never had the valves adjusted

[pete315]

my 92 SHO just turned 170k miles the other day. I bought it from the original female owner. she had the timing belt done once from some gas station, but never had valves adjusted. I did timing belt,plugs wires,CPS,factory water pump at 150k miles. car ran mint, still does today. good power throughout the rpm's, nice smooth idle, great gas mileage, with absolutely no engine noise. Not even the slightest ticking! Uses a quart of oil every 1,000 miles (not complaining). Anyone else have a SHO that never adjusted the valves? maybe at 220k miles when I do the timing belt again, I might look at the valves but I seriously doubt I will.

 

[Cobraii976]

With that mileage and lack of history, At 220K I wouldn't even adjust the valves **** by then you should have spun a rod bearing and it will make someone a nice parts car

 

[SHOtimer]

At this point you could if you wanted to, but if you don't want to it isn't a big deal. However, I would be changing rod bearings if I were you to insure that you will still have that motor at 220k when it needs a new timing belt.

Doug

 

[NJSHO]

Just save some money for some +20's or +40's and do your valve adj. then.

 

[GEORGE 1992]

My SHO has 245,000 on it. Orig rod bearings and all. JUst don't drive it like it was stolen. Clean,full oil(mine is Amsoil, and is due!) and fixing what you can when it goes bad seems to work. Mine was adult owned in PA. Well maintained and almost all hwy miles. You never know.

 

[SHOtimer]

My SHO has 245,000 on it. Orig rod bearings and all. JUst don't drive it like it was stolen. Clean,full oil(mine is Amsoil, and is due!) and fixing what you can when it goes bad seems to work. Mine was adult owned in PA. Well maintained and almost all hwy miles. You never know.

That is true you never know. Sdpatt did his rods around 275k, and they didn't exhibit any problems before hand, yet when he removed them they were all well into the copper. However, (I think Bruce's brother IIRC from him mentioning it in threads 'Netviper') is driving around a SHO with 400k+ and original rod bearings. But, those cases don't dismiss the ones that have spun a rod at 60k, 100k, or 200k. It is only $100 and to me that is cheap insurance on a solid motor. You also get higher oil pressure, which also helps the motor extend its life.

..IMHO of course..

Doug

 

[V]

I have a 93 ATX , never had the valves adjusted ,but you know murphy's law so I'm taking it as soon as I get a chance . btw it has 184,000 miles

 

[cjaygo]

I have a 93 ATX with 172,000 miles. Never had the valves adjusted or the bearings replaced. Still idles and drives smooth with no tapping. (knock on wood).

 

[pete315]

question- I read that its recommended that the rod bearings be changed. but thats just for the connecting rods. what about the main crank bearings. do these show as much wear as the connecting rod bearings? does someone sell a rod bearing kit with all the things needed for the job-bearings,all gaskets, ****,sealant? whats a good price for all things? I might change the rod bearings. I just had the clutch changed a couple of months ago so the y-pipe should come off with no problems.

 

[revhardSHO]

Main bearings typically last much longer than rod bearings. I wouldnt worry about them. My brother's 89 has 210K on original shims and bearings. Top end is getting a little noisy (3 or 4 shims out of spec in the rear head) but its still fast as ever (fastest SHO ive driven).

 

[Rob94]

I've got nearly 192,000 miles on original bearings....and unadjusted valves. I don't worry about it. If they go, I junk it and buy something new.

 

[pete315]

thats what I was thinking. Ive got 170k on it. I'm not even thinking of adjusting the valves. But I did just spend $900 on a complete clutch/PP/TOB,rear main seal, and new tie rods; and if it only cost $100 to change the rod bearings w/o the need for special tools, I'm going to change them. plus the job doesn't look that bad and enjoy working on the SHO. I enjoyed doing the timing belt, not a hard job (except that the last monkey mechanic stripped the crank bolt head and I had to air-chisel it off). If anyone has the same problem with a stripped crank bolt head, don't panic which I did. I used a chisel to make several grooves in the washer and was able to unscrew the bolt. took 5 minutes. I hope I don't run into any problems with the bearings. As far as gaskets, what other gaskets will I need besides the oil pan gasket. Wish me luck!!

