Posted by Daryl Hickman on January 10, 2001 at 13:17:09:
In Reply to: Re: Valve Alignment posted by Fred on January 10, 2001 at 10:30:03:
Yes, the downstroke can be checked by pulling a slide (usually the 2nd) and seeing if the ports align when the valve is depressed. If they don't, the felt underneath the fingerbutton is either too thin or too thick. However, the upstroke - the position the valve is in when not depressed - will change before the downstroke. The constant pressure that the spring applies to the cork and/or felt underneath the valve cap will cause it to compress or wear out. This can be checked by removing an adjacent valve and slipping a small dental mirror in to check the upstroke alignment. An easy method is to remove the first and third valves, place the mirror down one and shine a flashlight down the other. Take a look down the mirror (you'll blind yourself looking at the light :-)) and voila, there you have it.