CJD
Yoda
Offline
This is a bit of an odd ball thread. When I took the TR2 motor apart it had been sitting in a field for 31 years. One of the valve springs was apparently compressed for that entire length of time, and when it came out it was forever compressed 1/2" shorter than the other springs. Since this engine will be sitting in the garage at least a year before I finish the rest of the restoration and get it running again...that got me thinking about how to prevent having another spring sit compressed.
My first thought was to back off the rocker shaft studs. The down side of that is that I prefer to use a bit of sealant around the rear pedastal, since that is where the oil comes up from the head. I don't know of any sealant that I trust to stay flexible that long, so I'd end up having to remove the rockers anyway.
Then, I thought I'd just back off all the adjuster nuts, like I used to do for all my Chevy V8's I store...and then set the valves when it's time to run the motor. Still a pain.
Well, it finally occurred to me what the best way is to store a 4 banger, and it's really much easier. Just make sure the crank is at the TDC mark. At the TDC mark all the valves are either closed or only open a few thousandths of an inch. Simple! Now I can set the valve clearances, oil it up and set it aside for the next year without having to remember to adjust anything later.
And a lesson...My TR3 sits for a month at a time. From now on I will make sure the crank is always at the TDC mark when I plan to let it sit!
Anyway...just thinking out loud...
My first thought was to back off the rocker shaft studs. The down side of that is that I prefer to use a bit of sealant around the rear pedastal, since that is where the oil comes up from the head. I don't know of any sealant that I trust to stay flexible that long, so I'd end up having to remove the rockers anyway.
Then, I thought I'd just back off all the adjuster nuts, like I used to do for all my Chevy V8's I store...and then set the valves when it's time to run the motor. Still a pain.
Well, it finally occurred to me what the best way is to store a 4 banger, and it's really much easier. Just make sure the crank is at the TDC mark. At the TDC mark all the valves are either closed or only open a few thousandths of an inch. Simple! Now I can set the valve clearances, oil it up and set it aside for the next year without having to remember to adjust anything later.
And a lesson...My TR3 sits for a month at a time. From now on I will make sure the crank is always at the TDC mark when I plan to let it sit!
Anyway...just thinking out loud...