BUDGET valve clearance job

[StkmltS]

I whispered soft nothings to my OEM FU cam bolts before trying to get them out and they came out without any issues! If they go back in as easily as they came out I don't see any reason to buy the TIC replacements.

 

Buckets are out... wish me luck.

[boxkita]

I whispered soft nothings to my OEM FU cam bolts before trying to get them out and they came out without any issues! If they go back in as easily as they came out I don't see any reason to buy the TIC replacements.

 

Buckets are out... wish me luck.

 

did you read instructions for putting them back in? if nothing else, that's reason to go with the FU bolts. :-) I, of course, sheared all my bolts getting them off.

[StkmltS]

did you read instructions for putting them back in? if nothing else, that's reason to go with the FU bolts. :-) I, of course, sheared all my bolts getting them off.

Per page ME(H4DOTC)-49 in the FSM I put them back on @ 22.1 ft-lb + 45°.

I guess I just got lucky and mine came out so cleanly that putting them on was a breeze. Craftsman hex sockets FTW (this but NOT this)

[Underdog]

NAPA carries a set of impact rated hex drivers that have never let me down, plus they are inexpensive and carry a lifetime warranty. I went through a half dozen of those insert-style drivers, some with the full shank, and some necked-down, and they always failed on the first or second use.

[jweller]

So I gave this a try and took a few pictures. 504 on the right is a brand new, never installed bucket, 497 on the left is one I have ground down with the heiche method

 

http://i.imgur.com/kYeW3xWm.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/bYfv8eJm.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/HNJUkOdm.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/woildqVm.jpg

 

 

 

To be perfectly honest, I chickened out. I'm not at all in love with the surface finish I was able to get. It was not rough by any stretch, but it was certainly rougher than the factory finish. If I was just trying to get a beater back on the road, or money was super tight, I'd probably give it a go. I was able to quickly take the thickness of the bucket down with the brown stone. I think if somebody had a different stone that could get a better finish on it I'd do it. I did try the blue grinding stones from Dremel but they really didn't make much difference.

 

If anyone had any idea of something to try that might work to get a good surface finish, I'd be willing to give it a try..

 

Anyway, just trying to add a data point to this set. Hopefuully somebody finds this helpful.

[StkmltS]

The surface finish on the buckets I ground look just like yours. I really doubt it's an issue because the grinding marks are so shallow. The scoring/scratches may even get worn down as the buckets spin whenever the camshafts rotate... or at least that's how they're supposed to work.

 

If you really want a better finish you could use a small polishing wheel and a little compound... viola, smooth and shiny!

[xt2005bonbon]

voilà, smooth and shiny!

 

FTFY. I speak French .

[StkmltS]

FTFY. I speak French .

And I speak American-Kentucky

[xt2005bonbon]

Btw, how are you doing with your build StkmltS?

[StkmltS]

I'm still in the planning phase, thanks for asking. Hopefully I'll be able to get started sometime in June after my majorly preggo wife becomes, uh... not pregnant. Until then the LGT has taken over DD duty as my '92 corolla hasn't recovered from running out of gas a couple months ago. Sounds like a simple fix, but the popular "insert-gas + turn-key" method isn't working.

 

I'll probably get around to posting WTB and build threads in a week or so after the IRS returns my money. Is there a way to notify the post office that their services are about to be abused?

Edited April 15, 2016 by StkmltS

[rmoore5]

The surface finish on the buckets I ground look just like yours. I really doubt it's an issue because the grinding marks are so shallow. The scoring/scratches may even get worn down as the buckets spin whenever the camshafts rotate... or at least that's how they're supposed to work.

 

If you really want a better finish you could use a small polishing wheel and a little compound... viola, smooth and shiny!

 

Flat is also important.

[vanman]

I’m going to revive this thread a second time. How did your valve buckets hold up? Was your engine stock? I need 10 buckets for a 400+ hp build, should I just bite the bullet and spend $300 for them or take a chance and grind some buckets down?

 

Second question, if I grind or buy should I get them 0.02mm smaller or right on spec?

Edited March 11, 2021 by vanman

[heiche]

No problems so far, but I did sell the original LGT that I performed this style valve adjustment on. I did the same on my current 09 WRX about 2 years ago and it's running great <-- tempts fate

 

Regarding mods, both cars were on E85, 20+ psi, running new oem shortblock except for opened up ring end gaps (another mod I always like to do, for reliability).

Edited March 11, 2021 by heiche

[vanman]

I posted a second question at the same time. Should I grind them slightly smaller?

 

 

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[heiche]

I posted a second question at the same time. Should I grind them slightly smaller?

 

Personally I usually shoot for the looser end of spec. But if they are set too loose they get noisy.

[xt2005bonbon]

heiche, where are the pics and build thread of the wrx? Been waiting:spin:

 

 

[heiche]

heiche, where are the pics and build thread of the wrx? Been waiting:spin:

Hah! Sorry I should have documented it! It was a ton of work as I bought it with a spun bearing, blown turbo, growling center diff, leaking power steering rack, to name a few issues. I spent the summer of 2019 fixing all that, new shortblock, turbo, fuel mods to support e85, etc. Oh and many valves were too tight so I used the method in this thread to adjust them. Now it's running fine so I'm bored - maybe I'll get lucky and the engine will blow up

[xt2005bonbon]

 

 

Meth injection on top of E85 so you can reach MBT in all driving conditions and/or increase boost levels even more (assuming turbo is big enough)?

[vanman]

One last question. Did you just grind them with the stone and that was it, or did you try to polish them at all.

 

 

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[heiche]

The grinding stone leaves a fairly good surface imo.

 

But I did try a couple different methods by hand after grinding, like using a small piece of fine sandpaper on the ground surface, or using some metal polishing paste. There's not much surface area on the nub so it's pretty easy to polish it up a little if you want to.

[vanman]

Here’s my set up. I’m using my brother in laws wood lathe. I chucked the bucket into the jaws and chucked the grinding stone.

 

What do think about this discoloration on the bucket?

 

 

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[heiche]

that seems like a great setup!

 

not sure about the discoloration of the top of that bucket though - I haven't seen one that looks like that before.

[xt2005bonbon]

Did the discoloration appear after the grinding?

[vanman]

Yes after the grinding. Another one discolored to blue. I’ve had this happen when I was drilling out a stainless steel baffle for a silencer. I think it is self hardening. For the baffle it got so hard that I couldn’t drill it out even with titanium bits.

 

The problem I’ve been having is that the grinding stone gums up with metal and then there’s just 2 smooth surfaces and it heats up. I might have the speed up too high. I’m going to try and slow it down tomorrow.

 

 

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[heiche]

Slowing it down sounds like a good idea. You could also try applying a dab of metal polishing paste periodically to the stone.

 

Personally I would be concerned about using the discolored buckets as the metal may behave differently.

Edited April 1, 2021 by heiche