View single post by edward_davis
 Posted: 04-23-2008 04:36 pm
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edward_davis



Joined: 07-06-2005
Location: Eugene, Oregon USA
Posts: 162
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 Mark,  The valves are always shimmed: you can't run the engine without shims because of the way the cam followers are designed.  If you put it together without shims, the cam follower would rest on the spring retainer, which is not intiended to carry the force.  With a shim in place, the force goes directly to the top of the valve stem.  You may be in a tight spot, though, if your shims turn out to be too small.  I agree with Brett, though: you should do the compression test first.  You don't need to put the valve covers on if you do a cold test, but it's best to do the test at operating temperature.

Edward