Zetec valve adjustment....

[emsvitil]

Awhile back I had checked the valves on my parents 2002 SE zetec sedan.

1 valve is out of spec (loose).


I left it be at the time, but I am currently changing the timing belt so figured I may fix that....


I have an idea that might work.


As anyone just put a shim under the bucket to tighten the valve adjustment?


Don't see why it wouldn't work.


Comments?

[sleepyboy]

Just get a new bucket that's within spec and save your self the trouble. Though I swear I heard of someone doing this before, but I think that might have been for a mustang cobra? Have you tried the search button surly this has popped up before?

[amc49]

How loose is loose and intake or exhaust?

You'll only need a bit of thickness. Idea won't work, something that thin will move around to tear up motor. No way to positively locate it to not do so.

You change bucket, they are different thicknesses.

To put shim underneath, the bottom of bucket and top of retainer must be configured to hold shim tightly in place. The shim is hard and must be a certain thickness to overcome the brittleness of the hardness, can't use just a few thousandths thick.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Do you have anything that you can measure the buckets with?

1) check clearances with feeler gauge
2) make a chart showing clearances for each bucket, and leave room for more numbers under each
3) remove camshafts
4) use micrometer to measure top of buckets for each valve one at a time
5) put that in the valve chart, and reinstall each bucket after measuring
6) replace any buckets that are out of spec
7) reinstall camshafts and check clearances

[emsvitil]

When I measured it a couple of years ago everything was in spec except for one of the exhaust valves (#1 @ .017) Would need .004 thickness to match other exhaust valves.

Haven't taken it apart yet, so I don't know what it looks like under there.

I believe older style tappets had shims, so that's why I thought of that.


I do have the measuring tools (feeler gauges and micrometer) so that's no problem.

Juggling may fix it, or I'll need 1 bucket (unless things have changed alot).


Just being frugal

[emsvitil]

YEA!!!


Don't have to do anything.....


Everything measured out ok (a couple were .001 too big, not going to bother)


The .017 was .012 this time.... I know I measured it a couple of times before because it was off compared to the others (multiple turns of crank too.)

[amc49]

That's fine. The intakes hardly wear at all, when I pull them down I simply lap them a bit and throw them back together. The tappets or shims will stay the same. The exhausts however wear quite a bit, as they do they will close up clearances. If I pull head down I recut exhaust valves and seats. I tell the grinding guy not to cut stem tips, then instead of changing tappets or shims (I have one of each) I grind the valve tip to set up the clearance.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Originally Posted by emsvitil

I believe older style tappets had shims, so that's why I thought of that.

Nothing wrong with being frugal, but old pedestal mount rocker arms are not the same as these buckets. The bottom of the pedestal didn't make repeated contact- no moving parts there. Under the bucket, a shim would be continuously beat by the action of the cam against the valve stem/keeper/spring.