Method of setting the ball travel of a valve-lash-adjusting element

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of setting the ball travel of a valve-closing body, designed as valve ball (6), of a control valve (7) of a hydraulic valve-lash-adjusting element which has a plunger (1) with a plunger head (2) and a central bore (3) in the same, a valve seat (5) being provided at the outer end (4) of this central bore (3), this valve seat (5) being controlled by a valve ball (6), the ball travel of which is limited by a valve cap (8) which has a cap flange (9) and a cap base (11), the cap flange (9) resting with its bearing surface (10) on a base (17) of a recess (13) of the plunger head (2), and a stop (12) of the cap base (11) serving as a travel limit for the valve ball (6). The identical ball travel of the valve balls (6), which is so important for the operating behaviour of the internal combustion engine and for the wear and noise behaviour of its valve train, is achieved in that, after an internal depth dimension (a) of the valve cap (8) has been measured, this internal depth dimension (a) extending from the bearing surface (10) of the cap flange (9) up to the stop (12) of the cap base (11), and after a projecting dimension (b) of a measuring ball (16), lying in the valve seat (5), relative to the base (17) of the recess (13) has been measured, a calculated value of the ball travel (c=a−b) is determined, and in that, after that, a matched valve ball (6) having the ball diameter required for the desired ball travel is selected from a number of valve balls of different, known diameter and is fitted together with the measured plunger (1) and the measured valve cap (8). The measured actual values of the ball travel of the valve balls (6) can also be corrected by subsequently pressing the valve caps (8) in a controlled manner.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.