Solid Lifter Valve Adjustment Spreadsheet

[highmiles]

In another thread I mentioned to @RickHaleParker that I had developed a spread sheet to help determine the proper solid lifter size for valve adjustment purposes, or, if like my project, you receive a head that is disassembled without labeling. I would encourage anyone who wants to use it to double check my methodology. The spread sheet is an excel document. Thanks to others on the site that provided the narrative framework necessary to develop the sheet.

How to use it:
In short:
1. Select a known size lifter to measure against (any as long as the size is known.) use the same lifter for all the positions.
2. Set lifter in place, hold down cam shaft with the short side of the lobe towards the lifter, measure clearance.
3. Enter the measured clearance in the "Reference Clearance" column. (Repeat for all 10 exhaust valves using the same lifter.)
4. Note the calculated "Perfect Tappet (lifter) Size."
5. Select the lifter you have on hand that will be closest, and enter that value under "Tappet Used."
6. Confirm that "Actual Clearance" calculated is within the desired range.
7. Repeat for the intake cam.

Note that I have entered in an example in the first row of the exhaust and intake charts.

John

[RickHaleParker]

I'm no expert on spread sheets. The only coding I have done is Fortran 77, some hardware embedded and some machine specific stuff hardly anybody heard of.

However I wonder if a table of available tappets could be added. Then a micro that looks at available tappets, calculated Ideal tappets then finds the best matching and use of resources.

One thing that is obious is: If the number of available tappets = the number of valves.
1. Sort the Available Tappet size low to high.
2. Sort the Ideal Tappet size high to low.
3. Match ATx to ITx, by the sort order.
4. Check tolerence.
5. If any are out of tolerence you need to get a different tappet(s).

[highmiles]

That would be a great modification. I will play around with it. One step further would be to eliminate the particular size once it is selected... and if it would make a compromise from a perfect match to one that is still in range but leave a perfect available as it would work (imperfectly but in range) for another gap.
Well, that makes my head spin...

[RickHaleParker]

Well, that makes my head spin...

Cooking up an Algorithm would be a challenge.

[RickHaleParker]

Question for the day: As long as the clearance is in spec, how much of a difference does up to 0.05 mm of clearance make?

I have a simple effective Algorithm worked but, it would need to be biased toward Minimum clearance or Maximum clearance rather then Ideal clearance.

Opinions/Facts on biasing toward Minimum clearance or Maximum clearance?

[abscate]

I'm no expert on spread sheets. The only coding I have done is Fortran 77, some hardware embedded and some machine specific stuff hardly anybody heard of.

However I wonder if a table of available tappets could be added. Then a micro that looks at available tappets, calculated Ideal tappets then finds the best matching and use of resources.

One thing that is obious is: If the number of available tappets = the number of valves.
1. Sort the Available Tappet size low to high.
2. Sort the Ideal Tappet size high to low.
3. Match ATx to ITx, by the sort order.
4. Check tolerence.
5. If any are out of tolerence you need to get a different tappet(s).

Almost trivial to do in Numbers or Microsoft’s Numbers

Enter each tappet into a pick list
Determine the range of acceptable tappers
Populate a cell with each candidate tappet from the pick list
Populate a cell with the chosen one
Use inventory control to delete tappet from the pick list as chosen

I don’t know the Microsoft version but I’m sure they have the same.

Rick..valve throw of about 1 cm, so 0.05 mm is vanishly small IMHO

[RickHaleParker]

Rick..valve throw of about 1 cm, so 0.05 mm is vanishly small IMHO

In terms of lift 0.05 mm is probably insufficient. However if one picks for minimum clearance, the valve will start opening sooner and stay open longer. Is that sufficient ... good question.

[RickHaleParker]

Inventory management: Record the picked lifter in a pick list then change the value in the Available list and the Sorted list to null and it will never get picked again until that cell is repopulated.

[abscate]

Rick..valve throw of about 1 cm, so 0.05 mm is vanishly small IMHO

In terms of lift 0.05 mm is probably insufficient. However if one picks for minimum clearance, the valve will start opening sooner and stay open longer. Is that sufficient ... good question.

Tolerance on lifter clearance from Alldata


Valve Lifters,
Dimensions External Diameter (A) B5204,B5234,B5254 32.000 +0.025/-0.041 mm
External Height (B) All 26.0 ± 0.5 mm
Clearance, Top Of Valve Lifters Unloaded (C1) All min 18.40/max 20.40 mm
Compressed (C2) All 16.35 +0.25/-0.10 mm


so Volvo is okay in the range of 0.35mm total. If you get a tappet within 0.05mm, that would seem to be ok.

[RickHaleParker]

Clearance, Top Of Valve Lifters Unloaded (C1) All min 18.40/max 20.40 mm

This is from a post by Jimmy on solid tappets.
And it is what Highmiles is using.

The spec is .20 mm intake with .03 tolerance (.17-.23 mm) Cold
.40 mm exhaust with .03 tolerance (.37-.43mm) Cold.

With a 0.03 tolerance no tappet in spec can be more them 0.05* 0.06 different then another tappet in spec.
*Forgot the Ideal is a count.