Tappets MAN

[Portofino]

I,am gonna do the valve adjustment on my MAN,s They use a comman head with interchangeably .
First I bought a 32 mm socket then conveniently a 1M square box section that fits snug over a quality ratchet.
I had a go at “ barring “ actually only needed about 50 cm of available leverage -phew .
It’s because the rings are loose ish and if you turn it slowly air escapes thus you are not fighting the 15-1 compression ratio with a 12.8 L inline 6 .

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Luckily the boat came with some official MAN tool like this valve adjustment tool .Its so you can nip up the lock nut ( after adjustment) and not move the adjuster screw - neat tool hey ?

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My rig , that box section was €6 .

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The rig on the stb crank pulls bolt - turns both ways up and down .The ratchet is good as in a confined space you can back up if needed .

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Port engines crank bolt access , I’ll need to climb outboard to get the bar in with sufficient working room .

Have established I could bar them next up whip off a valve cover .
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Soft alloy held on by soft alloy 13 mm bolts .Nice clean gold alloy , I thought the gold was paint ,buts it’s through and through.( another job if winded off on day - Mistral to tidy up the scrappy exterior, remove them 1st and do on the quay )
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I closely examined the gasket , it’s imbedded in a grove quite thick and bouncy. I did not remove it as feared knackering it .
Reassembled the cap carefully being mindful it’s all alloy + the gold bolts are soft .I did not leak when I a ran up the engine .

I got the maintenance manual and the sequence, can identify the exhaust and inlet valves .
It’s a quad valve head but there’s only one rocker per pair , the valve pairs are connected by a bridge thingy .

Questions
Anybody done this ?
Will the “ rocker method “ work for this 6 cylinder engine
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Any tips ar pitfalls appreciated .:encouragement:

I’ve done petrol engines ( removed the plugs to facilitate turning )

 

[BruceK]

Gold alloy tappet covers? That's some serious man bling going on. I'll have to have a word with Volvo. Mine are all stamped tin

 

[MapisM]

I had a go at “ barring “ actually only needed about 50 cm of available leverage -phew.
It’s because the rings are loose ish and if you turn it slowly air escapes thus you are not fighting the 15-1 compression ratio with a 12.8 L inline 6.

Yup, I also found that easier than I expected, as we debated in this thread.

 

[burgundyben]

Go careful with the long bar on the ratchet handle, those ratchets can let go when you do that.

Would be better to use a T Bar.

Less risk of bleeding knuckles!

Nice to see DIY maintenance.

 

[simonfraser]

Use mechanic gloves in those confined spaces

 

[Assassin]

.I did not leak when I a ran up the engine .

Just glad you didn't leak.