Completed valve lash and more!!

[Rob G]

I finally got time to adjust the valves on my car, I also had to replace the rear exhaust manifold due to damage while changing out rod bearings (long story ), this was a big project but the Helms was a life saver. I can not believe the difference in performance . Only one valve was out of spec and not badly and the motor sounds so much better just from replacing a lot of the shims with the next size up but still maintaining spec. clearances. New plugs(motorcraft) and wires (magnecor) I believe helped a lot too, the old ones were submerged in oil, new plug well seals got a thin coat of rtv. I also installed a Pro-flow 80mm MAF which was very easy, if nothing else it sounds awesome when the secondaries open up. I seriously can't believe the improvement, the job wouldn't have been that hard hadn't it been for the rear exhaust manifold which required removing the cylinder head. I bought most of the parts at SPmotorsports, I've bought other things through them and they are always a pleasure to work with. I would definately check into this service if your car is not running well. In my opinion the upper 60k results in a noticably stronger feeling engine while the lower 60k is preventative stuff which is not noticable (unless you don't do it and something goes bad). Sorry for the long post but I put a lot of time into this project and wanted other people to know the hard work definately pays off. thumb

rob

 

[Yamaha V6]

Congrats Rob!

FYI, the RTV on new seals is not necessary & is not recommended. The only RTV needed with new cam cover gaskets / new plug well seals is 4 dabs at the sharp corners on the cam journal caps and/or half-circle cutout on the pass. side of each head.

 

[Mike Kopstain]

It's definetly a great feeling seeing the motor actually start after having it apart isn't it? Part of you is excited, yet the other half of you is worried that you just created a 400lb paperweight. Maybe that's just me...

 

[sdpatt]

Yamaha V6:
Congrats Rob!

FYI, the RTV on new seals is not necessary & is not recommended. The only RTV needed with new cam cover gaskets / new plug well seals is 4 dabs at the sharp corners on the cam journal caps and/or half-circle cutout on the pass. side of each head.

Ditto.

 

[Diameg]

Great job!

It's a moot point, but I don't believe the 'stronger feel' is due to the valve lash, but to the combination of all that you did.
The 80mm MAF would help that, and certainly if your plugs were floating in oil, that could potentially be a big performance drop. It was for me anyways.

In any event, the bottom line is that your car is healtier and stronger, that is what matters.

Mike

 

[Rob G]

Yes, the fear of having it not start was intense. After putting that much time into something and having it not work what be hard to swallow. Looks like I blew it with the RTV (I didn't even know what a cylinder head or valve cover was 6 months ago), I can't see it causing problems though, if it does it can be fixed in a matter of a few hours at most. RTV was also placed in the sharp corners. Drove the car around last night just for the fun of it, girlfriend of mine said "what the **** did you do to this thing", gotta love it. boink

 

[shoinoff95]

I hope that I to will not have any problems with my 60K, as I will be performing this within the next couple of months after I finish purchasing my gaskets, plugs, plug wires and 60K kit from SHO Nut, also will have to buy the video so I know what I am doing!! thumb

 

[haydenm315]

Rob G
[QB] Yes, the fear of having it not start was intense. After putting that much time into something and having it not work what be hard to swallow.

When I did my 60k I did stage II race cams, aluminum underdrive pulleys, and a performance plus y-pipe, my car was down for a long time. To make a long story short, ShoShop and I had difficulty getting the valve lash correct on one valve due to an odd sized lash cap. My car was a paperweight hanging out of the garage for over 2 months. The contractor who made our garage, f*cked my parents over. It's not very tall and can't fit a family sedan. Without the freezer it might just barely fit. The damn thing isn't wide enough either. THe neighbors complained that our house was getting too close to theirs or something even though it's quite far away. That's ok though. We've got a huge weeping willow tree maybe 150 feet from their well, hopefully sucking it dry.

I had to take so much crap about my car never going to work again and threats of it being towed away. My parents told me that I needed to see a psychiatrist because the work I was trying to do wasn't normal. I had to deal with so much negativity on that it was crazy. I've put a little more than 6k miles on it and it's still alive. It felt good to prove them wrong.

 

[sdpatt]

haydenm315:
The contractor who made our garage, f*cked my parents over. It's not very tall and can't fit a family sedan. Without the freezer it might just barely fit. The damn thing isn't wide enough either. THe neighbors complained that our house was getting too close to theirs or something even though it's quite far away. That's ok though. We've got a huge weeping willow tree maybe 150 feet from their well, hopefully sucking it dry.

Now that belongs in the "Exhaust Pipe" topic.