 

[SHOtimer]

You need the oil pan gasket, the rod bearings, the oil pickup tube gasket (paper gasket, make it yourself), and a couple spare manifold studs.

Doug

 

[pete315]

you guys convinced me to do the rod bearings on my 92 SHO. mon I'll be taking apart, tues will install new clevite bearings and let oil pan RTV cure, then wed I'll start her up. My only concern is getting a good seal on the oil pan. Any last minute advise!!!.

 

[Rockledge]

Spray PB-Blaster on all of the exhaust bolts/nuts, and also the 02 sensors, the night before disassembly.

Practice putting back the oil pan so that once you have the RTV spread, you will know the most efficient way to slip it back into place.

As noted, the oil pump pickup tube gasket can be a hassle to find, so I did what many others did and cut my own using similar gasket material and thickness.

Get the Clevite rod bearings from Napa. You will also need the Fel-Pro oil pan gasket set (rubber ends), which I got from Autozone. I had to order both and it took a couple days for the bearings, 1 day for the pan gasket.

Cleanliness should be an overriding priority.

 

[GEORGE 1992]

Sounds like preventive maintanance , and good at that. Did not realize that they can wear so much. Hey, where are you located on the Island, I'm by Amityville.

 

[pete315]

I'm in Farmingdale. I took it all apart, took old bearings out. copper showing on all upper bearings and just starting on 1 lower one. inside oil pan and bottom of engine looked real clean, no sludge. original owner told me she always had oil changed- and it shows. had a little oil leak from front oil pan seal which is now changed. new bearings all in, just waiting for neighbor to get home to borrow torque wrench and tighten caps to specs. To everyone thinking of doing this job, DO IT! As long as your Y-pipe comes out, the job is a piece of cake. Although I should not jinx myself, I still have not re-installed the oil pan. I'll let you know how the job turns out. If I get oil pan on tonite, I'm gonna let the RTV cure for 24hrs. On a side note, when you buy the new felpro front/rear oil pan seals, it comes with 2 small tubes of RTV. I bought a new big tube, opened it up, then noticed the 2 tubes inside the gasket seal box.

 

[revhardSHO]

I'm in Farmingdale. I took it all apart, took old bearings out. copper showing on all upper bearings and just starting on 1 lower one. inside oil pan and bottom of engine looked real clean, no sludge. original owner told me she always had oil changed- and it shows. had a little oil leak from front oil pan seal which is now changed. new bearings all in, just waiting for neighbor to get home to borrow torque wrench and tighten caps to specs. To everyone thinking of doing this job, DO IT! As long as your Y-pipe comes out, the job is a piece of cake. Although I should not jinx myself, I still have not re-installed the oil pan. I'll let you know how the job turns out. If I get oil pan on tonite, I'm gonna let the RTV cure for 24hrs. On a side note, when you buy the new felpro front/rear oil pan seals, it comes with 2 small tubes of RTV. I bought a new big tube, opened it up, then noticed the 2 tubes inside the gasket seal box.

Make sure that torque wrench is in spec. I wouldnt want you do to all that work to have a cap come loose and grenade the motor in a few thousand miles.

 

[GEORGE 1992]

Any pics? Not that I would know how to get any on here. Good to see your enthusiasm. I will check out the exhaust stuff, see if I can get at it.

 

[pete315]

I did not take any pictures, although I should have. It's all back together, just waiting for the RTV to fully cure. Then I'll add the oil, prime it, then start it up. You have 245,000 on your SHO? you ever adjust the valves? If you still have original rod bearings, I would really think about changing them. Mine had 170k miles on them and the top bearings definitely had to get changed. I saved the old bearings. If youre plan on doing job and the Y-pipe has never been off, I would take the car down to a good muffler shop and have them just heat the nuts up and loosen them up, maybe even put new nuts on the studs. This will make the job so much easier.