Switched from adjusting valves with feeler gauges to doing it by sound 6 months ago

I used to spend 45 minutes on every valve adjustment with a set of feeler gauges on my Cummins ISX. Then a shop foreman in Des Moines told me to listen for the lash instead. He had me set the first one at .015 and then tap it until I heard the right click. Now I do a full 6-cylinder adjustment in 20 minutes flat and I haven't had a single comeback. Has anyone else tried going by ear on overhead adjustments?

4 comments

4 Comments

blair_chen814d ago

Playing with fire on a modern high-horsepower engine. One miss and you're looking at a dropped valve or a wiped cam lobe, which is way more expensive than the extra 25 minutes with feeler gauges.

torres.blair4d ago

Playing with fire" is kind of dramatic. Half the fun of wrenching is learning what your engine's telling you through sound and feel, not staring at a spec sheet. I mean @blair_chen81, feeler gauges have their place, but sometimes you gotta trust your gut and a good ear over a tool you can lose under the hood.

alice9284d ago

Look, I get the concern (and believe me, I've had my share of "oh no" moments). But honestly, if I'm gonna drop a valve, I figure it's just my way of making sure I stay humble and don't get too cocky with my ear-tuning skills. So far my engine's been a forgiving teacher, but I'm sure one day it'll teach me a real expensive lesson. Until then, I'll keep listening and tapping like a weird mechanic percussionist.

charles_coleman3d ago

Back when I was daily driving a Foxbody, I ear-tuned the valves and ended up chasing a tick for two weeks before I found a loose rocker arm. @torres.blair's right that feeler gauges have their place, but that kind of hands-on learning sticks with you way better than a spec sheet ever will.