Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx - Bill Garland's Nuclear ...

shims held in the valve depressor. The valve depressor
looks like an inverted straight sided bucket, and the
shim snaps into the shallow (up) end. Under each valve
depressor there is a little rubber cushion which serves to
take the "click" out of the actuation of the valve. This
little rubber cushion is called either a "husher" or "valve
absorber" depending on who your are talking to. These
hushers snap into the valve keeper. The rubber looses
its elasticity over time and heat, and you get noticeable
valve noise.
Worn vs New Valve Husher
The husher is a rubber flange shaped device that sits on
and around the top of the valve stem which keeps the
stem and lifter from clattering against each other. The
actual valve stem seal is located on intake vales and is
on the guide and under the spring---more difficult to
reach. If you start to hear some valve noise in your car
and it is high mileage, you might want to seriously think
Valve Husher in Place on Valve Stem
about replacing these little rubber hushers. They are
inexpensive and do not change your valve clearance.
Your engine will be quieter too. To change, first remove
the cam. If all you are doing is replacing the little
hushers, just remove the valve adjustment discs and
keep track of which valve they go to. Be sure to clean
out the buckets which slip over the valve
and remove all the husher pieces before
reassembling and installing new
hushers. Your clearance will not change,
but measure if you like. You are only Hylomar
inserting a rubber shock absorber not modifying the cam or lifter. However, if you have new HPF Sealant
hushers installed it makes it tough to feel properly with a feeler gauge, although they will on Bearing
compress down after a few minutes of hot operation and the valve clearance will revert to Caps
normal. I complete the valve clearance process before I install the new hushers. Do not
overtighten the cam bearings -- 14 lbs only. You might use some Hylomar sealant between the
front cam bearing caps to eliminate oil seepage.
Valve Adjustment on 95 960? [Inquiry:] Seems to be some valve clatter in my 960 wagon. It has 50 k on it.
Do these engines need valve adjustments? [Response: Zippy] No, hydraulic lifters as used in Volvos are not
adjustable. You might be hearing some lifter noise as the lifters pump up with oil. I wouldn't worry about it as
long as it goes away once the engine warms up.
Cam Replacement. [Tips from Dick Riess] A cam can be easily pulled in an hour, but reassembly takes me a
lot longer, probably an extra 2 hours. I like to make sure everything is clean and checked prior to assembly.
Tips: Attack as if you are changing a cam belt, even better, when you are changing the belt. That way you can
renew all 3 front seals and the tensioner, if required. Remove distributor, cap and rotor first. Remove valve
cover. There are 10- 13 mm nuts that hold the cam down. Release each bolt approx. 2-3 turns and keep doing
this till they are all loose. Make sure you record the order in which the bearing caps are removed: they are
different and need to be replaced in the same order. The cam should gradually lift the cam caps as the nuts are
released. Now is the time to clean and check the rubber stem tip seals under the lifter. The lifters are like an
upside down can and come out easily. Pick out the old stem tip seals, install new. Clean inside of lifters.