I always thought the old-school feeler gauge was fine for setting valves, but a dial indicator changed the game

I was doing a valve adjustment on a Honda K24 last week, and for years I just used my trusty feeler gauge set. My buddy lent me his dial indicator setup, and the difference was huge. The feeler gauge method felt like a guess compared to seeing the exact thousandth of an inch lift on the dial. I got the lash perfect on the first try, and the engine idles smoother now. Anyone else made the switch and have a favorite brand for those dial indicator bases?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotablack25d ago

Seeing the exact thousandth on the dial is a whole different world. I had a similar moment with an old straight six, but it was with timing. Used a timing light for years, then a friend showed me how to read the actual marks on the crank pulley with a simple pointer. Felt like I'd been doing it blind.

alice_wright3625d ago

Yeah, that feeling of seeing it directly is huge. @dakotablack, I had the same thing happen when I finally learned to set valve lash by feel with the engine running. It just clicks in a way the book method never did for me. Makes you trust your hands more, I guess.

the_stella18d ago

Watched a buddy finally see piston ring end gap with a feeler gauge instead of just reading the spec.