38racing wrote:No, the OP has a 281707 with hard cranking and his intake valve clearance is above spec. I'm suggesting a new valve as I had exactly same problem on same engine. Another poster insists that I need to look at the service manual because he claims it has the mechanical release on it.
Ahhh, Now the rest story is there.
I looked up the 281707 series which had the 212897 cam that is superseded to the 697668. You're right no mechanical release other than the cam lobe bump. Suggest to the other poster to look up the engine's camshaft and view the online images. Clearly no other ACR device in use. Don't personally know if it is on the IN or EX lobe but larger than normal clearance will cause problems of hard starting. Must have ground/file the valve stem too much or the cam lobe is worn down. This I have seen where lobes are badly worn. May be able lap the valve and seat back into normal clearance if it was a filing error; otherwise, I would check the overall lift by inserting a feeler gauge to remove the clearance temporary for checking the amount of lift. It may even that just the bump is worn down. This something you can do while checking the lift by looking for the bump.
Some posters are hard headed at times especially they think know what they are talking about but haven't check their facts.
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