how to a d j u s t i n g t app e t s
Adjusting
tappets
there’s not much that needs regular adjustment on a VW engine,
but the valve clearances do. It’s easy once you know how
Here’s what you’ll find under
your rocker covers. And yes,
it should be covered in a
thin film of oil like this
A
djusting the
tappets on any
air-cooled VW
is a relatively
straightforward procedure,
but it’s one that many people
You’ll also hear this
either fear or simply don’t
bother doing. Once you’ve
got your head around the
process though, you’ll find
it comes as second nature.
Remember though, it must
only ever be done with the
engine stone cold, so if you’ve
driven your car that day, leave it
until tomorrow to do this job.
We’ve only shown half the
process here as it’s exactly the
same for the other two cylinders
on the other side of the engine,
just remember to turn the engine
180-degrees anti-clockwise
between each cylinder.
Just so you know what you’re
dealing with, the tappets are
the parts that operate the inlet
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and exhaust valves and allow
a carefully calculated amount
of valve lift. Hence why you’ll
also hear this job referred to as
job referred to as
setting your valve
clearances
setting your valve clearances.
On a stock engine they should
be checked regularly and set to
Tappet
clearances
According to VW, pre-1971 air-cooled engines should
run 0.004-inch clearance, with the engine stone cold.
Post-1971 engines should be set to 0.006-inch.
the factory settings every 3000
miles for optimum performance
as if the tappet gap is allowed
to stretch, valve lift will be
decreased and performance
will suffer. Plus your engine
will sound like a bucket
of nails being rattled.
Alternatively, if the tappet
gap closes, the valve will be
lifted off its seat, which will
soon damage the valve and
valve seats. In short, keep
on top of tappet adjustment and
your Beetle will run happily
ever after (hopefully…).
Cost:
Approx £2
Time taken:
1/2 hour - 1 hour
Difficulty:
@@
Tools used:
flat blade screwdriver, 13
and 21mm spanners, feeler
gauges, Tippex
Never be tempted to re-use old
rocker cover gaskets, buy two
new ones before you start the job
Top
t ip
Once you’ve found the TDC
notch on the pulley clearly mark
it with Tippex, then mark it at
180-degrees from there as well
This clever tool called a
Clickadjust is available from Frost
Auto Restoration Techniques
(see www.frost.co.uk) and makes
doing this job a doddle
 how to a d j u s t i n g t app e t s

05 If the
gap is
incorrect, loosen
the 13mm lock nut
and adjust the valve
gap by screwing
the adjuster either
in or out. Here’s
where the third
hand comes in
handy as you need
to check the valve
clearance with the
feeler gauge while
you re-tighten the
nut. Do both the
inlet and exhaust
valve on no.1 in the
same way

06 Once you’re
happy with

01 Pop off the dizzy cap, then rotate the engine by the top pulley nut until
no.1 piston is at TDC. This is when the rotor arm lines up with the notch
in the body of the dizzy and when the notch in the lower pulley lines up with the
both valve clearances on
no.1 piston, rotate the
crankshaft anti-clockwise
centreline of the crankcase (see close up pic of pulley on the opposite page) by 180 degrees, until
that second mark you
made on the pulley (see
top tip) lines up with the
crankcase centreline

Q: How often
should I check the tappets?
A: Every 3000 miles, so why
not do it each time you
change your engine oil?

ENGINE
02 Now remove the rocker cover for no.1 and 2 pistons (the right hand
side looking into the engine bay) by prying the spring clip down with a
screwdriver or pry bar

03 Be prepared
for a small
amount of oil to
trickle out of the
cover and cylinder
head. Try not to let
it drip all over the
exhaust below

Q: Can I use a
cigarette paper or some
card to set my tappets?
07 Returning to the same side underneath the car, you now have to repeat
the process on the no.2 valves – the two nearest the crank pulley end

A: No, you tight-fisted git,

buy some feeler gauges
and do the job right!

04 No 1
cylinder
is to be checked
first – that’s the
one on the right
hand bank nearest
the flywheel. Feel
for movement
by hand first and
then insert the
feeler gauge and
check for further
movement.

[NB You’ll note

here that these
are bolt-up rocker
shafts, just to show
you the process
doesn’t vary]
08 With the tappets on pistons no.1 and 2 adjusted, clean your rocker cover
and fit a new gasket. If you have any trouble keeping it in place while
you re-fit the cover, try a couple of small blobs of Vaseline or similar

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