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Tech Corner

Adjusting Your Engines Valves Submitted and abridged by Rich Weiss
Originally published by Macy’s Garage

Adjusting the valves in your Triumph engine is one of those tasks which many of you try to avoid. It’s a simple
procedure that’s vital to your engine’s health and state of tune, but it’s also easy to get wrong if you aren’t
paying attention. Follow along as I explain the hows and whys of adjusting valves, and let you in on a couple of
methods to keep everything straight while setting it.
‘Adjusting Valves’ is really an
abbreviated term for this maintenance
procedure. What you’ll actually be
doing is adjusting the clearance
between the rocker arm and the top of
the valve. Without getting into a
discussion of hydraulic lifters or
overhead cams, let’s just say that all
engines which utilize solid lifters
(tappets) like our 4 cylinder Triumph
engines, need to have this clearance
checked and adjusted at regular
intervals. Each engine manufacturer
will have their own specification for
the correct clearance, and their own
specific procedure for adjusting this
clearance (ex: engine hot or cold).
Should you install a high performance
camshaft in your engine, the correct
valve adjustment may change from
what was specified by the engine
manufacturer, and you’ll need to
follow the camshaft manufacturer’s
recommended setting. If your valve
clearance is greater than it should be,
the valve will not open as far as needed
for full power, and excessive noise and
wear will be the result. If the clearance
is less than specified, the valve may not
close completely, causing the
combustion in the cylinder to ‘burn’
and ruin the valve itself.