If you were to read throught my history here, it seems that I have been plagued by a rich running engine, bad idle, emissions problems ect. I am pretty sure that I found the answer, and that is that I set the lash incorrectly when I assembled the engine.

SO, I am at the point where if I would rather sell it than take the whole top of the engine off again. I am wondering if anybody has been able to get the valve covers off without taking any of the plenum apart. If you have what tools did you use to get at those inner nuts on the valve cover?

 

No, there's no way to remove the valve covers on the 85'-92' 2.8/3.1 V6 without taking off the upper/lower plenums, fuel rail and injectors, and the egr and egr adapter pipe off. Not a tough job, but one you need to take your time to doing. A torque wrench comes in handy when tightening the plenum bolts.

 

Just incase I end up taking off the plenium, what shoudl I torque them back too? Sorry for jacking your thread,

 

there's got to be some thing that somebody thought of...
experimental techniques?

I know its not a tough job, its the taking your time part that gets me....and that part about buying all new gaskets. I've had the thing apart a number of times, I just don't want to have to do it again since I'll be either selling it or putting a different engine in in the near future.

Maybe I'll go Frankenstein style. Cut the valve covers open and then weld them closed when I'm done.

As far as the plenum torque goes, just look it up in the service manual that you have. I don't remember the lower plenum, but the upper was something fairly low (steel bolt into aluminum). The upper bolts really aren't that big of a deal, the only reason they are there is so that air can't escape from between the two parts.

 

Just did my driver's side one. Didn't do the passenger side because i did not want to break the egr bolts. Wasn't leaking anyway. 20 lbs of torque is required for the plenum bolts

 

try removing the studs once you have taken the upper plenum off. that is what the haynes manual says! and as for the specs the book says 18 for intake to plenum.

 

I have a factory service manual. The 3inch think one. 20 lbs it says. It about the same either way

 

That is another reason I like the idea of he new custom intake I'm about to get...Trueleo has it set up so you can remove the valve covers without removing the plenum!

But in answer to your Qusetion, I know of no way to remove the valve covers w/o taking the plenum and runners off!

 

Hey Redraif I was wondering if you had anymore info on this Trueleo intake?

Thank you!


Jason

 

i got one coming, and they are making each one custom to fit under each person's hood, so each is a little different.
it won't do much for you unless you go and get a new throttlebody. then you are gonna have to get a set of headers and the rest of the exhaust to take full advantage of the added flow to the engine!

 

Damien, would be curious to know why you came to this conclusion that that valves were mis-adjusted? Did you run a compression check on each cylinder?

 

www.trueleo.com

Mine is under construction as well! Having to get them some pieces of the f-body intakes to help along the way. Sending out the throttle body linkage/ tv cable linkage bracket from off the intake tomorrow! So hopefully our prototypes will be done soon!

I chose the ford 65mm Tb for my application!

 

i chose one a little bigger. one that would give me the best of both the 65 and the 68mm it should be done in about 3 weeks. i am going to make a 68 and see how that does afterwards. whichever works best with my setup is the one that i am going to keep, the other one will be eithor scrapped or enlarged to the size of the other(depending on which one the engine likes better!)

hey redraif, did they get the height specs done yet for a stock hood?

 

Not sure about that I believe so! I know they are having a time working out the details on mine! Learning curve with anything new! Definately making progress though! Been in touch with Francis alot this past week. Sending pics and talking about how thing mount. Like I said I'm sending out a stock cable linkage bracket to help out tomorrow! Bless the local junkyards for the bunches of 2.8 & 3.1s that have been around!

I also told them to make mine large enough to be able to accept a 70mm TB for the future! Never know right!

 

i think that dale and am91 and no matter how much i like it, rtfc will agree that unless you plan on running a turbo, you won't need a 70MM, but who knows right? i am still making my throttlebody, so i haven't gotten it out to him yet, but engine is not even close to being ready for it, so i got time yet. thanks for the help in getting them what they need, as i haven't been able to since i am not back in jacksonville yet that will change in the next day or so! just out of curiosity, what tb are you going to use? like i said i am making mine myself. gonna have to cut everything out of aluminum or stainless. thank *** for a bridgeport milling machine and a old monarch lathe! it makes everything alot easier than having to use a drilll and a dremmel to make it!

p.s i am gonna make a new thread for all of us to talk about the trueleo intakes, that way we don't hijack anyone's thread!

 

man it sucks uve gotta do all this 2 get the valve covers off. i have ONE valve that needs adjusting (it taps)...i'll have 2 get new gaskets and all too huh... is it worth the time 2 adjust? it isnt frequent that it taps.

 

Sorry, x55Cam I missed your post somehow.

I came to this conclusion because I have replaced/calibrated just about everything else on the car since I installed the engine. The only thing I can think of that is left would be that I didn't adjust the valve lash correctly when I installed the cam and rockers, and therefore I have a valve problem (which really isn't that hard for me to believe since I am the one that did it).

Also the vacuum gauge hints at valve problems.

In addition, I think it/they are working themselves farther and farther out of "spec" because when I was driving it 120 miles a day it started getting worse.

If you think it is something else I'd be glad to sell it to ya

 

I can sympathize if you think the lash is wrong. I had the near disasterous experience of setting the lash wrong when refering to a certain method written by an author of one of the engine rebuild books intended for 60 deg V6's. His method caused me to bottom out the lifters and open the valves.

Luckily when I realized this I did it the correct way (before cranking the motor ) using another source which is twirl the push rod with your thumb and forefinger until you start to feel tension. Then immediately STOP!. This is zero lash. Then turn the rocker nut another 1/4 to 1/2 turn to pre-load.

If you over tightened you should have some serious compression problems along with vacuum loss. If you under adjusted you'll probably here a bit of ticking or clattering.

Of course,The easy way to adjust hydraulics is to run the motor and backoff until you hear ticking. Tighten until the clicking is gone, then go another 1/4 to 1/2. Goodluck!

 

YES you CAR get the vc's off without removing the everything! It has been done by others on this site. Do a search, it may take some reading to find the information you need but it HAS been done. You'll need a swivel, an ext, and some beer! take your time you can do it.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...g+valve+covers

I searched and came up with this for example. read the whole post ,pics and all. Good luck......

 

I know "how" to set lash, but that doesn't mean that I didn't mess something up.

Even so, I don't know that I could get that much more for it by taking all that time to adjust the valves