In the Ford Shop Manual the "Cold" Lash setting is .019 as well as the "Hot" Lash. Is the Cold setting only an initial Setting and needs to be checked Hot as well? I having trouble getting correct Lash on a couple of Cylinders. Carefully set all to  .019 Cold but still have couple that have excess Lash when Hot. Does "Hot" require the Engine be running as Lash is checked or just Hot with Engine off?  Any Tips on doing it Hot? Thanks

  

If by chance you have the one piece interference type rocker adjusters, the ones that aren't holding adjustment, may have worn threads?


Paul

I do have the newer interference type but they are good and tight. 

  

I've always found the gap gets smaller when hot. I set them at .021 cold and recheck hot and they are pretty close to .019. I have set them hot both running and with the engine off doing one cylinder at a time following the firing order and turning the crank 90 degrees at a time.

[quote]57RancheroJim (7/5/2017)

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As a repeat to what Jim has said, going from cold to hot has the valve adjustment clearance getting about 0.002” tighter for the iron headed Y engines.  For the aluminum headed Y engines, the lash will become approximately 0.005” looser when going from cold to hot.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Is the cold adjustment a good way or is adjusting them hot the preferred method? Oregon cas recommended .021 for my grind. So if I set them at .023 will that work?

Durham Missouri

Ok. So with a completely stock 292 with standard Iron Heads are you suggesting cold Clearance should actually be set at .021 cold and not .019? Thanks!

  

As a general reply to the last two posts I feel the only proper setting is when HOT, I only mentioned .002 looser when cold as an initial starting point.

Final valve adjustment should always be made with the engine hot.  Revised or larger than stock cold settings will simply minimize the amount of change that must be made when adjusting the valve lash ‘hot’.  As a general rule for iron headed engines, the exhaust clearance will tighten up more than the intake lash when going from cold to hot.  With this happening, you could consider 0.001" looser for the intakes and 0.002" looser for the exhausts when doing the cold settings.  The valve lash still needs to be checked with the engine 'hot' simply due to temperature variances that run throughout the cylinder heads.
  
When all is right with the engine, valve lash adjustments should be infrequent.  On my own ’55 Ford (272 powered) , I’ll check the valve lash when I change the spark plugs which is at each 40K-45K miles.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)