Adjusting Valves....necessary???

D&D Farm

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On my 05, I have going on 800 hours. Have pretty much done much of the maintenance myself and have been religious about when the fluids get changed. I have not though, adjusted or checked the valves. Old BMW motorcycle guy and VW boxer engine pretty compent shade tree mechanic with adjusting valves.
Is the Kubota valve adjustment really necessary or just check it make sure it is in tolerance. Are they hydraulic or "solid" lifters?.......Push rod/rocker arms?......

How do you turn the engine over to get to TDC??????.......

I know to some these may be ignorant questions; but cant see having to take it to the dealer if this is really ....REALLY ..........a have to thing........Thanks.....God bless....Dennis
 
i dont have it home here with me,but you pull the plug out of the bell housing on the right side,bring it up to top dead center,and then check # the valves, you need to turn it over 1 time to get them all. all you need is to have a set of feeler gauges,screwdriver and a 10mm wrench.ive done 3 so far,#4 on the way shortly.

they are mechanical lifters,and they should be adjusted,under the schedule they give.
 
The question is how NECESSARY is this to do...........Have never seen a thread on doing this procedure so wondering if folks are omitting doing this. Or do they admit that they do.

On most older BMW engines I have adjusted MANY MANY times there is not really a need to do this; but one does just to be safe. Old VW's needed ......NEEDED>> this......so??? Does the RTV???

Another question. I found in the manual how to actually adjust them and how and where to find the timing mark. Do you really need to remove the glow plugs as they suggest?.................HOW DO YOU TURN THE ENGINE OVER??? Yes, one can use the starter motor; but not for this.......WHAT and HOW do you do this??????


Thanks.......God bless......Dennis
 
no need to take glow plugs out,all that will do is make it easier to turn the engine over easier with a socket and ratchet.l never take them out.turn the motor over by hand.i mark the timing mark with a white paint marker to make it easier to see.plus a good set of feeler gauges,go-no go set works great,bent at an angle is good.the valve cover gasket is reusable,it is the rubber ring type in a groove in the cover. only time ive seen them bad is when youve taken them off repeatedly or youve overheated the engine,or too much blowby.other than that,reuse it..

the shop amual is good for explaining it in detail,but some steps can be eliminated,or streamlined a bit.
 
At least check the tolerances to make sure. I've seen some that needed adjusting and some that haven't. I use (turn) the fan to turn the motor over. If your belt is tight enough you shouldn't have any issues. At TDC you can adjust/ check 4 of them, rotate 1 cycle and get the last 2 (and vise-versa 2 then 4).
 
manual says turn to 1tdc on flywheel,check #1 intake and exhaust,#2exhaust,#3intake valves, then turn it 360 degree and adjust #2 intake and #3exhaust valve,specs is .005-.007. from front of motor,it goes" i e i e i e "

when i get it turned to 1tdc i check #1 intake to make sure it is loose,so it can be adjusted,if not you are 360 out,turn motor back over till 1tdc comes back around then adjust them. when you start make sure #1 valves have a little play in them,then you know you are starting out right.
 
Thanks for the clarification. Is there a reason you can't start adjusting with it 360 out, providing you have identified #2 exh. and #3 int. are freemoving?
 
No problem with figuring out TDC and which cylinder. I plan on just feeling the rocker arms and there should be enough play there to be able to tell which cylinder to begin with..............Wondering how Kubota has you turn the engine over.....Yes, if the glow plugs are out to relieve compression it should be fairly easy using the belt....but how else using a socket or whatever to turn it over, watch the timing mark and rocker arms to really tell what is going on..........Thanks.......God Bless......Dennis
 
I just use a remote starter with a trigger....u can buy them at any auto parts and bump the starter and check or adjust the ones that are loose then keep doing it till u have checked them all.
Really a simple deal....no need to look at timing lines....when intake valve goes down then comes back up and both intake and ext. valves are loose at the same time on the same cyl. u can just tell r close to piston at tdc.


Art
 
you probably could do that,but i start with the it like in the manual,which then i take a paint marker and mark which one ive done,so i dont screw up. as for turning it over,sometimes you can grab the fan and belt and turn it over,ive done 1 that way and used a ratchet and socket on the others.
 
Yes, Art you are correct in turning over the engine using a remote or the key itself with a helper bumping the ignition as you watch......BUT...........for me, this method is a bit to hit and miss and I do like to have a bit more control over the turning of the engine...............Clueless.......what do you put the socket on to turn the engine over with??????????

Yes, Art, you are totally correct to just watch the valves open and close; but if I have the timing mark as a reference I can be positive as to when it is fully at TDC......Any idea how many degrees of revolution of the crank would the valves still be at TDC????................thanks and God bless............Dennis
 
i put it on the crank pulley. works good for me. i have done it on the alternator before,but you have to have a good belt and a tight one to turn it over there.but i guess without the glow plugs in it it would turn over easy.

a few degrees either way is safe. wouldnt push it too far though!
 
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