Valve Clearance Adjustment - 2E Engine

[dr. d]

if the manual says to adjust them while hot, then that's what you do. if it says adjust cold, then that's what you do. if it says you can adjust hot or adjust cold, then you have a choice. and "cold" means at least 8 hours of non-use, while "hot" means normal operating temperature, which can last quite a while after you turned off the engine.. more than enough time for a decent clearance job.
the designers have a good reason why they instruct you to adjust hot. obviously, they do not think highly of your cold-to-hot conversions.
and why not have a compression test? it can give you an idea on the condition of your piston rings.
btw, sometimes, when the apposing surfaces are pitted, un-even, or not perfectly perpendicular to the long axis, there is no way you can properly adjust to the correct clearance. you have to get them to be smooth-surfaced first. sometimes, it's too far gone, you have to replace... come to think of it, i wonder what the condition of your mating surfaces is...
my 86 centavos' worth..