I mean I'm pretty good with most stuff, but I have a feeling that my valves were NEVER adjusted in like 200k miles. If this is true, what consequences am I paying now if they are "out of whack"? I mean is it loss of power? truck may explode? Stresses on the engine? Birds may nest in my hair?

I mean when we adjust the valves with a feel gauge and all that, what are we doing and what will it help/improve/stop from going wrong? I'd love to know and please feel free to motivate me to do these valves with good answers as to WHY we do them....

James

 

Loss of power and economy are the too biggest issues. If they are really extremely out of adjustment you will damage the valve train from the bounce or hammering they will get from the slop in the adjustment.

 

Yeah. real hard on the entire valvetrain IF it is loose. My experience is that it tightens up as the valves recede into the head. Then you have other problems. It is a simple operation, especially on a Cummins!

 

Never even touched the valves on my truck in 450,000 miles! Still runs like a top and gets 20+ MPG. My dad asked a guy at Cummins about adjusting the valves a LONG time ago, and he said if if still gets good mileage then don't even touch them. That's my $.02.

Dawson

 

I have put about 270,000 on my rig since the swap, and every time I have run the valves, very little, if any adjustment is nesc. These things are bulletproof!

 

When I adjusted mine at 70k there were only a few that seemed to have tightened up by .001 or .002. I say "seemed" because I have a hard time even measuring that with a feeler gauge. So I set the rest at what seemed like .008/.018, slightly tighter than spec.

 

I doubt they are way out of spec.. Maybe a few thou here and there... But, it wouldn't hurt to adjust them... Not that big of a job..

 

adjust them all you can do is make things better

 

I did mine, with help, at about 265K and only 2 exhaust valves were too tight and 2 intake valves were too loose, but not by much. Afterwards the only thing I noticed was maybe a SLIGHT quieting of the idle rattle...but then again it was probably in my head.

 

Mine were almost all loose the first time. After I adjusted them the truck idled smoother and ran a little smoother throughout the entire rpm range.