How do you economically stock different size valve tappets?

[sunbeam]

Hello all,

Since there are 31 different sizes, and I have seen them listed for 8-18USD each, how do you go about having a selection of valve tappets or are all 31 sizes needed in order to adjust?

Have aquired 6 extra valve tappets, not sure the sizing yet (still in mail).

@Fummins or other industrial users do you have a giant pile of these aquired over time?

Are certain sizes more common than others?

Do you adjust and return the unused tappets?

[Fummins]

I don't check them or adjust them. I have never removed a valve cover from one other than when I tore a couple apart.

[foama]

Never done it on this car, but done it economically like this on a few Fiat:

Made a rough sketch on a piece of letter paper of the top of the engine with removed valve cover. Marked in the sketch is where the valve buckets are. Then measured valve play and noted measurements in the appropriate places on the sketch. Removed the first bucket, measured it, put it back in place and took note of the measurement. Did that with all the others.
In the end all measurements were documented at the right place on the drawing. Valve play and bucket thickness was known for all valves.
Did some simple arithmetic to calculate how to rearange the buckets to what position in order to get correct valve play.
That showed only a few of caps of certain sizes were needed. Put everything back in place as it was. Ordered those few caps and did the entire job a few days later when the parts came.

Doing it like that saves me from ordering more caps than really needed!
A little bit of thought can save a lot of money. No need to stock any buckets at all!

[Fummins]

I just reread the first post, you already ordered parts. You sure love to spend money hey?

Most people buy a Mirage to save money(and time) cause they have a low cost of ownership, hardly need any maintenance and often last 2-3x longer(mileage wise) than most people typically own a car for without having to open up the engine for any reason.

I'm really curious as to how much money you have spent on your car maintaining it(oil changes, spark plugs, checking valve clearance,rotating light bulbs, etc...) and how many miles are on it.

[foama]

Rotating light bulbs?!

[Fummins]

Rotating light bulbs?!

I heard if you don't have it done regularly your car won't make it past 200k kms. The current slows down as the bulbs age, rotating them helps ensure the wires are flowing the same amount of current throughout the car. And shaking the bulbs around helps strengthen the filament so it lasts longer.

It's also good to hook the battery up backwards twice a year to get rid of the negative ions that cause back pressure in the catalytic convertor. Trust me

[sunbeam]

I just reread the first post, you already ordered parts. You sure love to spend money hey?

Most people buy a Mirage to save money(and time) cause they have a low cost of ownership, hardly need any maintenance and often last 2-3x longer(mileage wise) than most people typically own a car for without having to open up the engine for any reason.

I'm really curious as to how much money you have spent on your car maintaining it(oil changes, spark plugs, checking valve clearance,rotating light bulbs, etc...) and how many miles are on it.

I ordered an unrelated part, and the seller also included 6 lifters of unknown size.

My mirage expenses are less than half of a ford bronco lease or a kia telluride lease

which is what I assume the average care people like to have.

If you factor in fuel savings who even knows how much "savings" have been realized. The farther driven the more attractive the mirage becomes per km compared to these others.





Slowly stocking parts when I see low prices... I totally understand and respect maximum frugality but that is not the game everyone has to do with all things.

[Mark]

Slowly stocking parts when I see low prices... I totally understand and respect maximum frugality but that is not the game everyone has to do with all things.

I personally don't like stockpiling a lot of parts. Shi- happens! I still have a cabin air filter for my 2000 Honda CR-V that was rear-ended back in 2013. Thankfully, my small diesel tractor uses the same oil filter. Selling the extra set of winter tires was easy enough (because CR-Vs are extremely popular), but I don't like being stuck with surplus parts that I will never use. I should have thrown in the cabin air filter with the winter tires, because it's been taking up space in my garage for 11 years now!

If something happened to my 2017 Mirage, it's possible I may buy another one. It's also possible I would buy something else (used). I realize leftover parts can be sold, but that's more hassle than I want.

[7milesout]

sunbeam - In summary of the last few posts, at least how I would summarize it. You do not need to buy shims. At least until you ACCURATELY measure clearances. Because the likelihood is that most or all clearances will be in spec, and you won't need to change shims. And even if you were out of spec by a very slight amount, and you changed the shim and put it back to the CENTER of tolerance ... therefore you made the clearance PERFECT, I seriously doubt you'd even notice the difference (by noise, by mpg, by power, by any means). Rendering it not worth buying shims.

However, if you measure clearances accurately, and find a spot or 2 out of spec, I forget how this works exactly, but yank a bucket, measure that current shim, figure what shim would adjust your clearance to nominal, buy 1 or 2 shims as necessary, and be done with it. Don't concern youself with having a whole supply of shims up front.

Those shims are so expensive because they are in low demand. And, they must be stamped, then machined / ground to a certain thickness, checked to see it's actual measurement, then maybe coated so they don't rust, then packaged and set on a shelf until someone decides they need it. All that work to make them (via machine) is not cheap. And they're not made by the ton, so that's why they're expensive for their size.

This all comes from memory. I changed a shim once. On a 1995 Kawasaki ZX6-R racebike. I found 1 out of spec, replaced it. And never knew the difference. Now, that bike did run really really well. 15k rpm redline, 16k rev limiter. I was not a small guy then either. I was a linebacker in college, and I ran that 600cc in the Novice-Production class (stock exhaust, no mods). And it would out pull string-beans in Novice-Supersport (unlimited fuel and exhaust mods). Was it because of that shim? Maybe 0.4% due to the shim. But I just kept the bike maintained well, all systems running nominally, early oil changes (when the bike was new), every bolt tightened to factory torque spec, spark plugs indexed. But that was a race bike. Good maintenance and good ears is all that is needed for a street machine.

[Eggman]

Slowly stocking parts when I see low prices... I totally understand and respect maximum frugality but that is not the game everyone has to do with all things.

Just imagine when these things go up in value, you'll be sitting on a gold mine.