Okay, I did the electronic ignition conversion on my 61 Valiant this morning, and I did get it running. I still have a slight miss at idle that has been there since I got it. Any ideas? The car only has the miss at idle, it smoothes out as you rev it up.

I installed:
NOS electronic distributor
MP wiring kit
MP orange box
New coil
New cap/rotor
New plugs
New plug wires

I'm thinking that it's a valve adjustment thing now, as that's the only thing I haven't checked on the car since I got it. God only knows how long its been since its last adjustment.

Any thoughts or valve adjustment tips for a first timer?

Thanks Guys!
Nick

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1981 Dodge D150--225/727/8.25 w/ 3.21s

Going TBI fuel injection SOON!

Mopar or NO CAR!!
www.Moparsoflasvegas.us

Buy a new Valve cover gasket, if you haven't already.

Warm the engine up before you remove the valve cover.

there is basically 2 different ways to do this...
With and without the engine running.(engine needs to be warm before doing either way)

The last time I did mine I did it first with the engine off and would turn the engine by hand. I then started the engine to check and noticed almost all of them were much looser than when I set them. I figure this is why the FSM's tell you to set it with the engine running. I decided I wouldn't set them with the engine off anymore(unless I pull the head or something =P)

Use a wrench you don't mind getting a little dinged up, I used one of my nice wrenches my first time and it beat it up a little, If its not a big deal just grab ya anything you want =P

sense your new to it, I suggest you spend a good 15-30 mins getting the feel of the rocker arms jerking while the engine is running, and the feel of the feeler gauges. Just go threw and check them all and don't change anything yet, it would make it go smoother when you do goto change them.

I find it easier to do all the intakes and then all the exhausts either way, so you don't have to switch feeler gauges ever cylinder.

you should at least double check all the gaps.

While I have the valve cover off, I make sure the oilers at not clogged on the rockerarms there is one on the tip and one on the top, you can see the imprint in metal if you look at them profile. While the engine is running I also spin the pushrods to make sure they are spinning free and aren't starting to bend.

Also to make the adjustment easier on you, try to get the idle as low as you can. one good way to do this pull the PCV hose off the PCV valve and plug it, this should drop RPM's 50 or more....

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Mike C
http://cuda.iclownz.com
67 - Barracuda Coupe - 225 - Automatic

We really need to do an article on valve adjustment....

I find that it is nice to adjust the valves while the engine is running because that can tell you a lot about the condition of the engine and also allows for a level of "fine tuning". Here is a procedure:

The engine must be hot.

Once valve cover is off, I check the torque on the head bolts, if they don't move ("crack" loose and turn more) by 75 ft.lbs, go to the next, follow the "center-outward" sequence. Also check to see if all the rocker arms are oiling out the center and tip holes. If not, now is the time to change them.

When I do my adjustment with the engine running, I turn the idle down as low as possible and put some cardboard under the car. (if you want your floor to stay clean!)

I start with the intakes, stock cams adjust at .010, watch for the TWO INTAKES side by side in the center of the row (Cylinders 3&4) use the manifolds as your guide.

Come back around for the exhaust valves, they should be plenty hot by now,(remember, the engine is running and you are "feeling" the clearance between the "hits", if unsure, stop the engine for a moment and recheck to help establish your "feel"

The exhaust is set at .020 but shoot for looser to start. (.021 - .022) Find a setting where the idle is smooth but the lifters are mostly quite, yes "mostly" quite, they should make a small bit of ticking noise when correct. When you have things set right, each cylinder should "miss" slightly when you insert the "feeler gauge", this "hangs" the valve open, causing the minor miss.

If you want to try to "sneak-into" a minor bit of performance increase, try setting the intake valves a bit tighter, .008 instead of the .010
If the engine starts running rougher at idle, Go Back To .010, if the idle stays smooth,....how about @ .007? This puts a small bit more duration on the intake valve event, this also works in "concept" with the exhaust but there is way more "risk" of a "choppy idle" and burned exhaust valves, so .020, may-be .019 (HOT) is about as tight as I would go. Bottomline, these lash settings have some "leeway", a little tighter or looser is OK, as long as a smooth idle is maintained.

That's it, Button it up and go for a drive.
DD

Doc,
What about non-stock cams such as the CompCams 264s???My cam card says that exuast should be .012(I set it at.014 for initial startup though)Why do aftermarket cams have different lash settings?
HyperValiant

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1960 Hyper-Pac Valiant(rolling test-bed)
1963 Valiant V2OO(Son's summer project,- he just turned 15 )
1972 Valiant 4dr(Daughter Kelly's repair in progress)
1974 Valiant (v8) daughter Kelly's work in progress

It has to do with Valve timing... the smaller the gap in the timing the longer the the valve stays open sense the rocker arm doesn't need to travel as far to start the valve opening.(we are talking about mili-secs but that can make a big difference in an engine). Valve opens farther with a smaller gap, which in turn make its stay open longer as the lobe on the cam starts to let off... So different cams will have different timing which is then tweaked with the lashing to get the best results..

Someone with better understanding of cam timing will surly explain better... or tell me I don't know what im saying =P

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Mike C
http://cuda.iclownz.com
67 - Barracuda Coupe - 225 - Automatic

Valve lash settings will be different for different cam profiles.
A cam lobe has a "lash ramp" where the base circle of the lobe starts to transition into the "flank" of the lobe. This lead-in ramp is gradual, it is designed to take-up the lifter clearance (lash) and start lifter acceleration gently, before getting into the major lift area of the lobe profile. Using a dial indicator on a factory SL6 exhaust lobe you will see appx .022 of lifter rise over about 40 degrees of rotation, basically, very slow movement at first.

The trick is to know where this slow movement area is and to set the lash to stay in that area. Set the lash too loose and the lifter never contacts the lead-in ramp and slams right into high velocity lift on the flank of the lobe. Set the lash too tight and the valve spends a lot more time a "crack open" which can burn a exhaust valve.

So in the end, other cam profiles will have different lash ramp shapes and therefore, different lash settings. Start by using the setting given by your cam card but then try some different adjustment. I go looser until I hear some noise then tighten back down .002 to .003
DD