valve shim check/adjustment?

took some valve clearance measurements yesterday and i'm not sure what to make of them. the feeler gauge set i bought could use a few more smaller sizes. here's what i found:

intake 1 .076mm fits-.102mm does not
intake 2 .102mm fits-.127mm does not
intake 3 .102mm fits-.127mm does not
intake 4 .102mm fits-.127mm does not

am i right in assuming that i need more feeler gauge sizes and that #1 is definitely out of spec with 2-4 potentially out of spec based on more checking with different size feelers???

exhaust 1 .127mm fits-.152mm does not
exhaust 2 .127mm fits-.152mm does not
exhaust 3 .152mm fits-.178mm does not
exhaust 4 .127mm fits-.152mm does not
does this mean 1,2,4 are definitely out of spec and that potentially #3 is???
hopefully these clearances aren't too small to cause any damage? while i have the cover off, is there anything else i should be looking for, checking, or cleaning in general or because of the shim numbers i have?

 

You need to get a propper set of feeler gauges (Bigfitz gave me mine. lol )

 

i see what you mean now, i just looked in Len's catalog and the set he has is a bit more appropriate.

 

I'm probably about to get flamed for this......

The service manuals for the Ventures list their intake clearance spec at .11 - .15mm and exhaust at .16 - .21mm. One of them lists the inches spec at 4-6/1000 and lists the the intake spec (in inches) as 4/1000 - 6/1000". Likewise it lists the exhaust spec at 6-8/1000".

What does this mean? The difference between .11mm and .102 mm is .008mm or 3/10,000 inch. You won't be able to feel a difference between them and the feelers probably aren't accurate to 3/10,000 anyway, certainaly not if they've been used a time or 2.

What I do in practice is go by the feel. If the .102mm gauge is pretty snug I go ahead and go down a shim size. If it feels loose I leave it alone.

 

I thought that's why they were called "feeler" guages.

 

can i stack feeler gauges of different sizes to be more exact?

 

Your local auto parts store will have tappet feeler gauges for about 6-8$. You don't want to take chances with this.

 

That's OK, wipe the oil off each time.

 

thats how you get the combinations you want, but on my feeler gauge theres a difference between a .10mm gauge and .06 & .04 stacked together.. wipe them CLEAN before stacking!

 

The whole point about getting a "primarily metric" gauge vs. an "American" (Imperial) gauge with metric equivalants is to eliminate a bunch of potentially confusing math.

Most "American" gauges do have metric equivalents printed on them as well, but they're oddball sizes, metric-wise. A Metric set will also have Ameirican equivalents on it, but those are the oddball sizes and can be ignored since we're working in metric.

My point about .11mm vs. .004" (.102mm) is that if you're measuring RIGHT AT .004" then you need to go to a smaller shim, being RIGHT AT the tight spec ESPECIALLY if measuring Imperially, is too tight considering loose is the name of the game.

Personally, I like to play a go/no-go game. As long as a gauge of the smaller spec flops right in, and a blade of the larger spec won't go thru, then the valve is in spec and we move on. MUCH easier using metric feelers.