Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

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Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

April 21, 2014, 11:02:36 pm

Just had the valves adjusted on our Cat 3208T and several were loose. The worst was very loose and an impending problem. Am very happy to have the peace of mind of having that job done. Will have to keep an ear tuned to see if it changes any in the near future.

Has any one installed a wireless sound monitoring system in the engine compartment to monitor sounds while underway??

Have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #1 – April 22, 2014, 12:01:22 am

I would imagine it would be a horrifying sound due to all the metal etc parts. Doubt if you would know what you are listening for.
John

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #2 – April 22, 2014, 12:25:54 am

Hard to say without knowing how many miles are on your unit but if a qualified guy ran the rack on your engine you should be good for at least another 50 or 60K miles.. If you listen to that engine via a sound system you will drive yourself crazy. Just my opinion..

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #3 – April 22, 2014, 01:30:38 am

You didn't say how loose. Usually, a loose valve is much better than a tight one, especially if it's an exhaust valve. Incorrect valve clearance will effect camshaft timing and can cause a small power difference from the correctly set cylinders making the engine run not quite as smoothly. While you may hear the loose lash in a gas engine, it's doubtful you can hear anything above the diesel clatter in your CAT. If the valves have been adjusted within 50K miles or so, an extremely loose one could indicate a problem like camshaft or lifter wear. Sending an oil sample out for analysis can either show abnormal wear or give you piece of mind. .003 or .004 is no big deal but .0010 or .0015 loose may indicate something amiss or the last mechanic just may have botched the adjustment.

Pierce

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #4 – April 22, 2014, 11:55:20 am

Mechanic didn't say how many thousanths it was off, only that it was very loose. It does sound a little better, but it is very difficult to discern much change due to the total valve clatter. That valve clatter does have a particular pattern and some ears can detect changes. My ears just aren't capable of that at this stage of life. I had thought of having a sound signature done on the engine, but decided not to after discovering how involved and expensive it is. We'll just fly as is until the next adjustment is due. Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #5 – April 22, 2014, 12:43:30 pm

We recently had the valves adjust on our Cummins C8.3. Total mileage is about 106K. We have put about 45K on in the last four years. I expect ours was the first valve adjustment on the engine. It probably should have been done 20K miles sooner. Engine is much smoother at idle. It feels like it may be smoother, quieter, stronger at all speeds, but that is entirely subjective with no hard evidence.

Bernd Ramspeck in NAC came to check on a fuel leak in the injection system. From the sound of the engine, he recommended a valve adjustment. After the adjustment, he reported that clearances were much greater than specified clearances. Oil reports from Blackstone Laboratories have indicated no abnormal values in the oil samples.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #6 – April 22, 2014, 08:52:36 pm

Oil sampling is a good thing, I may have that done before next oil change. I run with magnets on the inside of my by-pass filters and have not noticed any metallic deposits. Don't know if I would be able to detect them by eye ball or not. A conformation sample would be good. Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #7 – April 22, 2014, 09:49:36 pm

Fritz,

Most of the evil stuff cannot be seen. Different parts of the engine have different metals. The oil analysis company has a benchmark level for each metal and can tell by the mileage you have if there is a particular metal that has a higher level than normal for the age of the engine. Money well spent.

Pierce

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #8 – April 22, 2014, 10:22:14 pm

with 107500 miles on cat3116 ,it runs great and sounds great,,to me....can anyone give me a ballpark cost of valve adj and also reccomend where i might have that done in texas city,tx area,,thanks....

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #9 – April 23, 2014, 08:58:18 am

On the Cat 3116, it should have both valve adjustment AND set injector timing.

Injector timing is set similar to how valves are adjusted, but it measures the height of the injector.

So, you want an old timer that is familiar with the 3116 or take it to Mustang Cat off 610 east in Houston.

Here is contact info:

Mustang Power Houston Caterpillar dealer: (800) 794-8785. (713) 861-0777. 4750 Homestead inside NE 610. Keith Rowald krowald@mustangcat.com.

I would call Keith Rowald and make sure that he lines you up with a tech familiar with this older engine.

