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This is a follow up to the head gasket job (82 T 8V) I DIYed last month. After the re-assembly and engine start-up, I noticed an increase in the valve noise. More clackitty clack than normal. I reasoned it had to do with the valve/cam distances somehow being disrupted by the head job, which meant a proper measurement was in order, followed by a re-shimming of the tappets. After two weeks of driving with the clacking not getting any better, I finally lifted the valve cover and proceeded with the measurement. The distances were only slightly smaller than the specified distances.
While I had the valve cover off I decided to take a closer look at each tappet. I removed the cam bearing assembly, lifted the cam and removed each tappet and shim. I detected nothing out of the ordinary. I then spent some time cleaning the cam housing. I took notice of the oil feed channel along the bottom. A straight forward trouble free design, there was no indication of a blockage which might have caused the clacking. When I set the cam housing back in place on top of the cylinder head, I noticed that the oil feed hole on the cylinder head itself was visible. Uh oh... did I... yes I did.
When I had done the original head job two weeks prior, I replaced the cam housing assembly 180 degrees off. The odd thing is that each cam bearing position is the same when assembled that way, the only difference being the oil feed channel supplying oil to each cam bearing and valve tappet is opposite where it needs to be! For the two weeks I drove since the head job I was essentially starving the cam and valve system of oil! It apparently wasn't completely choked of oil since the entire system was still well lubricated when I disassembled it. I'm guessing there was plenty of oil being spit about within the valve cover to have not done any serious damage. I'll guess further that I could have driven like that for quite some time (moderate driving conditions) before I would have noticed a problem. With the cam housing now assembled properly and all cam bearing bolts tightened securely, the engine runs smooth and quiet.
posted by 205.188.19...
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