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How often to check/adjust valves?

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M

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This question was actually buried in another thread, so it may not have caught anyone's attention.

I'm just wondering what the consensus is on how often -- in general -- to check/adjust the valves. I realize that this has a lot to do with mileage and other conditions, but are there any "general" guidelines?

I have friends who check/adjust their valves on Triumph TR3s about every three or four months. I drive my car about 4000 miles a year, maximum (this is limited by Virginia's rules governing antique plates and my insurance). I have been checking/adjusting my valves once a year.
 
What's the owners manual suggest ?
TR6 suggest 6000 miles. I'd say that should be sufficient unless there's evidence of recession..
 
TR3 owners manual just says "no definite interval" :frown:

I generally do it as part of the annual maintenance, which for me is 10-12,000 miles. But I started having trouble with valve seat recession again last year, so now I'm checking the valves every time the idle seems a bit off.

So far, the Redline lead substitute at 1 oz per tankful seems to be working, last check showed them right on the money. But I haven't had a chance to do any sustained high speed runs yet.
 
Between 1958 and 1972, I used to check the valve gaps in my TR3A every 5000 miles. Then it sat for 15 years.

In 1990 with my TR restored and the engine re-built (it still had many of the original valves in the head with 80,350 miles on the clock). But after about a further 43,000 miles on lead-free gas, I noticed that I had to re-gap them more frequently until I fould that I had lost most of the 0.010" gap every 500 miles or so. This is how I knew that the dreaded valve seat recession had become a reality. The gaps would close down to 0.004" or closer to 0.002".

So I pulled the head in 2000 and had 8 new valves, 8 new guides and 4 ring inserts for un-leaded gas fitted by an engine shop. The ring inserts were only used for the exhaust valve seats. He ground in the new valves and new seats. I did this in May 2000 and have driven my TR a total of 64,600 miles since then. Because of habit, I still check the gaps every 5000 miles or so but in these past 12 years I have never had to re-gap any valves more than 0.001". A few would be at 0.011" while another might be at 0.009". This was always random and I have no explanation for why up - why down.

I would say that if you have done all the above as I have, you could possibly extend the time to check to about 5 years or more.

But I'll still do mine like I do now.
 

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Very helpful... many thanks. As my engine was recently totally rebuilt, and I only put 4000 miles on it each year, looks like checking/adjusting them once a year sounds reasonable (though perhaps unnecessary). Probably could go longer... but since I service the car thoroughly each early spring, including a check of the valves is no big deal.

Again, thank you very much.
 
Hi, Bob,

Perhaps that explains it.... My friends who check their valves often are probably using their cars as "daily drivers." 6000 miles in six months... I am limited by Va DOT rules and insurance to 4000 miles in a year. So once a year check/adjust sounds OK, unless or until I encounter some problem with the engine.
 
Mine is a part timer too. 260 miles on fresh restore, so I don't have a track record. I'll probably do it once a year.
Bob
 
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