3208 - Valve Lash Adjustment

[orbitalsolutions]

How often do you folks perform a valve lash adjustment?

I know that Cat's official reccomendation is with every oil change.

This I feel certain, is overkill. My bus had a factory rebuilt 3208
installed about 3 years ago. There is about 13 thousand miles on it.

The motor runs perfect, nice and smooth. To my knowledge there has
never been a valve adjustment performed.

Should I pull the covers and get out the feeler guage?

Thanks in advance for your input.

--James
78FC33SB
LasVegas NV

[Mike Hohnstein]

If you wait until it clatters, you waited too long. I would run the valves now
and check every 20k miles there after. Get new valve cover gaskets from Cat to
make the job easier and to improve the odds of a good outcome.
Mike Hohnstein
Germantown, WI
83FC35
----- Original Message -----
From: orbitalsolutions
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 9:39 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] 3208 - Valve Lash Adjustment


How often do you folks perform a valve lash adjustment?

I know that Cat's official reccomendation is with every oil change.

This I feel certain, is overkill. My bus had a factory rebuilt 3208
installed about 3 years ago. There is about 13 thousand miles on it.

The motor runs perfect, nice and smooth. To my knowledge there has
never been a valve adjustment performed.

Should I pull the covers and get out the feeler guage?

Thanks in advance for your input.

--James
78FC33SB
LasVegas NV






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Tom Warner]

According to the Cat factory Operation and maintenance manual
SEBU6315 you should check/adjust the valves on a new engine at the
first oil change and thereafter at the PM2 schedule which is 2000
hours or 10,000 gallons of fuel.

Tom Warner
1982 FC35
Vernon center,NY

At 10:39 PM 1/17/2006, you wrote:
>How often do you folks perform a valve lash adjustment?
>
>I know that Cat's official reccomendation is with every oil change.
>
>This I feel certain, is overkill. My bus had a factory rebuilt 3208
>installed about 3 years ago. There is about 13 thousand miles on it.
>
>The motor runs perfect, nice and smooth. To my knowledge there has
>never been a valve adjustment performed.
>
>Should I pull the covers and get out the feeler guage?
>
>Thanks in advance for your input.
>
>--James
>78FC33SB
>LasVegas NV
>
>
>
>
>
>
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[orbitalsolutions]

Thanks, Mike and Tom.

I will maintain the valves as you have suggested.


-James
78FC33SB
LasVegas NV

[Jeff August]

James, Holland Motorhomes in Mi. told me that it only needs to be
done around every 100,000 miles, we wanted ours adjusted last spring
and they said not to waist the money.
Jeff & Michelle August
1980FC35RB
Plymouth Wi.
--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "orbitalsolutions"
wrote:
>
> How often do you folks perform a valve lash adjustment?
>
> I know that Cat's official reccomendation is with every oil
change.
>
> This I feel certain, is overkill. My bus had a factory rebuilt
3208
> installed about 3 years ago. There is about 13 thousand miles on
it.
>
> The motor runs perfect, nice and smooth. To my knowledge there has
> never been a valve adjustment performed.
>
> Should I pull the covers and get out the feeler guage?
>
> Thanks in advance for your input.
>
> --James
> 78FC33SB
> LasVegas NV
>

[Jack Bentley]

I took mine in at 100,000 for lash adjustment and was told by the authorized Cat
3208 facility not to bother with it if engine was running well.

Jack
'87 FC 35 "Traveller"
Franklin, NC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Mike Hohnstein]

You fellows that want to believe that any engine will hold the valve adjustment
for 100k miles are the kind of owners that get to replace the engine
prematurely. A 3208 should run 300k miles in a bus IF the valve lash is
maintained, the crank bearings are changed at 100 to 150k miles and the coolant
ph is maintained. Obviously oil and filter change intervals should be observed.
The truth is few shops WANT to work on an FC and they will lie to keep from
having to. Some of you guys don't know when you are being set up for failure,
and a really, really expensive repair bill.
Mike Hohnstein
Germantown, WI
83FC35
----- Original Message -----
From: Jack Bentley
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: 3208 - Valve Lash Adjustment


I took mine in at 100,000 for lash adjustment and was told by the authorized
Cat 3208 facility not to bother with it if engine was running well.

