Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LAOAG CITY

WHOLE BRAIN LEARNING SYSTEM

OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION

TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS 10
LEARNING QUARTER 1

MODULE WEEK 5

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WBLS-OBE Curriculum Guide Self-Learning Module TVE Auto-Mechanics 10
 MODULE IN
AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS

QUARTER I
WEEK 5
DAY 1-5
Gas Engine Tune-up
Development Team
Writer: Reginald A. Valencia
Editor: Liezl R. Quitoriano
Reviewer: Romeo G. Uganiza Joseph C. Salvador
Lay-out Artist: Bryll B. Atienza
Management Team:
Vilma D. Eda Arnel S. Bandiola
Lourdes B. Arucan Juanito V. Labao
Marju R. Miguel

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 What I Need to Know

This learning material was prepared to help you achieve the required
competency, in Tuning Up Gasoline Engine. This will be a source of information to
acquire the knowledge and skills in this trade at your own pace with minimum
supervision or help from your teacher.
Through the discussions, you are expected to attain the following:

1. Inspect/Check the valve tappet clearance.

2. Adjust the valve tappet clearance.

What I Know

PRE-TEST

Direction: Read each statement carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write
the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the purpose of valve timing?

A. to ensure volumetric efficiency B. to minimize noise
C. to lessen fuel charge D. to enrich mixture

2. Where are valves located in an engine?

A. crankcase B. timing cover
C. cylinder head D. oil pan

3. What is the most common type of valves used in an engine?

A. I head valve B. F head valve
C. L head valve D. T head valve

4. How do you know the valve gap is set to a particular engine?

A. Refer to owner’s manual. B. Refer to friends.
C. as desired by a mechanic D. none of the above

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5. What tool is used to measure valve tappet clearance?
A. feeler gauge B. caliper
C. micrometer D. plasti-gauge

LESSON
1 Check/Adjust Tappet Clearance

What’s In

What do you see in the picture?

_______________________________________________

What is the function of this in an engine?

______________________________________________

Where are these parts located in an engine?

_______________________________________________

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 What’s New

Camshaft and Valve Train Inspection

A valve will only open only during its actuating parts. This includes the timing
gears, chain or belt, sprockets, camshaft, lifters, pushrods, and rocker arm assemblies.
For good valve life, each of these must be checked and replaced if worn or damaged.

When making an inspection, each valve train component should be carefully

checked. Use the following guidelines when inspecting the components.

1. Individually mounted rocker arm assemblies

a. Check for loose mounting stud and nut or bolt.
b. Check for plugged oil feed in the rocker arm.

2. Pushrods: Check for bent pushrods.

3. Valve spring assembly - with or without damper spring: Check for broken or
damaged parts.

4. Retainers and keepers – both two-piece and one piece. Check for proper seating of
keeper in the stem grooves and the retainer.

5. Overhead cam or follower arm and lash adjuster assemblies.

a. Check for broken or several damage parts.
b. Check for a soft lash adjuster (adjusting shim) by using hand pressure on the
rocker arm while it is on the base circle of the camshaft.

6. Camshaft
a. Check for plugged oil feed.
b. Check for correct cam lift.
c. Check for broken or several worn areas.

7. Check for timing belt, sprockets, and related components.

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 What is It

Camshaft
After the camshaft has been cleaned and a visual inspection has been made,
check each lobe for scoring, scuffing, fracture surface, pitting, and signs of abnormal
wear.
Premature lobe and lifter wear are generally caused by metal-to-metal contact
between the cam lobe and lifter bottom due to inadequate lubrication. The nose will be
worn from the cam lobes and the lifter bottoms will be worn to a concave shape or may
be worn completely away. This type of failure usually begins within the first few minutes
of operation. It is the result of insufficient lubrication or use of oil that does not meet the
engine manufacturer’s requirements for viscosity and API service grade.

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 There are several methods of measuring cam lobes of wear, but the two most
popular are the dial indicator and outside micrometer.

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 The dial indicator test for worn cam lobes should be conducted with the camshaft
in the engine. Check the lift of each cam lobe in consecutive order and make a note of
the readings. Be sure the push rod is in the valve lifter socket. Install the dial indicator
so the cup-shaped adapter fits into the end of the pushrod and it is in the same plane as
the pushrod movement.

