I've always used the TDC method on 914-4's or Type 1's etc for over 20 years. I've done hundreds of them, gotten pretty darn good at it (I think) and confident the end product is always an improvement and that I'm not screwing anything up.

We had a local drive a month or so back with some spirited driving up a mountain pass. Ever since, my valve lash seemed to be a little noisy, so shortly after, I adjusted the lash using the TDC method (roughly 3 weeks ago). I drive my 914 daily, so valve lash isn't something I can neglect or put off. Gotta keep it spot on.

Normally when I adjust lash, I rarely touch more than one adjuster and it's usually very minimal to get it back into spec. This adjustment was similar adjusting two on the driver’s side, both exhausts. Still very minor.

Still get a little bit of intermittent lash noise, nothing big, but I can tell it's not normal. So yesterday I decided to adjust lash again even though it's only been hundreds of miles. I just don't like it when you can hear inconsitency in lash adjustment. This time I wanted to use the Cap'ns method. Figured if I screwed something up, a different method would catch it.

Well it did, one exhaust on the drivers side was a little loose.

Also, it really is nice to lay on a creeper and not have to get up....at all! Until the job is done.

Well done Krusty one, I've made the switch.

Does the Krusty method work on T-1's? This is next on my list to do:

You adjust your valves?
Once I went to the Porsche swivel feet they hardly ever change but I still check em.

record teh before and after values then you will have a long term picture of any funny drift of a particular valve. if one valve is always tight by .002 and the others not, then that would indiacte a probelm for example, if you had not records, you would not catch that .

He's been around these cars for so long, they even gave him his own time period!

Krustaceous on Wiki

It is THE way to adjust valves. So much faster and easier, I can usually get the job done in an hour - not including time spent getting my valve covers to seal again after I put on the fresh gasket... *grrrrrr*

Zach

Speaking of that, I learned the hard way you have ZERO room for error on an L-Jet engine. Doh! Valve cover gaskets have to be 100% perfectly sealed.

I had to put the 914 back into the air and pull both off, yup, the top of one had slipped off the little tab allowing a leak. Easy fix, but oh the look on my face when I first started it up. Pop, fart, pop fat, What have I done!

No swivel feet (yet) and I only ever touch maybe one every 5k miles. Even at that, it's so minor it's probably more my thinking I must adjust something to make all this putting the car in the air, pulling covers etc worth it.

There's many ways to skin a cat. I use the TDC method. When I built my engine, I verified my TDC mark on the flywheel. Then I marked my flywheel at 180 degrees from TDC. Now I can stay under the car and easily and quickly rotate the engine to TDC for any cylinder.

I think the hardest part is getting the damn valve cover bails off. I finally I made a hook with a small loop of rope attached to it. I put the hook on the middle of the bail and then I use a 3 lb hammer like a slide hammer to pop them off.

When I put the valve covers back on, I used some advice given here that once the bail is back on, give the cover a tug downward. Seems to work so far.

Damn ... I am a CASOB ... I use a shop rag.

now THAT was funny!