1971 Volkswagen Beetle valve clearance

1971 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
104,000 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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TINKER42
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First of all. THANK YOU for your previous help!! When I get my next check I will be showing my gratitude. I have found that I have lost my 'touch' in setting valve clearance since it has been 30 yrs since I have tried it. I find that I have a tendacy to go loose. Until I get more experience which is better Too loose, say .008 or too tight say .004? Both me and the car are pretty worn out but we only have each other. Thanks.............Jim
Dec 16, 2007 at 9:22 AM
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REDANDWHITE
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[quote:e1f5dbb2f0="tinker42"]Engine problem
1971 Volkswagen Beetle 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 104000 miles
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First of all. THANK YOU for your previous help!! When I get my next check I will be showing my gratitude. I have found that I have lost my 'touch' in setting valve clearance since it has been 30 yrs since I have tried it. I find that I have a tendacy to go loose. Until I get more experience which is better Too loose, say .008 or too tight say .004? Both me and the car are pretty worn out but we only have each other. Thanks.............Jim[/quote:e1f5dbb2f0]

.004 is actually not too tight. In the early 70's VW changed the valve lash from .004 to .006 to allow for longer intervals between adjustments. If you want to make it even easier, invest in a set of chromoly pushrods and you can set the valves to zero lash.

If you have a tendency to set them a bit loosely, shoot for the .004 mark. It's also a good idea to keep track of which valves are out of adjustment each time you check them, as this can let you know if you have an exhaust valve stretching on you.
Dec 17, 2007 at 7:00 AM