Connect a remote starter switch into the starting circuit. With the ignition switch
off, bump the crankshaft over until the lifter is on the base circle of the camshaft lobe.
At this point, the pushrod will be in its lowest position. Put the dial indicator at zero.
Continue to rotate the crankshaft slowly until the pushrods are in their fully-raised
position (highest indicator reading).

Compare the total lift recorded on the indicator with specifications. If the lift on
the lobe is below the specified service limits, the camshaft and lifters operating on the
worn lobe(s) must be replaced. Any lifter showing pitting or having its contact face worn
flat or concave must be replaced. To be safe, most manufacturers recommend all lifters
be placed when the camshaft is replaced.

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 To compare the cam lobe height with an outside micrometer, the camshaft must
be removed from the engine. Place the micrometer in position to measure from the heel
to the nose of the lobe and again 90 degrees from the original measurement. Record
the measurement for each intake and exhaust lobe. Any variation in heights indicates
wear. Also, check the measurements taken against the manufacturer’s cam lobe
heights.

Measure each camshaft journal in several places with a micrometer to determine

if it is worn excessively. If any journal is 0.001 inch or more below the manufacturer’s
prescribed specifications, it must be replaced.

The camshaft lobe should also be checked for straightness with a dial indicator.
Place the camshaft on V-blocks. Position the dial indicator on the center bearing journal
and slowly rotate the camshaft. If the dial indicator shows run out a (0.002-inch
deviation), the camshaft is not straight. A bent camshaft must be replaced.

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VALVE LIFTERS

Valve lifters, sometimes called cam followers or tappets, follow the contour or
shape of the cam lobe. Lifters are either mechanical (solid) or hydraulic. Solid valve
lifters provide for a rigid connection between the camshaft and the valves. Hydraulic
valve lifters provide for the same connection but use oil to absorb the shock that results
from the movement of the valve train. Although both types function the same, solid
lifters have certain disadvantage when compared to hydraulic lifters.

Hydraulic lifters are designed to automatically compensate for the effects of the
engine temperature. Changes in temperature cause valve train components to expand
and contract. Hydraulic lifters are designed to automatically maintain a direct connection
between valve train parts.

Solid lifters do not have this built-in feature and require a clearance between the
parts of the valve train. This clearance allows for expansion of the components as the
engine gets hot. Periodic adjustment of this clearance must be made. Excessive
clearance might cause a clicking noise. This clicking noise is also an indication of the
hammering of valve train parts against one another, which will result in reduced
camshaft and lifter life.

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 In an effort to reduce the friction and the resulting power loss from the lifter
rubbing against the cam lobes, engine manufacturers often use a roller-type hydraulic
lifter which is manufactured with a large roller on the camshaft end of the lifter. The
roller acts like a wheel and allows the lifter to follow the cam lobe contour better than a
flat-type lifter with reduced friction between the two contacting surfaces. Friction is
reduced because the lifter rolls the surface of the cam lobe as opposed to rubbing
against it.

OPERATON OF HYDRAULIC LIFTER

A typical hydraulic lifter contains ten parts. There is a plunger, oil metering valve
disc, pushrod seal, retaining ring, valve disc or ball, check valve retainer, check valve
spring, retainer clip, and plunger return spring, all housed in hardening iron body.

When the lifter is resting on the base circle of the cam (not on the lobe), the valve
is closed and the plunger spring inside the lifter maintains a zero clearance in the valve
train. Oil is pumped by the oil pump to the oil filter, man bearings, camshaft bearings,
and to the oil feed holes of the valve lifter bore. Pressurized oil enters the lifter and
flows through the plunger. Oil flow continues through the lifter until it is filled. The
pressure of the oil seals the oil in the lifter by forcing down the check valve inside the
lifter. The oil between the plunger and the check valve forms a rigid connection
between the lifter and the pushrod. The position of the plunger inside the lifter is
determined by the forced of the pushrod on the plunger.

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 As the valve train grows from heat, clearance is reduced so the plunger is held
lower in the lifter. As the cam lobe turns, the lifter’s oil feed hole in no longer lined up
with the feed in the block. New supplies of oil are not available until the lifter returns to
the lower part of its bore. Also, the amount of force on the plunger increases as new
forces result from the opening of the valve against the pressure of the valve spring.
This new pressure causes the plunger to depress slightly. This allows a small amount
of oil to leak out. This leaking out of oil is called leakdown.

