Valve adjustment tips?, Do I need a trained monkey or what? Options

[mpoffers]

Got the car on jackstands, valve covers are off, I'm turning the engine and rocking the valves per instructions from a forum search. All is well.

Except I can't reach the valves. There's engine tin above, heat exchanger below, and suspension mount to the side. OK, I'm exagerating a little. I can reach the rockers, I can even get the feeler gage in and out. What I can't see how to do is get tools in there to do the adjustment. I might be able to get a wrench on the lock nut and get it loose, but I don't see how I could get it tight enough after I've made the adjustment. I definately don't see how I could hold the adjustment screw and tighten the nut simultaneously.

Am I missing something, or should I be recruiting the help of my 4-year-old-daughter? Her hands are pretty small.

Mike

[Markl]

I am not going to disagree with the masters on this board, but I think that every few thousand miles I would want to check/clean my heat exchangers and exhaust system. Once they are removed, you have plenty of room to adjust valves, check for leaks, clean, free up exhaust header nuts, clean and paint warm air guides, check/clean thermostat, etc., anything you can think of - maybe the best look you'll get at your engine without dropping it. Come to think of it, that's probably an even better way!

[rjames]

I am not going to disagree with the masters on this board, but I think that every few thousand miles I would want to check/clean my heat exchangers and exhaust system. Once they are removed, you have plenty of room to adjust valves, check for leaks, clean, free up exhaust header nuts, clean and paint warm air guides, check/clean thermostat, etc., anything you can think of - maybe the best look you'll get at your engine without dropping it. Come to think of it, that's probably an even better way!

Besides making it expensive for us CSOB's to have to replace those copper heat exchanger nuts and copper gaskets every time the heat exchangers are reinstalled, those of us who have found stripped exhaust studs (and fixed them) really aren't in to removing the heat exchangers unless it's absolutely necessary. For me, a valve adjustment doesn't qualify.