valve adjustment

[tfranchise]

I think I might have a big problem. My 94mtx has 198k on it and there has never been a complete 60k service done on it. I've had the car since 54k and it has never had any major problems. My question is: Do you guys think the car has serious unseen engine problems, or will i be ok? Thanks for any help.

 

[fredhurderjr]

Wow that's a loaded question.

Assuming you're just thinking about the shim adjustment & not any of the other preventative maintenance (like, everything else has been done at some time or another), the answer is "maybe", and "At this point, what are you going to do about it if so?".

If there's any cam lobe wear, you're looking at cam replacement. Is that something you're going to do at 200k? At 200k, is it worth opening the thing up & doing a prevent maintenance item? For your mileage & circumstances, perhaps a rod & main bearing replacement would be more in order than a valve shim adjustment. A thought, anyway.

Good luck with your SHO & welcome aboard.

 

[tfranchise]

Well so far during the time i've had the car the water pump has been replaced, valve cover and spark plug seals, plug wires, o2 sensors, 2 clutches, and oil pan seals. I'm doing the third clutch job tomorrow, and i ordered the 96 brake upgrade pkg from shoshop. Also with this clutch i got a fidanza flywheel and the ceramic tob.

 

[doucebag]

I don't think that my sho has ever had a valve adjustment either. Is it something that can be done at home with the right tools, or don't try it and have a ford guy do it?

 

[jthomas68]

Beleive it or not,at 106k,mine`s never had the valves done either.I just ran a 15.1 at the drags,so i beleive my cam`s should show little to no wear.I am going to do the adjustment this spring though,thanks to a little help from my friend.
I wouldn`t let a Ford guy(dealer)do them,i`d be suprized if they knew how to do the job.You can do it yourself,but you`ll need to rent a shim kit from SHO Shop,Cincy SHO,or SHO Nut.

 

[Mike Kopstain]

The shim adjustment is easy, but tedious and time consuming. It is very cheap to do also if you use one of the rented kits.

as to whether or not you are looking at damage, that is anyone's guess. If there is no ticking coming from the top of the engine, then you can breathe just a bit easier, but as the mileage continues to build and the gap between cam and shim continues to widen, you risk chewing up or ejecting a shim. That's no fun.