Leakdown is defined as the relative movement of the plunger with respect to the
lifter body after the check valve is seated by the pressurized oil. When the cam rotates
and the lifter returns to the base of the cam, oil can again enter the lifter. At this point,
the fills the lifter, and the lifter is ready to open the valve again.

If the lifter is unable to fill with oil or if does not leak down the proper amount, a
noise will be heard when the engine is running. Quite often light tapping noises are
referred to as lifter noises. The lifter is not always the fault. There are other causes for
similar sounding engine noises, such as worn cam lobes, stuck valves, broken valve
springs, insufficient lubrication between the rocker arms and the pushrods or valves, or
loose rocker arms. All these problems relate to the opening and closing of the valves
and will take on the rhythm of valve operation. Careful troubleshooting will help
determine if the cause of the noise is a lifter or one of the other possible problems.

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 What’s More

Procedure in Adjusting Valve Tappet Clearance

1. Disconnect and ground the high-tension coil wire to prevent accidentally starting the
engine.
2. Remove the valve tappet cover from the left side of the crankcase.
3. Remove the spark plug from number one cylinder.
4. Place thumb over the spark plug opening and slowly crank the engine until the
outward pressure can be felt. Pressure indicates number one piston is moving
toward Top Dead Center of the compression stroke. Continue cranking until the
timing mark on the flywheel is in the center of the flywheel housing timing hole.
Both valves are then closed on the compression stroke of number one cylinder.
5. Use two-thin wrenches when adjusting valve clearance. Use the lower wrench to
hold the tappet and the upper wrench to raise or lower the tappet adjusting screw.
When the valve lash is properly adjusted, the appropriate feeler gauge should pass
between the tappet and its corresponding valve stem with a slight drag.
6. Crank the engine one-half revolution at a time and check the clearance of each
valve; adjust if necessary. Do this in each set of cylinder valves in succession
according to the firing order of the engine, which is 1-3-4-2.
7. Install new gasket and install valve tappet cover. Check to see that the valve cover
makes an oil-tight seal with the crankcase.
8. Replace the spark plug, spark plug wire, and coil wire.

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 What I Have Learned

Write the functions of the following valve train components. Copy the table and write your
answers on a separate sheet.

Camshaft
Pushrod
Camfollower
Rocker arm
Intake valve
Exhaust valve
Tappet adjusting screw
Rocker arm shaft

What I Can Do

Activity

A. Enumerate the steps in adjusting the valves of an engine.

B. Illustrate the position of the different valve train components with their
corresponding arrangement (camshaft, valve, rocker arm, cam follower, pushrod,
adjusting screw).

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 Assessment

POST-TEST

Direction: Read statement carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the
chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What device in the valve train changes rotary motion into reciprocating motion?
A. Eccentric B. Bushing C. Cam D. Mandrel

2. Technician A says valve float is less likely to occur in OHC engines. Technician
B says valve float is caused by the valves staying open when they should be
closed. Who is correct?
A. Technician A B. Technician B
C. A and B D. Neither A or B

3. What type of valve lifter automatically compensate for the effects of engine
temperature?
A. Hydraulic B. Solid
C. Roller D. all of the above

4. Technician A conducts the dial indicator test for the worn cam lobes with the
camshaft in the engine. Technician B checks cam lobe wear with a micrometer.
Who is correct?
A. Technician A B. A and B
C. Technician B D. Neither A or B.

5. Technician A says a bent camshaft must be replaced. Technician B says a worn

camshaft can be used if new lifters are installed. Who is correct?
A. Technician A B. A and B
C. Technician B D. Neither A nor B

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 Answer Key

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 Assessment:

POST-TEST

1. C

2. B

3. A

4. B

5. B

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References

Erjavec, Jack and Robert Scharff. Automotive Technology, A System Approach. 2nd
Edition.

Crouse, W.H. and Anglin, D.L. Automotive Mechanics. 10th Ed.

Santos, G.N. and Lebron G.B. Chemistry.

Kowels, Don. Basic Automotive Service and Maintenance.

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