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Country Coach Owners Forum

Country Coach Restoration, Repair & Parts Forums => Country Coach Archive => Topic started by: Mike Schiebert on March 24, 2007, 05:04:44 pm

Title: Valve lash adjustment C8.3
Post by: Mike Schiebert on March 24, 2007, 05:04:44 pm
Yahoo Message Number: 29917 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/29917)
Anyone here ever do their own valve adjustment on one of the older (1996) mechanical 12 valve engines? Local Cummins shop wants about 5 1/2 hours @ $114/hr which I think is way out of line. Another independent shop quoted 2+ hours @ $80/hr which is reasonable, but they are 85 miles away - no one else I can find locally who seem trustworthy.
I have done a valve adjustment before , on an old toyota land cruiser - easy enough to do, and after reading the shop manual I think the 8.3 is fairly straight forward. I'm reasonably mechanically inclined, I've kept a 73 12 cylinder XKE purring for some 35 years now, and I trust my own skills more than many so called mechanics I've encountered over the years.

Any advice from someone whos been there, done that???

Thanks
Mike

Intrigue 10161
Title: Re: Valve lash adjustment C8.3
Post by: Joey on March 26, 2007, 08:34:42 am
Yahoo Message Number: 29941 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/29941)
With a little automotive ability this is a very easy job. You will need a way to turn the engine crank and a feeler guage. I purchased a barring tool from http://www.tooldiscounters.com (http://www.tooldiscounters.com) for $43.76. It is an OTC tool and the Tool Discounter part number is 7471A.
I've been told it is possible to turn the engine by using a socket on the alternator pulley nut but I didn't try it. I've heard of alternator shafts being bent, on other engines, due to the torque required to turn the engine over.

A good thing about the barring tool is that it fits many, if not all, cummins engines. I also used it to adjust the valves on my Cummins
5.9 in my Dodge pickup.

I am confident that if you can keep a Jaguar runing you have the ability to adjust the valves in your cummins. I've owned a few Jaguars and I always give the advise that if you want own a Jaguar you should buy two of them so you will always have one to drive while you work on the other.

Joey & Debi

'98 Intrigue 10540

Quote from: Mike Schiebert
>

> Anyone here ever do their own valve adjustment on one of the older > (1996) mechanical 12 valve engines? Local Cummins shop wants about

5
 
Quote
1/2 hours @ $114/hr which I think is way out of line. Another > independent shop quoted 2+ hours @ $80/hr which is reasonable, but

they
 
Quote
are 85 miles away - no one else I can find locally who seem

trustworthy.

Quote
>

> I have done a valve adjustment before , on an old toyota land

cruiser -
 
Quote
easy enough to do, and after reading the shop manual I think the

8.3

Quote
is fairly straight forward. I'm reasonably mechanically inclined,

I've

Quote
kept a 73 12 cylinder XKE purring for some 35 years now, and I

trust my

Quote
own skills more than many so called mechanics I've encountered over

the
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