Part 3: 1116 cc and 1301 cc engines

25 Valve clearances - checking 2

This should only be required if the valves

have been renewed or ground in, or at high

mileages when noise or poor engine

performance indicates that a check is

necessary.

It is important that each valve clearance is

set correct otherwise the timing will be

wrong and engine performance poor. If there

is no clearance at all, the valve and its seat

will soon burn. Always set the clearances

with the engine cold.

1 Remove the camshaft cover. Jack-up a

front wheel and engage top gear so that by

turning the wheel, the crankshaft can be

rotated.

2 Each valve clearance must be checked

when the high point of the cam is pointing

directly upward away from the cam follower.

3 Check the clearances in the firing order

1-3-4-2, No. 1 cylinder being at the timing

belt end of the engine. This will minimise the

amount of crankshaft rotation required.

4 Insert the appropriate feeler blade

between the heel of the cam and the cam

follower shim of the first valve. If necessary

alter the thickness of the feeler blade until it

is a stiff, sliding fit. Record the thickness,

which will, of course, represent the valve

clearance for this particular valve (photo).

5 Turn the crankshaft, check the second

valve clearance and record it.

6 Repeat the operations on all the remaining

valves, recording their respective clearances.

7 Remember that the clearance for inlet and

exhaust valves differs - see Specifications.

Counting from the timing cover end of the

engine, the valve sequence is:

Inlet 2-3-6-7

Exhaust 1-4-5-8

26 Valve clearances -

adjustment 3

1 Check the valve clearances (Section 25).

2 Clearances which are incorrect will mean

the particular shim will have to be changed.

To remove the shim, turn the crankshaft until

the high point of the cam is pointing directly

upward. The cam follower will now have to

be depressed so that the shim can be

extracted. Special tools (A60642 and

A87001) are available from your Fiat dealer to

do the job, otherwise you will have to make

up a forked lever to locate on the rim of the

cam follower. This must allow room for the

shim to be prised out by means of the

cut-outs provided in the cam follower rim

(photo).

3 Once the shim is extracted, establish its

thickness and change it for a thicker or

thinner one to bring the previously recorded

clearance within specification. For example,

if the measured valve clearance was 1.27

mm (0.05 in) too great, a shim thicker by this

amount will be required. Conversely, if the

clearance was 1.27 mm (0.05 in) too small, a

shim thinner by this amount will be required.

4 Shims have their thickness (mm) engraved

on them; although the engraved side should

be fitted so as not to be visible, wear still

occurs and often obliterates the number. In

this case, measuring their thickness with a

metric micrometer is the only method to

establish their thickness (photo).