Valve adjustments - shims

[ian2000t]

One thing I haven't done on my Stage 0 tune is the valve adjustments.

Where can I get valve shims at a reasonable cost? The only site I've found with them is about £4 each - and I could do with a good selection of them really!

Either that or I measure the current gap of each, and measure the current shim in each, then work out what what sizes I need, then put in an order for just them and then actually replace them. Long winded though, adn still £48 if they all need adjusting.


If I had a GSXR there is plenty to choose from on Ebay!! :(

Is there a cheaper way to do it? Or does anyone have a good selection of them they want to sell?

[michaelovitch]

just auto parts store !

vw dealer, volvo dealer.

it's a part used on vw golf so it's very common !

i did this job once and i've
measured the gap
,removed the old ones
,re used few ones at different places
and bought the necessary ones


i paid nothing because i gave mine wich i couldn't re use !

[v8volvo]

In Europe especially it should be easy to find a shim set somewhere. Any garage that works on older VWs and Audis ought to have a set. Maybe you can find a place where you can leave a deposit with them, and borrow or rent their set. It is not that difficult to do it as you describe, measuring the clearance exactly then figuring out what shims you need to get in order to set them all to spec, but it is much quicker and easier if you have a whole set with an assortment of sizes right there with you. Otherwise there is a long time period between when you take it apart and when it is done, or you have to take it apart twice.

You also need the tappet depressor tool (one for an Audi 5cyl, NOT for a 4cyl Rabbit/Jetta/Golf VW engine - they are different), and the shim pliers for removing the shims.

Remember that it is easiest to measure valve clearance for a given cylinder with that cylinder at TDC, but if you need to adjust any, then you have to rotate the engine a little ways in order to lower that piston so that the tappet can be depressed without the valve getting stopped by the piston being in the way. Have to be a little ways before or after TDC for easy shim replacement.

Last tip -- I always prefer to do valve adjustments with the engine completely cold. There are specs for both a cold engine and a warm engine, but how do you know what is "warm" -- and also if you start with a warm engine, then by the time you are halfway through the job the engine has cooled a bit and you don't know if all your measurements are the same. Easiest to work on it cold, so everything stays at a constant temp. Clearance spec for a cold engine is .15-.25mm for intake valves, .35-.45mm for exhaust. D24 firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4, you can adjust in that order. First three cylinders are exhausts in front then intakes in back, then for the rear three, it's the other way around.

[v8volvo]

One more thing -- if you don't already have the updated style 1-piece rubber valve cover gasket on yours, now would be a great time to put one on. Available through Volvo dealer or in Goetze brand from multiple different parts houses.

Don't forget to make sure all your valve cover studs are screwed all the way down into the head when you have the valve cover off, or you can end up with an oil leak that won't go away no matter how much you tighten the nuts, and sometimes if a stud is partway backed out it can even deform the valve cover. Worked on one D24T where the cover was warped enough that it had to be pounded flat again. Now I check that there are no loose studs anytime I have a valve cover off...

[ian2000t]

Can find pictures of the valve tool on internet (2574-1) but can't find one to buy anywhere. And I get the impression it won't be cheap if I do. Is there an alternative?

Already have the one peice rubber valve gasket - not from a Volvo dealer though - they couldn't tell me, without emailing Sweden (and never getting back to me), if it was the 1 peice rubber one they sell or not - so I got it from a local autospares place. has been re-used 2 times already now though, so should probably replace it again when I do the tappets.

Will try and hunt down an old VW shop (non-dealer) - can't think of any though - only know of aircooled VW specialists.

[v8volvo]

Volvo's catalog is screwy when it comes to those gaskets... the only kind they sell is the good rubber kind, but their catalog picture may still show the 4-piece cork type so sometimes the parts guys think they might have the wrong one... but if you buy a D24/T valve cover gasket from Volvo, no matter what their picture shows, the rubber one is the one you will get.

Yours probably is still OK to re-use again, unless it is leaking now. As long they aren't damaged by overtightening or other abuse, the rubber gaskets can be re-used many many times with no problems.

There's no alternative to the correct tool for this job. Again, though, any place that services older Audis (gassers or diesels) ought to have this tool so you may be able to get your hands on one that way if you ask nicely...

[ian2000t]

Ok, cheers for your help! Have found an Audi 5 pot engine builder - see if he replies! Are the shims the same as the Audi 5 pot shims aswell?

[IceV_760]

Not help to your problem, but what ill tell will touch your problem..

Guess twice who found today on "workplace" original 30-piece valve-shim set? And theres 27 different sizes
atleast 3 pieces, and atleast 1 of those last 3 sizes. And original tools to change valve-shims without
removing camshaft. What an treasure! Im even now still amazed about that!

[ian2000t]

Not help to your problem, but what ill tell will touch your problem..

Guess twice who found today on "workplace" original 30-piece valve-shim set? And theres 27 different sizes
atleast 3 pieces, and atleast 1 of those last 3 sizes. And original tools to change valve-shims without
removing camshaft. What an treasure! Im even now still amazed about that!

Fancy sharing the wealth?? ;)

[IceV_760]

I have to spare them, since im building my engine winter, started to haul parts already.
Since i have hydraulic head now on engine sitting in car, and ill buy mechanic version, have to start from zero with shims,
ie. dont have shims to start with, than those :) After ill get my head and adjust shims ill might be willing
to sell some of them.

[v8volvo]

Why do you want to put a solid lifter head on? More power? We never got the hydraulic ones here so I have never had a chance to see how they run.

I also scored an original Volvo shim set, and a Hazet depressor and K-D pliers a few years ago... I was happy. But yes, any VW or Audi shim will work, they are all the same. A machine shop that works on VW and Audi engines ought to have a pile of the shims around too. You should not have too much trouble finding those.

A member on here (TinMan) has a set of shims and a good Hazet depressor tool that he is selling... but he is here in the US so shipping would probably be prohibitive.

If you have found an Audi man, he will almost surely have what you need. Good luck!

[IceV_760]

v8volvo:

I want solid lifters for few reasons. To start, hydraulic lifters got stuck on these engines because
all little "trash" on oil, which these engines seems to form some amount.
And when these got stuck, like mine, they make an horrible noice ( imagine d24t's sound twice as sharp ).
When stucked, valve adjustments also are anything you can imagine, but not what intented.
They cost alot also. And stucked ones have broken cam's. So theres no benefit on hydraulics,
only "benefit" being they dont need adjustment, until they got stucked, and then theyll need replacing.
Solid lifters are what they are: needs adjusting sometimes, but theyll definitetly do the work as intented forever and ever.

EDIT: BTW! Biggest reason. Atleast on finland, are sold brand-new cylinder heads.
One with solid lifters and full ( including valves and everything you need to add to " raw head" )
costs 1160€, and with hydraulics costs 1360€. They are non inter-changeable also.