clik-Adjust was just too fiddly to use and the clicks don't always seem to be there.

After checking them and adjusting some, I don't seem to have noisy tappets so I must be doing something right.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:08 pm

Ideally - take the rockers off and stone them smooth on the working face to remove any pitting. Then the feelers will work as intended!

Post by **dunketh** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:10 am

Clikadjust? Thats a new one on me.
If its as much use as the colortune I can see it heading at great speed towards an open bin!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:19 am

Exactly.

Post by **MarkyB** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:57 am

It all seemed like a good idea at the time

I was told it had been recently serviced but the tappets were V noisy so I thought they would be worn.
And I do like gadgets

This one can go in the back of the drawer or on ebay. The thoery is OK but it is too poorly made to work well.

I did scrape a lot of nasty tarry gunge from the rocker cover. It amounted to a ball the size of a small orange.

I'll see how it goes with the oil leaks. I may need to re-ring the engine

Post by **Axolotl** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:43 pm

The thoery is OK but it is too poorly made to work well.

Couldn't agree more. I think the original SPQR version was much better made and actually worked.

Basically, the Gunson version is a very expensive screwdriver

.

Morris Minor Owners Club

Tappet adjustment, filth and dipstck

Tappet adjustment, filth and dipstck

problems