Plea for help - preload tappet settings Hastings

[stuwhitfield]

Hi,

After lending my van to a friend and subsequent failure of the water jacket I'm at the end of my tether!

Water jackets replaced, including the bottom seals (and yes a stud did snap in the block) by myself and some friends as no local mechanic wanted to go near it.

Any way it's all back together again for the second time (gasket pinched and leaked after the first heat cycle) on Sunday, So it has ran since going back together)

I can't get it to start now and I fully believe it's something to do with the preloads being way off.

I'm supposed to be on a ferry to Europe yesterday morning and am at a complete loss.

Can anyone local come and wave the magic wand and restore my faith in it?

[blacky]

Why not do compression test of cylinders to tell if tappet clearances are too tight ?

[itchyfeet]

The setting sequence is in Haynes manual

Get no1 cylinder at tdc rotate the engine clockwise ( as you look from the back) until you have the rotor arm pointing at the notch in the dizzy body and no 1 lead on dizzy cap ( this assumes dizzy is in right, it will be if it ran before and you havent moved it)

slacken the no1 cylinder locknuts and back off adjusters clear of valves, screw them back until they just touch then two further turns and lock with the nuts.

rotate engine clockwise half a turn and do no 4
repeat for 3 and 2

no 1 is front of vehicle right as you look from the rear, 2 is back vehicle right, 3 front left, 4 back left

get your van year type etc in your signature helps.

oh and Hello and Welcome

cheers
Paul

[kevtherev]

Have the pushrods seated ok?