valve adjustment, radio, rear windows, engine pics

[hyochem]

three questions
1. what is the correct way to adjust the little valve clearance wheels on the rockers, do you just put all of the dots in the same place?
2. does anyone have original instructions on the optional equipment radio on a 69 2800 cs (i have no idea how to work it)
3. my rear (electric) windows do not work. i can hear the motors click very faintly so i know they are getting power. thanks for your help on the other posts, you guys really know these cars well.

also... if someone who has dual webers (like mine) could post a couple pics of the engine bay and specifically the distributor setup so i could know how everything goes together that woul be very helpful. thanks!

 

[x_atlas0]

I can help with #3:

The problematic part in these windows is the transmission. The motors, as you have heard, work. The transmissions are a worm gear and large gear combo. The problem is, the large gear is made of soft platic which will deform over time due to lack of use. The deformation means the gear won't turn correctly when force is applied to the worm gear, meaning your windows are stuck shut. There are a couple of options:
1. Try to unstick your windows by removing the interior panel and turning the rubber connection between the motor and the transmission by hand. (or if you are lucky, you have a tool for it in the tool kit)
2. Drilling out the teeth of the gear so you can get the window down, and find a new transmission
3. Drill the gear out and replace the motor and transmission with ones from an E28. (E28 rear motors only)

 

[velocewest]

Valve to rocker clearance has to be adjusted with a feeler gauge to get the correct clearance -- .010" to .012" -- at each valve's full closed position when the engine is cold. This means you go one valve at a time, turning the engine over manually to get the valve in the correct position for setting the clearance. It's about a 20 minute job once you've done it a few times.

Best bet is to pick up a shop manual of some variety. Any shop manual for an e9, e3, e12, e24 or e28 will contain the instructions for doing the valve adjustment.

Before you take the drill to your rear windows, take the interior panels off and clean and relube the lift mechanism. It's packed with 30 year old grease that has turned to the consistency of cold candle wax. Then take out the motors, disassemble them, clean all the rust out of the winding and magnets and lube them up good with TV tuner lube (Radio Shack, baby). Clean all the wire connections with a wire brush or some fine sand paper and coat them with dielectric grease or TV tuner lube before reassembly.

No doubt the power transfer is a weak link, but the reason the gears fail is that people don't clean and lube before they try to force the windows to move. My 1970 vintage windows run up and down smooth and fast with the original motors and gears.

 

[Honolulu]

windows stick

when they run full tilt into the body in either up or down direction.

There are little "rubber baby buggy bumpers" on the window regulator mechanism so that the windows come to a soft stop rather than jamming into the body. If yours are gone this may be the problem.

There is a hole in the side panels (inside) that you can get your finger on the gear and manually lower the window. Although it's real slow, once the glass is moved about a quarter inch, the window is probably free enough for the motor to move it.

Like Velocewest said, though, gummed up regulator mechanisms need to be thoroughly cleaned. It's amazing how freely they will move once clean. This goes for door latch mechanisms too.

 

[hyochem]

great! thanks guys, i will follow your directions and get them running tonight. hopefully the engine will run tonight too. it turns out the valves have all been adjusted except for one that was missing the little bolt that holds the eccentric wheel in place. i'll have to adjust that tonight and put the distributor in right. correct me if im wrong, but to have the distributor in correctly i simply put the engine at no. 1. T.D.C. by matching the mark on the pulley with the mark on the engine and then matching the marks on the distributor. i dont want to mess anything up by having that incorrect... is that the correct method?