I am adjusting the valves on my car and when rotating the crank to what I thought was cylinder three I actually cranked it to #4. Not knowing that I had TDC #4 I loosened one of #3's exhaust valves while it was preloaded by a cam lobe. How can I bring the valve spring back to the correct tension? Should I rotate the crank to bring #3 to TDC and adjust the clearance back to normal?

 

The adjusters do not change the valve spring tension, they only adjust the contact between the top of the valve and the follower. The valve spring is held to the valve independently from the follower. All you need to do is rotate the crank until the cylinder is at TDC and perform the adjustment as you would have.

 

Or simply rotate the crank until the cam lobe is pointing away from the rocker arm to unload it. The springs are held on by retainers and a pair of keepers. Spring tension pushes the retainer against the keepers and voila the valve spring is seated.

When the rocker arm pushes down from the cam lobe acting on it, it presses the valve stem tip along the guide, the spring is compressed and puts even more tension on the retainer. The only way for the retainer to come off the spring, is to push the retainer independent of the valve, this will lower the spring and expose the keepers. There is one other way to separate the spring from the retainer, and that's to crack the retainer with a severe mechanical overrev.

 

The easiest way not to mess up valve adjustment, and also the fastest way to complete it, is to toss out the instructions.

Instead of messing with timing marks, just rotate crank until the valve you want to adjust has its cam lobe pointed up, away from its follower. No need to worry about the marks.

If you do still want to follow the instructions and the timing marks, at the very least make sure the cam lobe is pointing up first before you adjust any valve. If its not, you did something wrong.

 

Exactly. All that timing mark stuff is completely unnecessary.

 

Right! The S reuses the same valve adjustment tech that they used in their old V4 motorcycles. I used to do it this way on my bikes 30 years ago. I realized the whole purpose of the timing marks and the instructions was all simply to place the cam lobe in that upward, away position, and that closed is closed. If things aren't exactly on those marks, the valve is still closed, the adjustment is still the same.

While adjusting valves is a precision operation, this part of the task isn't. Just need to make sure the valve you are adjusting is fully closed.

 

The instructions are to help you be organized. Randomly doing cylinders is an easy way to lose track of your work. I was taught that when you're working on something as critical as an engine, you should be methodical and organized. If it works for you fine, I just go through the motions, 1,3,4,2.

 

Cool, thanks all.

 

I'm methodical. 1,2,3,4. No timing marks. Less chance for confusion which leads to errors. As in this case.

 

I just write down the findings for each cyl as I go, to make sure I did them all.

But doing them 1, 2, 3, 4, or the reverse, would make sure you stay organized.

The timing marks are time consuming and confusing. Its the step everyone seems to mess up if something goes wrong. Its faster, and much less chance to go wrong, if you ignore timing marks and just eyeball cam lobes.