I was wondering if this process should be haft to be done so often?

[Jon]

It is very important to have the valve lash set on a 3208 Caterpillar
engine every 35 to 40 thousand miles. As the engine runs, the valve
lash slowly changes and with it the efficiency level of the engine. My
3208 had not had it done in over 60,000 miles and when I got the coach
I took it to EA Martin Caterpillar in Springfield MO and they set the
engine up. I can tell you the difference in the performance was
awesome! I am also told that if valve lash is not set and is allowed to
go long enough it is possible to start popping valve heads off into the
pistons and needless to say that means a major overhaul. I am convinced
that the 3208 engine is a tough one if it receives the proper care and
while it might not be the fastest thing on the road, it will still get
you there in grand style!!

Is this a true statement? I thought that the Vlv Lash on a 3208 only
needed to be adjusted at 100,000 miles? Is this an overkill?

[Tom Warner]

Jon you are going to get lots of opinions. I rely on mechanics I
personally know and trust and the factory manuals on the Cat 3208
which I have. Caterpillar depends on their Maintenance Management
Schedules (MMS), Scheduled Oil Sampling Program and Overhaul before
Failure programs to keep their engines going under any
conditions. In MMS there are PM levels 1 (250 hours or 3 months),2 (
2000 hours or 10,000 gal of fuel)and 3 (3000 hours or 15,000 gal of
fuel) and Overhaul ( every 6000 hours or 30,000 gallons of fuel).

Valve lash adjust is only recommended at PM!1 and 2 and of course at
overhaul time. I have talked to several caterpillar mechanics and
they say thats fine and what they do. So I dont know where this
35,000 miles came from. Probably the same place all of the urban
myths came from about the Cat 3208, "throw away engine", " cant be
resleeved", " hard starting" etc. I honestly can say my 3208 is the
easiest starting engine I have owned. So far no matter how cold it
is, starts instantly. Smokes terrible when it is really cold and
sounds sometimes like it is running on 2 cylinders but it still starts.

You want to kill a Cat 3208 fast lug them down going uphill, dont put
the correct coolant in and forget about the SCA levels, use cheap
oil...and it will break. Take care of it and it will outlast you. Jon
that engine will probably outlast both of us!

tom warner
1982 FC35
Vernon Center,NY

At 10:46 PM 2/23/2006, you wrote:
>It is very important to have the valve lash set on a 3208 Caterpillar
>engine every 35 to 40 thousand miles. As the engine runs, the valve
>lash slowly changes and with it the efficiency level of the engine. My
>3208 had not had it done in over 60,000 miles and when I got the coach
>I took it to EA Martin Caterpillar in Springfield MO and they set the
>engine up. I can tell you the difference in the performance was
>awesome! I am also told that if valve lash is not set and is allowed to
>go long enough it is possible to start popping valve heads off into the
>pistons and needless to say that means a major overhaul. I am convinced
>that the 3208 engine is a tough one if it receives the proper care and
>while it might not be the fastest thing on the road, it will still get
>you there in grand style!!
>
>Is this a true statement? I thought that the Vlv Lash on a 3208 only
>needed to be adjusted at 100,000 miles? Is this an overkill?
>
>
>
>
>
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