2/25/11
Daytona Spyder Valve Adjustment

I completed a valve adjustment on the Daytona Spyder. These four cam engines are little more involved when it comes to a valve adjustment. The cam acts on a shim that in turn acts on a “bucket” that then acts on the top of the valve to open it. If the valve lash is not within specifications, there are special tools used to hold the valve open while shim is removed and replaced with a shim of thinner or thicker thickness to give the correct valve lash. It’s a tedious process of measuring, and calculating the difference in shim thickness to a achieve the correct lash. It takes a while to go through 24 valves.

The oil on this engine looked a little dark and is accumulating on the engine surfaces. We’re hoping with more regular oil changes, this dirt will wash away.

Here are the shims that I was working with. The one on the left is one that came out of the car and the one on the right is a new one. It’s marked 4.25 millimeters. As the cam acts on the shim, it turns in the bucket making a circular pattern in the shim.

Only one shim showed signs of wear beyond the surface hardening. The small mark on the center of the shim revealed the softer metal below, and if this were left alone, the cam would have continued to grind the surface hardening away, and eventually ruin the cam lobe. The Daytona manual says to check valve lash every 9000 miles.

I removed the right rear section of the exhaust system to gain better access to the rust we found last week.

This section of rust looks like the product of water condensation. This section must be a low spot where water must collect. Eventually, the water rusted through the mild steel pipes.

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, share, and how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

Save the Date! Fourth Annual Radcliffe/Tomyang.net Spring Car Show on Saturday May 7th 2011. Richard Garre and I are looking forward to planning this show and more details will follow here and the Radcliffe Motorcar Company Website, but if you want to mark you calendar, the date to remember is May 7th, 2011!

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