Tappets (removal of)(and the answer to my question)

Post by **T'Onion** » 20 May 2006, 15:33

Can a tappet be taken out without removing the pushrod tube and the head etc

Post by **Dan Wood** » 20 May 2006, 15:47

Simon says.... (Well he mentioned in a phone call when I booked in)

It's normally a cylinder head off job, unless you can be certain which tappet it is in which case you can cheat with an 'expanding' push rod tube and leave the cylinder head in place. Summat like 40 quid a tube though!

I'll know more about it when I've been to see the man himself in a few weeks. If yours is driveable, you could sneak it along at the same time and we could watch what magic he does, and copy it on yours! Do you think he'd notice....?

Post by **T'Onion** » 20 May 2006, 15:55

Cheers Dan
I have a half set of spare pushrod tubes which i could use
I've just tried the magnet on a stick trick but it wont budge

Oh i know which one it is

, it won't hold its pressure I can depress it by hand/finger, anyway hopefully it will get me to cornwall and back then i'll rip the lump out and stick the DJ in

Post by **T'Onion** » 21 May 2006, 09:09

Ok , couldn't sleep cos of the worry of the frellin tappet so got up this morning and pulled the thing out.

Ok here goes
Rocker cover off , pushrod out
push rod tube cover off ( hehehe not telling how but it involved big yorkshire screwdriver )
ok the push rod tube is the old type and is never going to come off in one piece then go back on, so big driver and bob's ya fanny
ok now the fun part , getting the tappet / lifter / little shte out ..
well this is the fun part ,,, cos its fooooked the lock ring is missing so out pops the pushrod socket , then the plunger then the spring !!!
foook thinks I . Then the real fun starts trying to get the valve body out !

ok i'm using a magnetic pickup and it's just not strong enough ..
I could just manage to get my little finger into the body and with little in and out movement its out .. horray think's I

Cup of tea and then refit everything back , using one of the two expanding pushrod tubes that i had. Quick adjust of the adjusters, the usual one pushrod that wont seat its sen , and turn the key and bingo ...

and all in about an hour and half ,

the tappet i took out is well fubard will post a piccie later , its got two big chips out of it

Post by **Hacksawbob** » 21 May 2006, 09:25

http://www.club80-90.co.uk/wiki/index.p ... d_in_place
cheers mark that pearl has been preserved in Wiki aspic

Post by **T'Onion** » 21 May 2006, 09:28

Bob i've just re spelt some of it

so could you copy and paste it again
I should have took some piccies

Post by **T'Onion** » 21 May 2006, 10:20

In an ideal world the three pieces would be held together with a clip

The bottom picture shows the two rather nice chips in the body of the tappet

Post by **Dan Wood** » 21 May 2006, 12:49

Hopefully Simon will be doing something similar to mine in a few days, so I'll be able to take some photos of a busted tappet too!

After reading what you've written I'm even tempted to have a go me'sen, but then common sense tells me I'll end up with bits of engine all over the drive and my 9.99 Argos toolkit wouldn't be up to the job!

The only snag with going to see Si (apart from his new labour charge!) is that I got a telling off about the unwashed state of the van last time, and I still haven't got round to it yet! Some sunshine for next weekend please...

Post by **TYG** » 21 May 2006, 14:47

Dan getting the replacement tube or any t'other bits you may need could be the problem , its straight forward enough but things do go wrong and you could be left with a van that doesnt run then how would you get it across to Si's .

Post by **Dan Wood** » 21 May 2006, 20:52

suppose i'd better get the polish out then...

Post by **Dan Wood** » 30 May 2006, 20:20

Hurrah! Got away with it! Just been to brickwerks, and Si never commented on the state of the van. Must have been the sunshine!

Anyway, I've no pictures of my tappet because it turned out NOT to be the tappet's fault.

It did sound like a tappet tapping, but that's the noise they make when the top of your engine is falling off! I'm surprised how many miles I've covered in that state while mistakenly trying to persuade the tappet to fill up.

One of the studs that hold the rod that holds the rockers (Si used a more technical word!) had been pulled away (stripped the thread a bit!) so the rockers were further up at one end than they should be. Hence extra lash that shouldn't be there and hence tappity tappity tap!

Stud was a bugger to get out by all accounts, but my DG has had to bow down to Si's magic touch before so it eventually gave in. New stud and re-adjustment and now she's purring like a kitten again!

Top marks for t'Brickwerks again. Cheers!