cardo0

This poll is to address Comp Cams rocker nuts specificaly. I had 2 loosen right in front of me while breaking cam in and adjusting timing. These were brand new nuts that came along with my CC Magnum roller tipped rockers. "Matt" at CC replied to my email saying that he didn't trust locking nuts himself, prefers polylocks and the company is forced to sell the self-locking type rocker nuts due to clearance issues. I sense this is "Matts" personal view and not CC's full explaination.
BTW for a fix i'm using thin back-up nuts (any H W store) to double nut.

Any usefull experiences are welcome and please post even if with other manufactures as long as rocker arm fastener related. But please only use the poll if you use/used CC rocker self-locking nuts:

Did/Are you have/having problems with loose rocker arms?

Did/Are you have/having to frequently adjust valves/lifters?

Did/Are you have/having lifter noise?

Did/Do you have any wiped cam lobes?



cardo0

cardo0

I tried to back out of poll window to reformat and it posted anyways.
Well go ahead and lets hear what you have to say and maybe i'll try again with more information and a better format later.

cardo0

page62

In my case, no. No problems with the CC roller tips and the nuts that came in the box.

Are you using previously-used rocker studs? The self-locking nuts appear to wear the studs down somewhat. I'd suggest fresh studs when swapping rockers.

SanDiegoPaul

My crane roller rockers have polylocks on them ... and it's got 15K miles on it in almost three years w/out a problem.

cardo0

Page: i'm using brand new studs - don't know brand though.

SD Paul: thanks, good to hear/learn that 'bout poly locks.


cardo0

stingry

Cardo,

I am a big fan of Locktite. Once you get everything adjusted put a dot on th threads above the nuts. It will lock everything down. Use the blue. The red is a tad too agressive. Loosening red is like trying to get a pork chop back of a rotweiler!

I would get rid of that hardware store nut once you secure the main nut with locktie. That extra nut is one more thing to vibrate loose and screw up your valve train. Thats my 2 cents anyway.

cardo0

Locktie sounds like a good idea if can trust your first adjustment and let it set up overnight. And i could see setting lifters/vlvs using the double nuts and then after shutting down removing nuts and adding the locktite - hopfully the bottom won't move.

It just that i've never had a double nutted set loosen up once tightened. Like on the clutch pedal operating rod clutch adjustment.

Ever use CC locking nuts stingry? cardo0

stingr69

I have used the CC prevailing torque nuts that come with the rockers numerous times and never had a problem.

Had one bad CC rocker arm once but it was visibly obvious once out of the package and Jegs took care of it ASAP.

-Mark.

cardo0

Thx stingr69. This puts CC in the lead with 2 good sets to 1 bad.
cardo0

cardo0

I know there's plenty of CC Magnums out there.

Lets hear from those with wiped cams too.

cardo0

LiveandLetDrive

CompCams polylocks on stock rockers, mild cam. I like them, never had one loosen up, they're always good and tight when I go to check them. In other words, I check them more out of paranoia than need.

-Chris

73jst4fun

Using CC roller tip rockers and poly locks here also with no problems....

cardo0

Thx for input guys.
Now we know the Poly-locks are a good set-up. And i can recall using them years ago on my GTO. Don't recall any tappet noise from my CC Magnum rockers back then though now i have some - this is after resetting vlvs with double nuts.

Need more run time to prove whats really the problem. I hate to remove my intake as its sealed up soo well and the engine runs great other than the vlv train noise.

I'm in denial here on my cam with wiped lobes as i caught only 2 rockers where loose in less than 45 min of run time - including cam breakin. Tried to measure lobe lift with intake on - not!
So i measured compression and the cylinders with the loose rockers - #3exh & #5intk - had lower compression than the other cylinders. And if those lobes where reduced those cyls should read higher compression (per D. Vizard).

So anyone with continuous tappet noise jump in and explain. Only at idle rpm? Noise at hi rpm too? Bleed down lifters? Crane Hi-Intensity lifters by chance? C'mon in.
cardo0

WayneLBurnham

I had this problem too. The things would occassionally seem to jsut need resetting (this is under 1K miles - and the motor has some unrelated problem and is down right now.) It seemed to go away and hold tight after the first week or so, but my problem was really right after I set the main nut and then screwed down the internal set screw to lock it. I would check it again and the pushrod was turning too freely! I adapted to it by turning the standard 3/4 turn past zero lash, instead of the 1/2 turn I always felt safer with (sooner have a rare odd clatter on startup or low oil than a bottomed out hyd roller lifter.)

The third neat thing about stud girdles (I don't know WHY I never used them before!) is they act as a SECOND rocker arm nut locker, once you tighten them down after adjusting the lifters. The second neat thing, of course, is they also deflect oil when you want to watch the valve train running with the covers off for a few moments - it still builds up and pours over the bottom lip onto the header, but at least it doesn't squirt everywhere!

(A fourth neat thing is they will often hold pieces of a broken valve train together for a minute, preventing more catestrophic problems from debris.)

cardo0

I'm think'n your right Wayne in that the vlv train needs some time to break-in/wear-in. And i used only a 1/2 turn tight also - now considering adjusting again to 3/4 turn tight like you recommend. Just never had this trouble before and expected to break-in cam, set timing and go.
I'm guessing the Crane Hi-Intesity lifters have a little higher leakdown and maybe a little soft on the preload. But man those 2 loose rockers were a scare. And #3exh was so loose that i could nearly spin the rocker 360* - but can still measure most of #3exh lobe lift even with intk on (got within .060"). A rocker that loose would have lost much, much more lobe lift than that. My Ouji board is still pointing at the rocker nuts.
BTW i've installed double nuts, will monitor them and have used them before with success. Stud girddles, though not very expensive, look really cool but are a bit overkill for my application. Kinda like using big slicks on a 17 sec car.
cardo0

ltlevil

What kind of cam, what pressure on springs and are you using screw in studs? Also, did you make these changes because of a problem? Alot of times people put a stiffer set of springs on a set of pressed in studs and the studs can actually jack out of the heads. Another thing is as mentioned above is the threads can deteriorate over time and leave the nuts loose enough to back off. I used a set of magnum roller tips for about a year on another motor I had and did not have any problems. I would put a straight edge across the tops of the studs to make sure some haven't backed out, then I would run a regular 3/8-24 nut down the stud (without rocker arm and pivot ball in place) to the approximate area where it would normally set and feel to see if it wobbles. Hope this helps.

Yellow73SB

Try green . Are you sure you setup them right?Ive never had any problems with mine.

cardo0

Well my profile stills says World Products heads which all come with screw in studs - and mine are still nice and tighty (no wobbles). My Crane Energizer cam (hyd flat with < .5 lift) is still there in my profile too. And i did mention the locking nuts where brand new as is the entire head/vlv train.

But u say u used CC Mag tips for a year without problems. But what locking nuts did u use? CC or reuse Chevy or Pioneer? This i can add to the poll numbers.

I'm sure u want to help but i'm really interested in those CC locking nuts right now.
cardo0

cardo0

U can see in my post #15 i used 1/2 turn preload - that would be while on the cam's base circle of course.
U do know what lifter preload is, don't u?

U never had any problem with your CC rocker locking nuts? Or maybe it was it something else like never any vlv train noise or loose rockers. Or how many sets of CC Mag rockers have u used and how long? I could use this in the poll.

cardo0

Yellow73SB

didnt read that post :o