SBC Valve Ajustment

[Miles]

I just had the camel hump heads on my SBC rebuilt. I also installed new lifters with assembly lube and spun the oil pump with a drill before starting the adjustment.

 

For the installation of the head and adjusting the valves I found several posts explaining how to do a hot valve adjustment. I cut open some old valve covers and installed them and then warmed up the engine and went around slackening each valve until it clacked followed by tightening until the clacking was gone. Then I tightened the rocker 1/4 turn. I did this twice and the valves are still clicking.

 

I had to have the engine idle at about 1500 -2000 RPM to keep it runinng at first. I am a bit paranoid to keep tightening the rockers.

 

Should I slacken all of the lifters and start over or just hunt around for the clickers and tighten them? Is it possible that the new lifters are sticking? In one of the posts I read that GM makes a product called EOS that works well to unstick lifters.

 

I recall from an old post that there is a device that fits on the rocker to suppress oil from spraying while doing a hot valve adjustment. Who sells them?

 

I goosed the throttle a few times and the engine revs fast and sounds good with no bogging or strange sounds.

 

Miles

[280Z28]

You do have hydraulic lifters right?

 

It sounds like you did things right. Tightening them more won't solve the problem. Also, some valvetrain noise is always going to be present with a more aggressive cam profile.

 

Could be a stuck lifter. Someone else would be better than me at answering that though.

[Miles]

Yep, hydraulics. Any harm running it for a while to see if it might be a stuck lifter? The PO claims he put a performance ERSON cam in when he rebuilt the engine.

 

Thanks

MIles

[280Z28]

Yep' date=' hydraulics. Any harm running it for a while to see if it might be a stuck lifter? The PO claims he put a performance ERSON cam in when he rebuilt the engine.

 

Thanks

MIles[/quote']

 

There's definitely a risk of harm if the stuck lifter is preventing oil from reaching a rocker.

[Paz8]

Are the push rods new? If not, did you check them for a bent rod before installing. I doubt if a new lifter is bad, when adjusting you need to turn the rocker nut down very slowly to allow the lifter to bleed out oil, you can hear the engine slow down a bit. Recheck the ones that are clacking, no point in doing them all if you did it right the first time.

[jnjdragracing]

I guess these are stock valve train items, like rocker arms. If so I would let the engine idle and loosen each rocker up until it starts to click. Do all of them that way. Let it idle awhile about 10 minutes if possible, this will allow the lifters to pump up, Then tighten them one by one until the clicking stops. Once you go through all of the rockers that way then tighen to 1/4 turn. You will be able to tell because the engine should slow down some. If you continue to hear clicking make sure you installed the rocker arm assembly correctly. You should have a cup that goes in the rocker, tappered side down, this is if you are using stock rocker arms.

 

How is your oil pressure ? I assume okay, idling around 30psi?

 

If it was mine I would of bought anti-pumpup lifters, they do not need to be pumped up.

 

Hope this helps......

 

 

John