Jack
'87 FC 35 "Traveller"
Franklin, NC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Tim Hannink]

It's really not a bad job to adjust the valves, its getting the
radiator open and pulling the doghouse thats the majority of the
work.

If you have to pull the doghouse for any reason, you might as well
spend another hour adjusting the valves.

My $.02

TJ Hannink
1981 FC-33SB
Winter Park, FL


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Hohnstein"
<MHOHNSTEIN@w...> wrote:
>
> You fellows that want to believe that any engine will hold the
valve adjustment for 100k miles are the kind of owners that get to
replace the engine prematurely. A 3208 should run 300k miles in a
bus IF the valve lash is maintained, the crank bearings are changed
at 100 to 150k miles and the coolant ph is maintained. Obviously
oil and filter change intervals should be observed.
> The truth is few shops WANT to work on an FC and they will lie to
keep from having to. Some of you guys don't know when you are being
set up for failure, and a really, really expensive repair bill.
> Mike Hohnstein
> Germantown, WI
> 83FC35

[Tom Warner]

Mike you have an awful lot more experience with Diesels then I do
thats for sure, and most of what you are saying coincides with the
Cat recommendations. From talking to diesel mechanics I personally
know they tell me to follow the Caterpiller Maintenance management
Schedule that Cat has put together after many many years of research
and development if for no other reason then it helps you to not
forget something.

I have all of the factory manuals for both my Cat 3208NA and the
Allison MT643 tranny.

Here is what my Cat Manual SEBU6315 dated May 1992 has to say about
the PM Level 2 procedure, which includes the valve lash:

Performance Analysis Report (PAR) ....every X miles, 2000 hours or
10,000 gallons of fuel
Engine .steam clean
Water separator...replace the element
Thermostats and seals..replace
PCV valve (if equipped).inspect/check
valve Lash....check/adjust.. .

Caterpiller strongly recommends you use the hour meter to keep track
of maintenance points. At 2000 hours that is about 80,000
miles. When I blew the tip off one of my injectors in Brunswick, Ga
I had all of the injectors replaced and the valves adjusted etc. The
mechanic told me the valves were all still within tolerances. I had
them check it anyway.

I believe the PM level 3 is even more important then the level 2

Every X miles, 3000 hours or 10,000 gallons of gas

Coolant and PCV valve.replace the hoses
Cooling system (note B) ....clean/flush coolant...Note B says every 2
years OR 3000 hours
Fuel injection Nozzles...exchange/replace
Fuel ratio Control (turbo engines only)...rebuild/exchange
fuel pump/governor houseing...........drain water
air compressor....rebuild/exhange
turbocharger....rebuild/exchange
water pump.rebuild/exchange
crankshaft bearings..inspect
Belt tightener assembly.....inspect/check bearings

Then they recommend overhaul at 6000 hours or 30,000 gallons of fuel
or about where you recommend Mike. That includes new main bearings etc

Tom Warner
1982 FC35
Vernon Center,NY

At 06:14 PM 1/18/2006, you wrote:
>You fellows that want to believe that any engine will hold the valve
>adjustment for 100k miles are the kind of owners that get to replace
>the engine prematurely. A 3208 should run 300k miles in a bus IF
>the valve lash is maintained, the crank bearings are changed at 100
>to 150k miles and the coolant ph is maintained. Obviously oil and
>filter change intervals should be observed.
>The truth is few shops WANT to work on an FC and they will lie to
>keep from having to. Some of you guys don't know when you are being
>set up for failure, and a really, really expensive repair bill.
>Mike Hohnstein
>Germantown, WI
>83FC35
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jack Bentley
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 4:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: 3208 - Valve Lash Adjustment
>
>
> I took mine in at 100,000 for lash adjustment and was told by the
> authorized Cat 3208 facility not to bother with it if engine was running well.
>
> Jack
> '87 FC 35 "Traveller"
> Franklin, NC
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> SPONSORED LINKS Recreational vehicles Wanderlodge Automotive
> maintenance
> Recreational vehicle dealer Used recreational
> vehicles Automotive radiators
>
>
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