PEUGEOT 205 VALVE CLEARANCES
Q
I own a 1984 Peugeot 205 which my father originally bought new. The car runs well and is in generally good condition, but the engine is more ‘tappety’ than I would like when it is hot. ( There is no noise when it is cold.) As I have access to the entire service history for this car, it would seem that the valve clearances have never been adjusted, so this is probably the reason for the noise which is definitely coming from the area of the rocker cover.
However, as I’m sure you are aware, this car is fitted with the Peugeot-Renault ‘suitcase’ engine which is canted over towards the bulkhead so that the rocker cover is in very close proximity to it, with very little clearance. According to the Haynes manual, the adjustment procedure is straightforward by means of a locknut and setscrew and can be done in-situ. However, access really is very poor, particularly for the exhaust valve adjustment which is the most critical.
Practical information for maintenance of this engine seems very hard to come by these days, so I would appreciate any advice you can provide as to how I can make this adjustment accurately. The actual engine variant is coded XY7, it is a 1360cc single carburettor unit and the car has covered about 45,000 miles. The engine oil is the specified 10W/40 grade, but of course these days it is semi-synthetic rather than mineral.
AThe job is, as you say, a little tricky as the access is tight. The book time for the job is under an hour, which may be a little optimistic given the position. The adjustment is as you have discovered the locknut and setscrew, and the settings I have for this engine are 0.10mm for the inlet and 0.25mm for the exhaust. Thankfully these are to be set cold, which – given the position – does make it easier.
The first step is to remove the spark plugs and leads, and also the ducting from the exhaust to the air filter. After removing the spark plugs, cover the area with a cloth to prevent anything dropping into the opening. As the job does involve reaching across the engine, I would cover the area with a towel or sheet too to help prevent catching yourself on any of the external engine components, and also to help prevent causing damage. You may also want to remove the heater hose running across the top which will give more room for the rocker cover to exit. If you do, ensure that the coolant is drained before the rocker cover is removed.
I am sure you do intend to use a new gasket on the rocker cover, and this should also come with the washers for the securing bolts. When removing the rocker cover bolts, you will find that once the bolts are undone, they can stay in the cover and then the cover along with the bolts can be manoeuvred up and out.
As you lay over the engine to check and adjust the valve clearances, you will see why I advise covering the engine with a sheet or towel. Before carrying out the adjustment though, I would clean the rocker cover, and then using a contact adhesive fit the new gasket. This will then have time to dry and should be firmly in place before the reassembly.
The adjustment method I have is to adjust both valves on each cylinder when on the overlap, so with cylinder number 1 rocking, adjust cylinder number 4, with cylinder 3 rocking adjust cylinder number 2, with cylinder 4 rocking adjust cylinder 1 and with cylinder 2 rocking adjust cylinder 3. I will add that I once maintained a Talbot Solara on which adjusting the valve clearances was a similar task. After five years of ownership with the engine rattling, the car moved on to the owner’s son. He invested in having the valve clearances adjusted, and the engine from that point on sounded much sweeter.