• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.

    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A Rule 9 Valve Adjustment

OP
R

Redoakboo

Jedi Warrior
Country flag
Offline
I am starting to adjust the valves in my TR-2 following Rule 9.

After closing # 8 and adjusting #1, closing #7 and adjusting #2, closing #6 and adjusting # 3, closing # 5 and adjusting #4. How do you go back and adjust 8,7,6,& 5?

Dick
 
Dick,
First, let's deal with nomenclature. And nevermind that "rule" thing. A valve is "open" when the rocker is holding the spring compressed fully. It's "closed" when the rocker-to-stem can be clearanced.

You should notice when #8 valve is fully OPEN (not "closed" as you state), the rocker arm fully depresses the spring there. Adjusting clearance on its opposite (#1) is possible. The same goes for all the rest: When #7 valve spring is fully depressed, you can set clearance on #2 rocker. Conversely, when #2 valve is completely compressed (valve opened) you can adjust #7 rocker clearance. That goes for all the rest as well. Depressed spring on #4 (open valve) and adjust #5, depressed spring on #5 (again valve fully opened) and adjust #4 clearance...

Put another way, if the valve 3 from the front of the head is fully open (spring completely compressed), then the third valve from the REAR of the head is fully CLOSED and the rocker clearance can be set. And the opposite is true. Third from the rear compressed, third from the front is adjustable.
 
Last edited:
Interesting rule. I don't think I could ever remember it, though. I just set the crank at TDC at the crank marker and the distributor rotor pointed at the #1 spark plug. At that setting you can adjust both cyl 1 valves. Rotate 90 deg clockwise and set the #3 cyl valves. Another 90 to TDC again and set #4 valves, and 90 more to #2 valves. It's easy to tell which cylinder to set, as the valves will both be loose, while the other cyl will have at least 1 tight valve.
 
Interesting rule. I don't think I could ever remember it, though. I just set the crank at TDC at the crank marker and the distributor rotor pointed at the #1 spark plug. At that setting you can adjust both cyl 1 valves. Rotate 90 deg clockwise and set the #3 cyl valves. Another 90 to TDC again and set #4 valves, and 90 more to #2 valves. It's easy to tell which cylinder to set, as the valves will both be loose, while the other cyl will have at least 1 tight valve.
Either method gets "close enough". Biggest "rule" is: "Too loose is better than too tight"!!
 
I think, I hope you meant something like this:
#8 fully open, adjust #1
#7 " " ....adjust #2
and so on
Then:
#1 fully open adjust #8
and so on.
 
My rule is (1) pick any cylinder, (2) turn the engine so the exhaust valve opens and closes (goes down then up) (3) keep going til the intake opens and closes (4) turn the crank another 45 degrees or so (5) adjust both valves. Pick another cylinder and do it again.
Bob
 
On a TR6 (6 cylinder engine) Rule of 13 we actually get 2 valves simultaneously OPEN and have 2 CLOSED to adjust at a time.
For instance....When 1 and 3 are simultaneously OPEN we adjust the CLOSED 12 and 10 valves..and so on
IF... you have 2 simultaneously open valves on your 4 cylinder engine see if there are 2 closed that will add up to 9 with the open valves.
 
Back
Top