First time adjusting valves on my Beck, now questionning if I did it right.

It's possible when you removed the valve cover oil dripped onto the exhaust or "rolled" under the heads and dripped onto the exhaust. I'd let it idle in the driveway, get under it, and look for where the smoke is coming from.

 

Did you use any products like Gasgacinch on the cork gaskets before you put them on? That's a good safeguard to prevent oil from seeping past the gaskets.

Nothing was done to the gasket. I simply put it "dry".

 

Haven't seen a leak yet. I will keep checking.

KRUSTY!  (I love that clown...)

Robert - Not-a-poopiehead addressed the oil on the exhaust pipes.  That's pretty common, actually, and happens to all of us as soon as you pull the valve cover off, so I'll add 2 cents on the other thoughts, but I often get a little oil smoke burnt off right after an oil change/valve job:

"I also read that if the valves were too tight they could burn and be damaged ... "

Yes, it is possible to have the valves too tight, and when the engine warms up the valve clearance changes, sometimes causing a valve to remain slightly open.  When that happens, the engine runs rough at idle and sounds a bit funny (you would probably notice it) and the valve gets too hot because it relies on heat transfer to the head when closed to help cool it.  If run like that on highways for long enough, the valve will "burn" and no longer seal, even if re-adusted properly.

Setting your clearance at .006" (a slight sliding feel on the .006" feeler gauge strip is perfect) should be fine and prevent any of that nasty stuff from happening.

On the cork valve cover gaskets, there are two types; full cork only ( natural cork colored), and another type that is a cork-and-something-else composite and is usually black.  People debate the merits of both as they would which oil to use or which Scotch to buy.  I've used both with equal results so now I just grab whatever comes out of my gasket bin and use it.

HOWEVER!  When installing either type on the valve cover, I first coat the gasket with regular old automotive grease.  The stuff I use is heavy on Molybdenum (wicked black, too....it gets on you quickly) but anything will do.  Put a glop on your fingers and draw the gasket lightly through it so you liberally coat the cork with grease.  Work it into the cork with your fingers.  Doing it this way makes you feel like one of the "old time" garage mechanics, working on your '48 Ford Flathead.  Don't go nuts - you just want to get the cork/composite wet with the grease on both sides, then wipe off most of the excess.  I like to let them sit for an hour or so to allow the cork to absorb the grease a little and then install them.  

It's normal to have a gasket that seems just a little too big for the cover, but be careful when installing the cover that you don't get a bulge in the gasket that causes a hole along the cover lip.  One nice feature of the grease is that it will hold the gasket in place while installing it.  Another nice feature is that when you want to remove the cover/gasket later on, it comes right out without using Dynamite to remove it (or what's left of it) as you have to do using Permatex or Gasgacinch.  (and God Help you if you use Aircraft Sealing Dope - You almost need a Nuke to get THAT stuff off!

If you look under there after a week or so and don't see any weeping oil, congratulations - leave things alone.  If, OTOH, your newly-installed cover gaskets are weeping, then pop in a new pair of gaskets using this technique.  Most of the time, a newly changed cover gasket has a bunch or kink in it, causing the leak.

Hope this helps.

Thanks guys for the info. This is my first mostly "All DIY" old car. This forum helps a lot

 

Keep up the good work.

 

JC

Congratulations on your first valve adjustment.

I was also a bit apprehensive after my first valve adjustment.  For any other owners thinking of tackling their first valve adjustment I recommend watching this excellent video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozht-_iu3Ew

Took the car for a spin on the highway, still smell burned but no smoke. this should clear itself soon enough.

 

But I do have an oil leak on the driver side cover :-> sounds like a trip back to the parts store and try to find some gasket goo and a new gasket. The youtube video I was using didn't mention adding any extra "sauce" on the gasket.

 

I will know for next time. Thanks all for the help.

 

jc

If you have good fitting OEM valve covers w/ the cork/ rubber combo gaskets they shouldn't leak...coating them with RTV etc. is just a messy fix and you don't want RTV finding it's way into the motor.

 

I will take the cover off before my next drive. The gasket may have just slipped out of the cover lip when I put it back on.

 

Even with those little hick ups, messing with this car is still better than my day job :->

 

jc

You may have rolled the seal...ask me how I know.

I returned a bunch of Brad Penn to PA on one of my runs to Carlisle.
>

Thanks everybody for the tips.

 

After taking the valve cover off I found that the gasket had slipped at the bottom of the cover.

 

I cleaned everything and put a tiny touch of gasket sealer where it moved earlier. It should be easy to clean on the next adjustment.

 

I let the car idle for 10 minutes and everything was as dry as my bank account :->

 

jc

 

Krusty posted:

Thanks everybody for the tips.

 

After taking the valve cover off I found that the gasket had slipped at the bottom of the cover.

 

I cleaned everything and put a tiny touch of gasket sealer where it moved earlier. It should be easy to clean on the next adjustment.

 

I let the car idle for 10 minutes and everything was as dry as my bank account :->

 

jc

 

Would ya look at that?! Look at that!

Are the push rods aluminum or chromoly?

Aluminum are .006"

Chromoly are "loose zero"

 

Your valves might be too loose.

 

 

heu..... how can I tell ???

 

When I took the cover off I could get the .006 feeler gage in between the valves and the screws I only had to tight them a little (1/8 of a turn) to be satisfied with the feeler gage.

 

The lack of documentation on those car can be frustrating. I have an 1 hour highway drive to get to a garage appointment next week to have an aircooled professional re-check what I did and now I am wondering if i am going to burn a valve or break something :-(

 

Use a small magnet.  If it sticks to the pushrod it's chromoly.  If not, it's aluminum.

Krusty posted:

heu..... how can I tell ???

 

When I took the cover off I could get the .006 feeler gage in between the valves and the screws I only had to tight them a little (1/8 of a turn) to be satisfied with the feeler gage.

 

The lack of documentation on those car can be frustrating. I have an 1 hour highway drive to get to a garage appointment next week to have an aircooled professional re-check what I did and now I am wondering if i am going to burn a valve or break something :-(

 

If you set chromoly to .006" then they will not burn, they will be noisy.

A "tappy" valve is a happy valve.