Aurelia valve train

[walt spak]

Hi,

I have restored several Aurelia 2.5 liter engines but I am just starting on my first early engine. It is a B-21 engine, 2.0 liter with in line valves. It has springs and spacers (Tav 8 - items 6 & 9) that appear to help the cam follower to return to the camshaft. These items were eliminated on later engines.

Does anyone have experiance with them? Should I eliminate them? Do they serve a purpose that I am not aware of?

I am interested in hearing from evereyone who has an opinion. Thank you.

Walt

[Sebastien]

Well, checking the parts book, they are still shown in the drawing for the B12 engine, and are still listed in the book for B20 engine until engine-N° 4600 and B24 engine until N° 1300. This means in my opinion that those items were mounted until the end of the 4th series, that is until end of 1955.
Maybe those parts were designed to reduce pushrod chatter? I cannot find another explanation for them.
I know the items and have them in my B12 spares, but do not think they are still used today after an engine rebuild.

[walt spak]

Sebastien,

Thank you for your response. Interestingly enough, I have worked on several 4th series engines and never saw these parts used in them. I know that some of them were never taken apart before.

I have heard that these parts are used to stop push rod chatter as you say, but I do not understand howthey would.

I am inclined to leave them out, but am hoping to hear first hand from those who have done so successfully.

Walt

[Steve Katzman]

I had always assumed they were an attempt to prevent or reduce lifter face wear. Since the change of lifter type (steel with oil holes on the bottom to chilled cast iron with holes on the side) coincides with the deletion of helper springs, that seemed good enough for me. My Spider motor, which had never been opened, had the original steel lifters and helper springs. When I rebuilt it, I used cast iron lifters on a hard faced cam, and left out the helpers. So far, so good.

Steve

[walt spak]

Steve,

Thanks. I think you have it right. From what I can tell, those springs are helpers to return the lifter to the cam.

Walt

[Norbert Dybus]

Hello Walt, Sebastien, Steve,

my own amateur opinion for what it's worth: Those springs help keeping the lifters in contact to the cam
when the engine is cold (max. valve clearance). A warm engine should have little clearance left I think.
My B12 engine (cylinder head casting date 24.12.54 !!!) has them togehter with the lifters with holes on the
surface area.

Another question concerning the valve train:
My rockers (inline valves, those rockers are smaller than B20 inline ones) have too much clearance ( 0.5 mm). I want to have
them machined, chromed and machined again to fit the mounting blocks again which are still round.
Has anybody done this (with succes)?

Norbert

[walt spak]

Norbert,

I believe you are correct about the purpose of the helper springs. I also believe that Steve is right that they are not needed with new style lifters.

I had six sets of rockers (late style B-24 & B-20) rebuilt several years ago. I had the blocks rebored to slightly oversize to insure that they were round. I then had the rockers "hard" chromed (industrial chrome) to a larger size and ground down to fit. I would be surprised if your blocks are not worn too.

Walt

[Norbert Dybus]

Dear Walt,

you are right of course. It makes little sense to leave the blocks as they are.
In germany at least it becomes more difficult to find the specialists needed. I have found someone for the chroming
but no one yet to grind them before and after the chrome.

Another Aurelia engine question in net Message.

Norbert

[michel gérard]

Bonjour M.Simon
Non, je ne vous parlerai pas de "valve train", mais encore de démarreur.
J'utilise cette voie pour vous contacter, car je n'ai pas pu trouver votre numéro de téléphone.
J'en suis toujours au même point, après avoir essayé tous les branchements possibles et imaginables. Le démarreur ne s'arrête plus, alors que sorti de la voiture, il fonctionne normalement. Est-ce que vous auriez par hasard un démarreur de réserve que je pourrai vous emprunter, histoire de pouvoir cerner la source du problème de manière plus précise?
Pourrais-je vous demander de bien vouloir me contacter soit au bureau 021 317 54 10 soit à la maison 021 729 91 81.

Au plaisir de vous revoir prochainement

Michel Gérard