So I just went to start my rebuild with the new aluminum heads installed and have found that there is zero compression on all cylinders.
The engine is assembled and consists of the following:
350 crate engine bored 0.040 over
Flowtek 102-505 aluminum heads
Proform 66892C Pushrods
Competition Cams 1417-16 Magnum Self Aligning 1.52 ratio Rocker arms.

When I had swapped out the heads that had cracked earlier in the year for a quick summer fix I had used some old 1970 era heavy build heads and installed them and adjusted the stock pushrods and rocker arms by adjusting the rods to the point of no free turn and then rotating the crank 90 degrees and then going through all the pushrods again. I did this for 8 complete revolutions of the crank and had good compression on the cylinders and it ran just fine.

When I installed the new aluminum heads and all the new push rods and rocker/roller arms I performed the same sequence of tightening all the rods as I rotated the engine 90 degrees and then 45 degrees for all rods.
When I was done the nuts on the threaded stud did seem to be down a lot further on the threads than had been on the stock install however I attributed that to the new set up and the fact that the rods were longer due to the aluminum heads and the spacer below the rocker arm stud.

With no compression in the cylinders ( I should have checked before completing the install of the intake manifold in hind sight) It is obvious that the valves are in the open position at all times.
Does anyone have a better method of doing the install and are there any methods that would allow me to do it without having to rip out the intake manifold again??

Tired and frustrated but not going to give up.

Thanks,
Ken

 

There are several right-enough ways to adjust the rocker arm nuts. Here is how I would do it:

- Back off the nuts until all rockers are loose

- Bring the engine to TDC on the #1 cylinder
- Spin the push rod with your fingers while slowly tightening the adjusting nut.
- By feel, note when there is just beginning to be resistance to spinning the pushrod
- Tighten the adjusting 1/2 - 3/4 turn more

- Rotate the engine 90* and repeat the above 4 steps for #8 cylinder,
- Rotate 90* more and repeat for #4 cylinder

-etc, etc, etc.....

 

What are the cam shaft specs.?

 

This doesn't work for me.

Instead, I rattle the rocker arm up and down, and tighten until the rocker just stops moving.

I expect the OP tightened them until he could not turn the pushrods, which is WAY too tight.

 

My method requires a sensitive touch to detect the subtle change in rotational friction of the pushrod. It's not for everyone.

Your method works for you. That's great.

 

yup, it's one of those things that doesn't translate from written word, to someone else doing it.

I hope rattling the rocker arm translates a little better?

The point is that there needs to be free play right before you stop tightening. Twisting something that has a light spring load on it (from the lifter's internal spring), doesn't reveal free play as easily as rattling something up and down does, to my mind.

 

I like to take off the valve covers and do each cylinder one at a time
" Adjust the intake as the exhaust starts to open ".. Take up all slack by twisting or moving the pushrod up and down, then tighten 1/2 to 1 turn for a street engine......

" Adjust the exhaust as the intake starts to close..." remove slack and adjust...... This way you address each cylinder seperately...

Are you sure your new cam and tappets are hydraulic???

 

I do the same - jiggle up and down softly.

 

There is zero spring load on the push rod until the adjusting nut has taken up all the slack. I find it easy to detect that point and go a fraction of a turn more.

But you do what works for you.

 

That was the procedure I used for both head refits.
It think the issue with the roller rockers is that they no not have the same level of contact and hence friction.
I kept tightening until the rockers did not move side to side and that is obviously too tight.
I am going to pull the rocker covers off tomorrow, (too pissed to do it today) and will back it all off and also will do compression tests on each and every cylinder as I go to make sure it it working.
The difference between the stock rockers and rollers is pretty big in how they make contact.

 

I do not have the cam shaft specs as I bought it off the estate of the original owner.
Is not a stock cam as it runs different than that.

 

False. There is no difference.
Waaaay too tight.....You can't do a valid compression check until and unless the rocker nuts are correctly adjusted. Your descriptions say pretty clearly that they are not.
No. There isn't. Use the same procedure for both.

Edit: To put a finer point on the adjustment procedure you used, DO NOT ROTATE THE ENGINE TO DO A COMPRESSION TEST!!! There is a near-certain chance your procedure resulted in valves being open all the time. Rotating the engine risks having a piston and valve contacting each other.

 

are you using the same p-rods?
In my experiences, your set up would probably need +.100 long p-rods.
Get a p-rod length checker to determine correct p-rod length.

 

So I got the checker and made sure that the correct length needed was keeping the roller rocker in the center of the valve stem.
They turned out to be exactly 7.9" or +0.100.
My error was trying to perform the same tightening method for the new rockers and rods as the old stock ones.
It worked like a charm on the old stock equipment, however the amount of contact between the rocker and the stem between the 2 setups is vastly different and hence the friction is way different as well.
I am going to strip it down and loosen all so that I can start again and will use the jiggle method for the rockers on the push rods.

 

I would also consider doing a compression test or leak down test once engine is running to make sure you did not nick or bend a valve when initially adjusting. This is from experience talking.

As a young teen rebuilding his first (Ford FE 332) engine, Dad brought home a new set of solid lifters for me and engine had hydraulic cam and lifters. The old lifters were shot and unuseablet. Ford had switched from solid to hydraulic cam during the 58-59 model year, and the Ford parts guy didn't catch this. So when we went to fire up the engine all the valves were open. Bad scene. ..............but you learn from your mistakes.......hopefully.

Larry

 

I am not too terribly worried about the valves being in contact as the pistons are the dish type with the reliefs cut into the tops of them and the valves would have to be out a lot more than I believe them to be to make any contact (I hope).
I will be doing both a compression and leak off test all the way around as I do have the required tools.

 

You must determine if the cam uses hydraulic lifters with a spring preload something like a 1/2 to 3/4 turn of the rocker nut after the rocker makes contact with the push rod. Or with solid lifters with a clearance between the rocker and the push rod, something like 0.018" to 0.030" set with feeler gauge.

 

So it is a hydraulic lifter set up and uses the 1/2 turn after rod contact.

 

This is the way I always did it. Worked perfect every time.

 

Yes this right.