I recently bought a 212cc predator engine and it ran great for a while. I replaced the valve springs with stronger ones and the engine never ran right, so I put the old ones back in an the engine still looses power. I think it's because the springs aren't adjusted right. I looked in the manuel and calibrated the spring to the suggested tension but I still moves super slow. My brother said the problem might be because of the worn out clutch, but I'm not sure. Does anybody know a somewhat cheap solution.
Loss of power
- Thread starter Ethanb061
- Start date
Compu-kart
Member
You probably need to adjust the valves (reset the valve lash). A common problem when changing the valve springs. There are many youtube videos that demonstrate how to do this.
reynolds racing 00
New member
X2 that!!! Google how to replace valve spring and set valve lash on a 212cc predator engine. Good luck.
paulkish
old fart
Probably a dumb question. When an engine heats up I always thought in general valve lash decreased, is that generally true?
In general and not just for the engine being discussed, I always thought .002 was the norm and a sort of tight feel go gauge, with .003 or 4 a no go gauge if your being fussy, but .005 is good enough to use, is that generally true?
In general and not just for the engine being discussed, I always thought .002 was the norm and a sort of tight feel go gauge, with .003 or 4 a no go gauge if your being fussy, but .005 is good enough to use, is that generally true?
Lash generally increases, or opens up as the engine heats up, Paul. This is why you see guys setting the lash to zero or even preloading the lash, so that when the engine comes up to temp, the lash opens up to where you would want it to be, normally .001-.002. I have seen guys use as much as .008, but i would not reccomend more than that personally, and wont go over .005 in my own engines.
In typical automotive steel blocks and steel valve train components valve clearance shrinks as the steel expands at equivalent rates. The valve train absorbs more heat and expands slightly more, causing the clearance to close up. With aluminum blocks, Aluminum expands at a greater rate than the steel parts the head actually grows away from the crankcase further than the valve train expands. So starting with zero clearance will allow for adequate clearance when the engine is at operating temps. The only clearance that is required is enough to allow a layer of oil between all parts in contact, the preloading must be done with caution, if adequate space is not provided the lifter will always be in forced contact with the base circle of the cam, this will not allow the oil to develop the layer required to carry around the lobe.