Hello all. The 230 engine in my Chevy was rebuilt when I got it. Unfortunately, the valves were never adjusted so they sit in a static position without any pressure on the valve springs. Next week I will begin to get the engine ready to fire but have no idea how the valves are to be adjusted. In addition, there is no large bolt on the crank pulley to help turn the engine by hand. Any ideas for a new 1964 Chevy owner? Chevy owner?
Remove the plugs, put 2 or 3 of the crank pulley bolts in and turn it over with a pry bar or big screwdriver. Pull the distributor and prime the oil system before you adjust the valves. Get the lifters full of oil. .bjb
My 235 turns over pretty easy using the fan blade with my thumb putting a little extra tension on the belt. My ring gear is worn, so 1 in 5 starts requires me to get out, pop the hood, and turn it over a couple inchs. I havn't had to touch my valves in 15 years or so, but the GM shop manual would be my first stop.
Like they said. You should be able to turn the motor by just grabbing the balancer. At least I can with my 250
^^^Yes, get a shop manual^^^; you'll be adjusting the valves "cold", and then hot after the engine has run a while. Make sure you have fresh, and enough fuel, that the distributor is not only dropped in correctly, but that the points are adjusted, as well as the timing for the initial start up, and once running, the timing is adjusted re-adjusted also. Of course ALL the wires will be in place.If this is a "new"/rebuilt engine, then you want to keep it running and not fool around with adjustments; you're going to break in the camshaft, so the engine will have to run around 20-25 minutes at 2K RPM or so.. Get the belts on the engine, as well as the PCV valve hooked up. Now, if things don't go as planned, you already have the BFH at hand, and ready to go. Good luck, and hopefully, you won't need that BFH. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Well it's real nice to be able to adjust them when the engine is hot but that is damned well impossible if they aren't adjusted close enough to run. I'd have to agree that it is advisable to prime the oil system before you start. That wold mean pulling the distributor as Jokester suggested and using a drill motor to spin the oil pump shaft. That should prime the lifters so you don't collapse one when you adjust the valves. The simple way for me to set them cold is to do as they said and stick three bolts in the three holes in the damper that the pulley bolts go in and use a bar to turn the engine over. (it turns clockwise facing it from the front) I usually adjust the valve until I just take the slack out of the rockers and work my way though the engine so I have the slack out but no more than go back and adjust the valves before I start it. You want both valves on the cylinder closed and the cylinder on tdc of the compression stroke when you set the valves this way. I turn the engine over while having my fingers on the intake rocker so I can tell when it bottoms out with the valve closed. Then I adjust that pair of valves and go to the next cylinder in the firing order and repeat. You should only have to turn the crank about a third of a turn each time. Everyone seems to have their own preferred setting but I put between 1/2 turn and 3/4 turn of preload on the lifter after I just have all the slack out. That should let the valves open and close and work right. Then after you get it running you can reset them hot if you need to.
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