How to Adjust the Valves in a 3208 CAT

Caterpillar, Inc., is currently the largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, industrial gas turbines and diesel and natural gas engines in the world. Among the models of diesel engines they offer is the 3208, a variety especially designed to be incorporated with marine vehicles. Like all engines, it requires regular maintenance, including cleaning and adjustment of the valves, in order to maintain peak efficiency over the course of its lifetime.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean cloth
  • Screwdriver
  • Gasket cement
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean around the valve with a clean cloth.

    • 2

      Unscrew the screws and remove the washers that are holding the valve cover in place.

    • 3

      Remove the valve cover and the spring from the valve's housing. Remove the diaphragm assembly, inner sleeve and gasket from the housing and disassemble the diaphragm assembly.

    • 4

      Clean all of the parts of the valve thoroughly, and inspect each one for wear or damage.
      Replace any part that needs it.

    • 5

      Reassemble the diaphragm assembly, coating both sides of the diaphragm with gasket cement in order to prevent cracking. Install the diaphragm with the face marked “piston face” facing the piston.

    • 6

      Coat the gasket with gasket cement and install it against the rear face of the inner sleeve.

    • 7

      Reinsert the completed diaphragm assembly in the valve housing.

    • 8

      Install the spring and valve cover. Put the screws and washers that hold the cover back into place to complete your valve adjustment.