Unpopular opinion: the old school way of setting overheads on a 12-valve Cummins is a waste of time now

I used to spend a whole afternoon with a feeler gauge and a dial indicator, getting everything just right. After a rebuild on a '97 Dodge in the shop last month, I just used the go/no-go method with the new composite gasket. Took under an hour and it runs perfect. Anyone else just skip the full procedure on these older engines now?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_brian12d ago

Our shop switched to go/no-go years ago.

wells.karen11d ago

Yeah, because people treat them like hammers. I've seen guys lean their whole weight on a no-go end trying to make it fit, then blame the gauge when the part fails inspection. It's a pass/fail tool, not a persuader. If it doesn't go, the part is junk. All those chewed up ends just prove some folks can't accept that.

henderson.avery12d ago

That reminds me of a place I worked where we had this one ancient go/no-go gauge for a specific bore... it was basically a metal rod with a worn red handle. The "no-go" end was so chewed up from people forcing it you could barely tell the difference.