Cousins,

I got quite a few cam adjustment shims from the Pick'nPull last weekend in preparation for a few valve adjustments. The Bentley manual says to put the "number" side down. Does anyone know if you can flip the shims to get "virgin" surfaces? Or, to put it another way, is the hardening on both sides?

Some of the shims I got have some wear marks (actually more like stains - the surface seems to be smooth and has no pits...).

A lot of shims don't have numbers. But there is an obvious up side and an a down side- I believe one side is harder. The only reasonot reject a shim is if it is really scored or worn.

Valve adjustment is a matter of math.

You need a micrometer or a measuring caliper. Since you have a handfull of shims you might have the ones you'll need. Check the valve clearances

If any are off, note by how much. Remove that shim. Measure it with the caliper. Do the math. Measure the ones you have at hand. If you've got the right one --- lucky.

You can usually get a garage that services Volvo's to sell you the shims you need.

Putting the numbered side down makes it a lot easier to figure out what you've got next time you do an adjustment. If the wear surface is good, point it up - if it's bad, chuck it. The shims are not terribly expensive and there's no guarantee that you plucked the sizes you'll need when you do the adjustment. Murphy's law says you'll need at least one shim for the job that you don't have in your hand. Don't forget that you might be able to use a couple from your own engine in another spot.

Well, only one of the 14 shims I got at Pick'nPull had any numbers left on it. Anyone else had any experience with this? What DOES the dealer get for these shims?