MF35 Petrol Vanguard valve clearances clarification

trains · Feb 26, 2013

Hi all.

Just after some clarification.
Most online searches bring up 0.013 thou hot for inlet and exhaust.
Which I set them to this morning.

Most I thought were tight at 7-8 thou.

Engine was nice and quiet beforehand, now you can hear a distinct valve train tappet noise.

Then it started raining, so put cover on and went inside and looked at the workshop manual over a coffee and came across

Inlet 12' cold
Exhaust 8' cold

I used to be a mechanic, and have set up many solid valve lifter motors before, some race engines etc, so I have a reasonable feel for correctly adjusting these things.
trying to sort out what clearances these should really be set to.

Thanks again.

Trains

"Save the Whales..............Collect the Whole Set"

Masseynut(Australia) · Feb 27, 2013

Inlet .012" and exhaust .008" is correct provided the exhaust valves have the rotator caps fitted.
If they have been lost, go for .012" on both.
You may get tappet noise because the rocker tips have a worn indentation of the valve stem on the underside. This will of course, give you a larger gap.
Just a thought,
Evan.

Phil Tibbetts · Feb 27, 2013

I would rather see them a little loose than tight. You won't burn a valve if they are loose. IMO

trains · Feb 27, 2013

Thanks MasseyNut and Phil Tibbets,

Yep MasseyNut, they have the rotating tips on the Exh valves.
Will reset them this morning as its nice and cold here now.

Will keep an eye on them over the next year to see how much they settle in after this adjustment, it all looks to be in pretty good condition with good oiling of the rocker arms etc.

Valve noise is not like a noisy stuck hydraulic lifter, but the gentle tappet noise you hear, distinct but not obtrusive I should have mentioned.

Will post up again what difference it makes when its done.

thanks again chaps, much appreciated, hope that others find this helpful when there about to do their valve clearances on their mf35 petrol.

Trains

Tony in Mass. · Feb 27, 2013

A 'Vanguard' engine???? One of those pommie-mobiles so ugly they're cute??? So that would be a ... 'Standard Motor Company' engine???? Do you here the thumping in the distance? The sound of my feet running away...
I just did the valves -cold- on my Continental Z134 being rebuilt, book says '.015" cold'... and believe me it's cold.... yeah, I'd rather have them a bit loose and noisy than too tight and burned up. Now if we were working on Empire classics, like my kiwi made 1963 Vauxhall Victor Velox, we would strive for Swiss watch precision... but for st... engines like yours...
Your stems have rotors on some, not the others too eh? I guess it's a new industry standard... ohhh... I said it again....

trains · Feb 27, 2013

Ok, readjusted to 8 thou exhaust and 12 thou inlet, with very light drag on the feeler gauges, and its quieter, but you still get the nice valve train noise, better than no noise as before, and them being too tight and suffering burnt valve issues as others have mentioned before.

Hi Tony in Mass,
Not entirely sure what your post was about, have I incorrectly described the fergy standard motor by naming it a vanguard motor ?
Only using it for clarification as others had used it when I was searching for parts.

Trains

Fergie Bach · Feb 28, 2013

The standard engine as fitted to the "Vanguard" and also in lower compression version to all those super reliable TE20 Ferguson tractors is/was a lovely engine. Just needed a bit of servicing.

IMHO much better made than early Vauxhall stuff. In fact precision is not a word that come to mind for those. Horrible tappet arrangments often.

Stick with your Vanguard engine. It will still be going after all the old Vauxhall engines are Toyotas.

richardinnz · Mar 2, 2013

Actually that is a kiwi ASSEMBLED Vauxhall, We havn't had Vauxhalls here for years, Holden now, even the Vauxhalls are badged as Holden! I don't think there is any car assembly here now, I have a kiwi assembled Misubitsi,a Landrover, and an International ACCO truck, all from the 1980s and I think they would have been about the last Kiwi assembly jobs.

Tony in Mass. · Mar 2, 2013

Well, I am certainly not the authority on these things, but I suppose the family tree would be 'Standard Motor Company LTD, makers of Vanguard automobiles AND diesel AND petrol engines- installed in Harry Ferguson tractors'. Now Richard, Evan and fergiebach would know much more than I- btw, where are you??

Tony in Mass. · Mar 2, 2013

Cripes. Just thought of it after I clicked 'submit' below... didn't Standard make engines for Farmall and Allis Chalmers- and Fordson?
Anyway Richard, I was living on the long black cloud in the early 80's? 83-84? And my Victor was the only car I could afford that didn't look like a foreign object from outer space.... Zephers and Scoda for instance??... mine had '3 on the tree', UK mades apparently were all floor shift and nicer interiors. I was in Tauranga- where are you?

MF35 Petrol Vanguard valve clearances clarification

trains

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