450 SL in Denmark

Hi all,

Yesterday I checked all the valves and it turned out that 5 valves needed adjustment. One exhaust valve could not be tightened any longer, which means that it has a 0,05mm larger gap than it should. The first impression is that the extent of puffing out of the exhaust has notably gone down. Now there is only an occasional "puff", maybe every 10th second, whereas it was almost always there prior to the valves being adjusted. I guess it means that I need to change the thrust washer (bigger, I presume?) which should allow me to tighten the valve a bit more and hopefully get rid of the remaining puffing. I wonder whether it is complex to change this washer. Any experience from you guys?

Anyway, since this is the first time I've adjusted the valves myself, I'm pretty satisfied with the result.

The issue with stuttering at lower rpm seems to be the same, i.e. unaffected by the valve adjustment. Now I need to mobilise the courage to pull the distributor, dismantle it, clean and lubricate and go through the hassle of setting the dwell.  

Best, Peter

Hi Peter,

you are getting closer to solving your engine issues! Youcan be proudof yourself.