VALVE ADJUSTMENT VALVE ADJUSTMENT VALVE ADJUSTMENT _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 1973 Super Beetle (1971 Engine) NOTE: This procedure needs to be done every 6000 miles without fail! Keeping the valves adjusted will make your VW run forever (well, almost). Tools/Parts you will need: - 13mm and 14mm box/open end wrenches - Valve cover gaskets - Medium rewdriver - Form-a-gasket - Feeler gauge - Flashlight 1- Back the car into the garage the night before, as the valves must be adjusted with the engine dead cold. 2- Set the parking brake firmly and block the front wheels. Put the transmission in neutral. 3- John Muir says not to jack up the car, but I find it much easier to put the rear of the car up on jack stands and remove the rear wheels. 4- There should be white paint marks on the backside of the crankshaft pulley (the side closest to you) at TDC (there is a notch in the pulley at TDC) and 180o opposite TDC. If they are not there,paint them on. NOTE: Top Dead Center is the point at which the piston is at it's highest point in the cylinder- -compression is the greatest, and firing of the spark plug takes place. 5- Remove the distributor cap and stow it out of the way. Find the filed line on the distributor rim marking Cylinder No. 1. (The spark plug wire for Cylinder #1 has a single wire wrapped around it.) 6- Put the 19mm socket on the nut that holds the generator pulley and rotate the engine clockwise (forward, the way it runs) until the distributor rotor points to the line on the rim and the timing notch (and paint mark) lines up with the crack in the crankcase. This is Top Dead Center (TDC) for Cylinder No. 1, where the cylinder fires. 7- Slide under the right side of the car and locate the valve cover (oval piece of pressed steel held to the engine with a loopy, thick, springly wire). 8- Before you take the valve cover off, look at its lower edge. It may be cruddy but it should be dry. If it looks like its been leaking, you should install new valve cover gaskets. (Always replace both.) 9- Hook the two wrenches (open end) under the wire clip, pry it out of its groove and with the two wrenches walk the clip down and off the valve cover. (When you get it started you can put the wrench behind the clip and pry.) Alternately, you can ply the clip off with the large screwdriver--I find this method easier. The clip must be pried off downwards, or you won't be able to remove the cover easily. 10- Pull the valve cover off the cylinder head. Now you're looking at the valves, rocker arms and push rods (see picture, next page). 11- The valve clearance is 0.006" for both the intake and exhaust valves. You have adjusted the engine with the No. 1 Cylinder in firing position. This is the cylinder closest to the front on the right side of the car. 12- Do the #1 exhaust valve first (it's the one closest to the front on the right). Slip the 0.006" feeler gauge into the gap between the valve and the upper end of the rocker arm, underneath the adjusting bolt. If the 0.006" blade won't go into the gap, try the 0.004" blade. If it won't go, you have a tight valve. If the 0.006" blade just falls through the gap, you have a loose valve. If the blade slides through the gap with a slight resistance to easy sliding, the valve adjustment is right. 13- If the valve is either too tight or too loose, you've come to the fun part. Loosen the lock nut with the appropriate box end wrench (13mm or 14mm). Careful--make sure the wrench is firmly on the nut; skinned knuckles abound at this point. You only need to loosen it a quarter turn or so, so you probably won't have to remove the wrench from the nut before the next step. 14- Put the screwdriver in the slot in the end of the adjusting bolt and screw it in or out to make the clearance exactly 0.006". While holding the adjusting bolt in place with the screwdriver, tighten the lock nut. This process is tricky, so take your time. The bolt will sometimes try to tighten up as you tighten the locking nut, so it's best to hold it with the screwdriver while you tighten the nut. 15- Check the clearance again; repeat the process if necessary (time and patience are important here). 16- Adjust the #1 intake valve (the next one towards the rear (third from the rear of the car) to 0.006" as above, then crawl out for a rest. 17- Turn the engine backwards (counterclockwise) 180o (1/2 circle) until the paint mark on the crankshaft pulley (where the timing notch isn't) is lined up with the crack in the crankcase. Now Cylinder No. 2 is in firing position. 18- Crawl back under the right side of the car and proceed to adjust the exhaust and intake valves for Cylinder No. 2 (the two furthest to the rear on the right side). 19- Clean the old gasket out of the valve cover and clean the sealing surfaces completely. Reinstall the new gasket using gasket glue on the cover side ONLY. Never put glue on the side of the gasket which fits on the head! Put a thin coat of wheel bearing grease on the face of the gasket that fits to the head. Reinstall the valve cover--make sure it fits properly, then hold with one hand and pry the clip up into the slot with the screwdriver. The wire clip should slide up without too much effort. If it feels too tight, check to make sure you haven't got the cover cocked at an angle - slide it round a bit to make sure it's sitting flat on the head. You're now finished with the right side, and can do the left. 20- Crank the engine with the wrench counterclockwise another 180o until the timing notch is again lined up with the crack in the crankcase. This is where Cylinder No. 3 fires. 21- Remove the valve cover on the left side of the car and adjust the exhaust and intake valves on the No. 3 Cylinder (front, left) as above. 22- Crank the engine counterclockwise another 180o until the paint mark (not the timing notch) is lined up with the crack. This is where Cylinder No. 4 fires. 23- Adjust the exhaust and intake valves on the No. 4 Cylinder (rear, left) as above. 24- Reinstall the valve cover just like you did the other one. 25- Replace the rear wheels, remove the jack stands and lower the car.