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- From: mchaffee@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (REAL LIFE?!?! HA!!)
- Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
- Subject: Re: Hydraulic Valve Adjuster, What Are?
- Message-ID: <BxJ08E.JDC@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
- Date: 11 Nov 92 00:33:49 GMT
- Article-I.D.: news.BxJ08E.JDC
- References: <92314.100241KXN2@psuvm.psu.edu>
- Sender: usenet@news.cso.uiuc.edu (Net Noise owner)
- Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
- Lines: 57
-
- Karl Nordstrom <KXN2@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
-
- >mchaffee@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael T. Chaffee) says:
- >>
- >>Karl Nordstrom <KXN2@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
- >>>
- >>>What are hydraulic valve adjuster in a DOHC engine?
- >>
- >>In any engine that has them, the hydraulic adjusters reside at some point in
- >>the linkage between cam and valve. The adjusters are basically little
- >>cylinders containing little pistons that are expanded by engine oil pressure.
- >>As the valve train and valve seats wear, the adjusters expand or contract
- >>to compensate for this wear and keep the valve clearances at the proper level.
- >>
- >>Advantages: Zero Maintenance
- >> Silence
- >>
- >>Disadvantage: Silence
-
- >What makes them silent? Whats wrong with silence? Perhaps you were referring
- >to the sound of a high revving DOHC engine?
-
- Not necessarily; I still think the sound of my low-revving ohv MG engine is
- pretty damn spiffy, ditto for the SOHC BMW inline-sixes. Actually, a lot of
- the pleasant valve train sound comes from the chain in the OHC engine, but you
- do lose some nice sounds with hydraulic adjustors.
-
- >Do hydraulic valve adjusters provide any other function? I have heard of
- >hydraulic lifters in OHV engines that allow the engine to use a hotter cam
- >but still maintain decent low rpm drive-ability.
-
- I don't believe they affect the actual valve behavior at all, but I could be
- wrong.
-
- >Are hydraulic valve adjusters the same as hydraulic lash adjuster?
-
- Exactly.
-
- >Lastly, what alternatives are there to hydraulic valve adjusters?
-
- There are a few alternatives. The most popular approach on OHV engines and
- others that use rocker arms is a screw-type (manual) adjustment. On BMW
- engines and possibly some others, adjustment is done by rotating an eccentric
- lobe that changes the tension (?) of the valve train for each valve. On some
- engines (The only ones I *KNOW* use this are some old Alfas), the owner/main-
- tainer must place little metal shims between the cam follower and the valves.
- Right now the hydraulic adjustors are the most popular because they are the
- only type that doesn't require periodic manual adjustment.
-
- An additional question that I have: Does anyone know how the valves were ad-
- justed on the old desmedromic valves? I can't even remember who used this des-
- ign, but I imagine that adjustment must have been a bitch!
- --
- Michael T. Chaffee |******BOYCOTT COLORADO******| ______
- mchaffee@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu | Professional Slapthologist | \ / HATE
- Member, Universal Life Church, Sect of Loons | \ / can never be
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-