Atomic4 valve adjustment

[denisla]

Hi there,

i have an ericson 35 MKII,

I pulled the head out already.

Space is limited but not so bad where i am thinking of doing the valve jobs in place.



can it be done in the boat?

where can i find the proper tool for the spring?

Any other recommendations?

thank you.

[ronstory]

Welcome to the forum. The subject says adjustment but the body seems to indicate you want to do a valve job.

Clarification appreciated. ;^)

[jcwright]

Hello denisla.

The spring compression tool is available in the MMI catalog. Here is the link to the tool:

https://moyermarine.com/product/valve-spring-compressing-tool-tool_02_165/

Hopefully others who are familiar with your boat can offer advice on doing the job without moving the engine.

Jack.

[sastanley]

Paging Dave Neptune!!! (He owned an E-35 for many years, he will have all kinds of tricks up his sleeve..)

The PO of my boat reinforced the valve tool with a small brace to strengthen the 90° fixed part of the tool. Not sure if it is necessary, but I am guessing he bent the tool, hence the reinforcement.

[jcwright]

FWIW, I also damaged my tool when trying to compress the springs. I see in my notes this comment from Don on a possible cause of this problem:

"Over the years, varnish in the oil will occasionally "glue" the valve keepers inside the retaining washer and be quite difficult to remove them in worst cases, but you should not have to use heat. All I've ever had to do is pry the retaining washer up using a really big screwdriver (or some other pry bar) using the bottom of the valve chamber opening as a fulcrum while tapping the valve down from on top with a medium sized mallet. Once the keepers come free of the retaining washer they will fall out. Don"

I hope @denisla can avoid the mistake I made of thinking the tool itself just needed to be 'forced' more.

jack.

[ronstory]

the other trick to not damage the tool is make sure the valve you want to remove is closed. This means the spring is not compressed and it puts less stress on the removal tool to compress the spring just enough to release the retainers.

Don't ask why I know this.

[ronstory]

Denisla--

Also, check out this thread by Rigspelt, great info and handy images.

https://www.moyermarineforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2927

[Dave Neptune]

Nice boat. If you have the engine under the dinette it's not to bad.

I made a spring collapsing tool out of a big C-clamp. I used the threaded end over the valve and cut a notch into to other end to clear the retainers. I have very strong hands and when frustrated with working the tool I actually collapsed many of the springs by hand. I don't really recommend this unless you have really tough hands. I did not replace the springs as it is a direct drive so the RPM's are far lower that the rated 3500.

Spraying the retainers with a bit of carb or brake cleaner a few times then a bit of w WD-40 or some kind of Liquid Wrench can often loosen the varnish for easier removal. Do spray the exposed valve stem as the liquids will run down the valve stem as well as from the bottom. Let them soak for a day or two if you can.

As far as access I did a mod to my engine box which made a huge difference. I worked with F/G a lot so I glassed the corners on the inside and removed the wood braces at the top of the box. That was wort while as it really eased access to the engine all the way around. There are a few pics on this site of the engine so you can see what I did.

Dave Neptune