Section 3 — Maintenance
3.6 ADJUSTING VALVE CLEARANCE | Figure 21 - Valve Clearance Adjustment |
After the first 50 hours of operation, check the valve clearance in the engine and adjust if necessary.
Important: If feeling uncomfortable about doing this procedure or the proper tools are not available, please take the generator to the nearest service center to have the valve clearance adjusted. This is a very important step to insure longest life for the engine.
To check valve clearance:
•Make sure the engine is at room temperature (60° - 80° F).
•Make sure that the spark plug wire is removed from the spark plug and out of the way.
•Remove the four screws attaching the valve cover.
•Make sure the piston is at Top Dead Center (TDC) of its compression stroke (both valves closed). To get the piston at TDC, remove the intake screen at the front of the engine to gain access to the flywheel nut. Use a large socket and socket wrench to rotate the nut and hence the engine in a clockwise direction while watching the piston through the spark plug hole. The piston should move up and down. The piston is at TDC when it is up as high as it can go.
•Insert a 0.002 - 0.004 inch (0.05 - 0.1mm) feeler gauge between the rocker arm and valve stem. Correct clearance is when a slight drag is felt when sliding the gauge back and forth. If the clearance is either excessively loose or tight the rocker arms will need adjusting.
To adjust valve clearance:
•Loosen the rocker jam nut (Figure 21). Use an 10mm allen wrench to turn the pivot ball stud while checking clearance between the rocker arm and the valve stem with a feeler gauge. Correct clearance is
NOTE:
The rocker arm jam nut must be held in place as the pivot ball stud is turned.
When valve clearance is correct, hold the pivot ball stud in place with the allen wrench and tighten the rocker arm jam nut. Tighten the jam nut to 174 in/lbs. torque. After tightening the jam nut, recheck valve clearance to make sure it did not change.
•Install new valve cover gasket.
•
NOTE:
Start all four screws before tightening or it will not be possible to get all the screws in place. Make sure the valve cover gasket is in place.
•
•Repeat the process for the other cylinder.
3.7 GENERAL
The generator should be started at least once every seven days and be allowed to run at least 30 minutes. If this cannot be done and the unit must be stored for more than 30 days, use the following information as a guide to prepare it for storage.
DANGER
NEVER store engine with fuel in tank indoors or in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas where fumes may reach an open flame, spark or pilot light as on a furnace, water heater, clothes dryer or other gas appliance.
16