Can't help with price-- I do the job myself. And, if you ask for a quote before they see the great access to the top of the engine, they will probably give you a high quote. Would probably be better off agreeing on an "actual time" cost.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #10 – April 26, 2014, 07:00:32 pm

Quote from: fkjohns6083 – April 22, 2014, 11:55:20 am

Mechanic didn't say how many thousanths it was off, only that it was very loose. It does sound a little better, but it is very difficult to discern much change due to the total valve clatter. That valve clatter does have a particular pattern and some ears can detect changes. My ears just aren't capable of that at this stage of life. I had thought of having a sound signature done on the engine, but decided not to after discovering how involved and expensive it is. We'll just fly as is until the next adjustment is due. Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Thats not valve clatter. Deisels are a compression ignition engine. The loud clatter is from the noise of the fuel being ignited. They do not have a throttle plate or intake restriction. A deisel runs leanest at idle & more power is developed by adding fuel. Thats why they seem to smooth out & quiet down under load. more fuel equals a smoother/longer burn & generates less noise. Combustion chamber design can have an incredible impact on noise generation also. The best thing you can do for a deisel is stay on time with your preventative maintenance activity. The 3208T in my ORED has 287,373 miles on it. The engine was replaced at around 90000, but no reason stated.... As a former Master Technician, I assure you preventative maintenance programs work! Change your fluids & filters, adjust any adjustments at the appropriate interval & barring bad design or random failure, your engine will outlast the coach.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #11 – May 01, 2014, 10:03:52 pm

Well ---- After a short run in the GV, I listened to the engine noise at idle and could not hear the noise that was there before the valve adjust. I realize that the valve noise (clatter) is a small fraction of the total engine noise, but I am convinced that if I listen to my engine frequently that I will be able to detect any noise that is impending trouble. I may be naive in this regard, but I'll keep on listening. Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #12 – May 02, 2014, 12:40:42 am

When I hear knocking, I figure it's opportunity.

Pierce

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #13 – May 03, 2014, 10:56:05 pm

I haven't had to do valve adjust since I had my hotrod Datsun 510. Seems like valvecovers aren't too hard to get to. Maybe I should look into doing this just for peace of kind before the Yellowstone trip.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #14 – May 03, 2014, 11:27:58 pm

Hey Jay ---- "Hotrod datsun 510" sounds like an oxymoron. Have fun and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #15 – May 04, 2014, 12:33:00 am

Oh it was a fun car. If you put a big cam and dual Mikunis on and gave it a 5 speed and did all the other tricks, you got it to the point of....

...

getting stomped on by a late model day Camry but maybe not by an early 80's Mustang. Sometimes, modern technology is a Good Thing!

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #16 – May 06, 2014, 08:59:35 pm

Thank you Fritz for starting this thread. After finding no evidence that lashadjust had ever been done, I went to the mat with it. It was gratifying to see that most of 'em were spot on, none were tight, and 5 were loose enough to bother with. If it weren't for this thread I doubt if it would ever have gotten checked....

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #17 – May 06, 2014, 09:55:42 pm

Jay ---- Can you detect any change in noise level at idle?? Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #18 – May 06, 2014, 10:11:15 pm

Quote from: fkjohns6083 – May 06, 2014, 09:55:42 pm

Jay ---- Can you detect any change in noise level at idle?? Thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Bernd Ramspeck adjusted the valves on our C8.3 a few weeks ago. It's a bit smoother at idle.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #19 – May 06, 2014, 10:34:44 pm

I will report back on tomorrow mornings' cold start. I will be amazed if there is any difference...

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #20 – May 07, 2014, 01:00:24 pm

Well, there may be a tiny improvement in cold idle. I haven't gone for a drive and wasn't planning to just yet. I sort of think any improvement is wishful thinking on my part. Only 5 valves loose, and not by very much. Still, it's good to know they're all in spec, and I wrote date & mileage in the record.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #21 – May 07, 2014, 05:10:07 pm

Jay,

Just like having your blood pressure checked. You figure it's OK but nice to be certain (and not worry about having a stroke).

Pierce

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #22 – May 07, 2014, 06:26:57 pm

And ya know what, after it sat there running for a few minutes, I'm pretty certain the amount of vibrating things, like bathroom door and stove top and other little noise sources, were *much* quieter. I'll take it.

Re: Valve adjust on Cat 3208T

Reply #23 – May 08, 2014, 11:03:09 am

The key word is improvement.... As long as you get a return on your time investment its good!
I had an Isuzu Trooper in the shop years ago that would start fine cold, but not hot. Long & short of it was the valves were a few thousandths to tight & when they warmed up they expanded just enough to lower the compression below starting levels. A few thousandths.... like .002"-.005" too tight. A little goes a long way.

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