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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: shwak23 on May 31, 2011, 05:29:01 pm

Title: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: shwak23 on May 31, 2011, 05:29:01 pm: How often should I be checking the shims or replacing them in my 1.6 idi?
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: theman53 on May 31, 2011, 05:55:10 pm: only on mechanical heads about every 15,000 miles is what I have been told.

On hydro heads the oil should do the job.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: shwak23 on May 31, 2011, 05:56:48 pm: Every 15k?! Good lord. That's way to often. How irritating. Isn't it a fairly involved job? Requiring expensive special tools? Why have you done this to me VW?! WHY!?
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: theman53 on May 31, 2011, 05:59:04 pm: Just what I have heard. The same guy that told me that also said that usually after the first adjustment they last 60,000 miles before being too far off to adjust.
But VW being VW they have a spec for everything.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: shwak23 on May 31, 2011, 06:37:07 pm: Quote from: theman53 on May 31, 2011, 05:59:04 pm
Just what I have heard. The same guy that told me that also said that usually after the first adjustment they last 60,000 miles before being too far off to adjust.
But VW being VW they have a spec for everything.

Ah well 60k sounds a little more reasonable. I drive a lot and ***ing with the valves every 15k miles sounds miserable.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: ToddA1 on May 31, 2011, 07:59:45 pm: Quote from: theman53 on May 31, 2011, 05:59:04 pm
The same guy that told me that also said that usually after the first adjustment they last 60,000 miles before being too far off to adjust.

I don't quite understand what that means....

Anyhow, I usually do them once a year; I don't usually go by milage, but the 15k sounds about right. Not really too bad a job.

-Todd
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: vanagonturbo on May 31, 2011, 08:05:22 pm: I have always gone with 20-25k. I havent seen any sort of major adjustment needed at that interval. Maybe a tenth at best.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 01, 2011, 07:30:23 am: they start to clackity clack pretty good when they are out of adjustment... you can even hear them over the normal engine noise when they need adjustment..
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 01, 2011, 07:49:51 am: i just thought my head needed to have the shims adjusted, maybe that was something else that sounded like lifter tick..
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: wdkingery on June 01, 2011, 03:33:18 pm: Quote from: libbybapa on May 31, 2011, 07:16:00 pm
A little shot of compressed air at the edge of the shim pops them out easily (and make a bit of a mess...).

oh libby where were you two months ago.. it took me four hours to think that idea up! and without doin that, i only managed to lift ONE shim~!
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: CRSMP5 on June 01, 2011, 09:40:25 pm: back in the day.. 30k IF you set them to spec dead nutz if not dead nutz then 15k... reality for me back then.. simple.. when the vc gasket needed changed once a year before the roddo rubber came out..

i had access to the proper tools then and like stated simple enough if you got them..
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: R.O.R-2.0 on June 02, 2011, 09:39:45 am: Quote from: wdkingery on June 01, 2011, 03:33:18 pm
Quote from: libbybapa on May 31, 2011, 07:16:00 pm
A little shot of compressed air at the edge of the shim pops them out easily (and make a bit of a mess...).

oh libby where were you two months ago.. it took me four hours to think that idea up! and without doin that, i only managed to lift ONE shim~!

lol, ive been using this trick for ages..

a blast of air right at one of the notches in the lifter, and then POP, the disk is out.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: rabbitman on June 06, 2011, 06:45:07 pm: Yeah I've found that at 15K nothing has worn enough to need much adjustment unless you're really picky.
Title: Re: How often are you supposed to shim the valves?
Post by: theman53 on June 06, 2011, 06:59:50 pm: My guy says the first 2 adjustments he makes at 15,000 after that they don't change much. It is when everything is fresh I guess. That is why he said 15,000 and usually no changes major changes until 60,000.