KAD 44 tappets when to do this

[simonfraser]

yes the service schedule says after x amount of hours run

i potter with the boat, yes that has issues, however i am concerned about bending the fuel pipes too often as the boat ages
what would happen if the tappets go out of adjustment due to an extended service period ?

 

[kashurst]

it should be done every 200 hours. Don't bend the fuel pipes though - take them off properly, bending them will knacker them.

This thread describes how to do it properly. It took me about 7 hours all told to do both engines.
When I did mine I wasn't ready to change the oil so I took the oil filter off, and put it back on again at the end. I have a cheap tin mug that the oil filter fits beautifully so it is easy to take it off without spilling much oil and you can put it somewhere out of the way and it won't fall over.

KAD 44/300 Valve Adjusting

The only difficult bit is pushing the rubber bung that has the cable for injector number one into the rocker cover.
I used lots of WD40 and copious swearing. Hopefully someone will know a neat trick for that one.
Triple and triple check you have tightened all the nuts back up tight before you put the rocker cover back on again.

If they are not adjusted there is a danger that the steel post the valve bridge piece slides up and down on can snap - then all sorts of horrible metal chaos can ensue.

I suspect the 200 hour time is very conservative. I looked at a Sealine F37 with 750 hours and the valves (despite a full main dealer service history!!!) had never been done and it was OK. It's well worth buying the new copper washers and O rings to seal the injectors and fuel returns - otherwise it will almost certainly leak. (very cheap from Prior Diesel)

 

[Chris_d]

I suspect the 200 hour time is very conservative. I looked at a Sealine F37 with 750 hours and the valves (despite a full main dealer service history!!!) had never been done and it was OK.

Not sure its that conservative, MBM took a new F37 round the UK back in the 90's and destroyed an engine that had barely exceeded the 200hr mark due to tappets not being adjusted, would very much depend on the use its had.
Not sure I would leave it very long.

 

[jon and michie]

Kad 300 is 200 hours - I got mine done and the Volvo tech actually said to me this was down to someones engine's Valve stem allegedly breaking/bending years ago and Volvo added this adjustment period of 200 hours as a matter of course.

 

[spannerman]

As stated by others it is 200hrs, you will need 13 copper washers and 6 injector seal O rings per engine. You probably already know that the valve cover gasket is no longer available. If you are lucky the original may be intact so you can re-use it with a smear of silicone gasket. If not the trick is to thoroughly clean the groove in the cover and mating surface on the head, then apply a bead of silicone to the cover making sure its proud of the land around the bolt holes which contacts the head when tightened down. Leave it to nearly dry then add a smear more before installing, especially around the rear of the head where oil pools. If you put the cover on with the silicone soft it will smear off at some point. The last thing you want is to put it all back together and find it leaks when you start it up.

 

[Scubadoo]

As stated by others it is 200hrs, you will need 13 copper washers and 6 injector seal O rings per engine. You probably already know that the valve cover gasket is no longer available. If you are lucky the original may be intact so you can re-use it with a smear of silicone gasket. If not the trick is to thoroughly clean the groove in the cover and mating surface on the head, then apply a bead of silicone to the cover making sure its proud of the land around the bolt holes which contacts the head when tightened down. Leave it to nearly dry then add a smear more before installing, especially around the rear of the head where oil pools. If you put the cover on with the silicone soft it will smear off at some point. The last thing you want is to put it all back together and find it leaks when you start it up.

Or make a gasket out of Nitrile Cork?

 

[stelican]

As stated by others it is 200hrs, you will need 13 copper washers and 6 injector seal O rings per engine. You probably already know that the valve cover gasket is no longer available. If you are lucky the original may be intact so you can re-use it with a smear of silicone gasket. If not the trick is to thoroughly clean the groove in the cover and mating surface on the head, then apply a bead of silicone to the cover making sure its proud of the land around the bolt holes which contacts the head when tightened down. Leave it to nearly dry then add a smear more before installing, especially around the rear of the head where oil pools. If you put the cover on with the silicone soft it will smear off at some point. The last thing you want is to put it all back together and find it leaks when you start it up.

So why are new gaskets not available

 

[Portofino]

I did mine last year (400 hr MAN schedule) .
Pretty easy with theses you just remove each cap nothing else .
The gaskets are reusable being a combo of metal and rubber that sit nicely in a grove under each individual cap .
Std 6 cylinder rocker technique ....plenty of u tube vids ...even for V8 s etc ....principle is the same .
About 1 hr for the first then 30/40 mins tops for the second with a 32 mm ratchet socket and bar on the crank pulley .

A few exhaust were widened hence the tapperty sound ....they seem to wear more open .

The issue is snap close and valve seal damage / fatigue.
Also with a higher compression diesel those last few fractions of a second ........be it too late on opening = delayed evacuation or too early on closing = premature reduction of air intake .....it’s crucial to the final power at theses temps and pressures .

So with a petrol you run the same risks of valve gear stress but hardly any worthy of mention power change .
With diesels esp higher power lower duty marine leisure there is a noticeable added dimension of a power drop if you don’t follow the manufacturers adjustment schedule.

The more forced air induction that’s going on the greater the power drop if they are out of spec .
So it figures with VP let’s be honest small block engines it seems to me , with there huge forced induction to compensate......they will notice more the power drop from not quite spec valve adjustment.

 

[Portofino]

The adjuster is on top of the bridge ( Quattro valve ) ...one is closing the RHS and the other opening LHS .
Petty easy tbo to do .

 

[gery w]

As stated by others it is 200hrs, you will need 13 copper washers and 6 injector seal O rings per engine. You probably already know that the valve cover gasket is no longer available. If you are lucky the original may be intact so you can re-use it with a smear of silicone gasket. If not the trick is to thoroughly clean the groove in the cover and mating surface on the head, then apply a bead of silicone to the cover making sure its proud of the land around the bolt holes which contacts the head when tightened down. Leave it to nearly dry then add a smear more before installing, especially around the rear of the head where oil pools. If you put the cover on with the silicone soft it will smear off at some point. The last thing you want is to put it all back together and find it leaks when you start it up.

I wonder why VP dropped the rocker gasket from production? After all I dont really class the 44 as an old engine.......