hi, well here i go again. i could hear a valve ticking pretty loud so i reset it and the rest of them both sides since i was already under the hood any how now the car is running like crap. its like its missing. befor the work it was purring like a kitty on all 8. i done them twice last weekend thinking i had one to tight. also when i was putting on the valve cover i did hit the hot wire to the alternator and made it arc. the second time i done them i unscrewed the hot wire to the batt. the car is idleing rough and low on power now. i did set them while the car was running backed off till i heard them tick then ran them in till the ticking stoped plus half more turn. how do yall set them?

 

Is the alternator fried? It sounds like you set them like a lot of us do. When you did the last 1/2 turn did you turn it verrryyy slowly or just yank it to a 1/2 turn then lock it?

 

if the alternator is toasted, and your car is seeing under 12 volts while its running... well... it will run like crap...

 

i did check the guage for the alt and it is charging where it always is. i know i didnt go slowly when i did the half turn

 

Ok you may want to redo the valve setting then. If you don't go slow you can effectly push the oil out of your lifters bottoming out the plunger. Then what happens is that when the lifters refill with oil your valves are set way too tight.

 

can setting them with the car off be better, easier or recomened.maybe my ears arent hearing as well as the last time i set them right. its kinda hard to hear the clicking with the headers and gutted cat doing their thing.

 

thanks for the help but i need to go with the roller rockers. so the car will be down for a bit. it never ends. jees i wish i could win the lottery. beam me up scotty.

 

Why do you 'need' to?

Setting the valves with the car off can be done, but I prefer to get them close with it off and then set them with the car running. With the car running you are nearly assured that all are pumped up equally with oil.

 

Why doesn't setting them up on the base circle of the cam work on these cars? I've always got the lifter on the base circle, tightened the rocker nut untill there's no play in the pushrod. Then I use a flashlight and tighten more untill the cup in the lifter is just below the retaining spring clip.

I've never had a problem or any ticking doing it this way but you guys are scaring me when it comes time to do mine.

 

We may have found the problem. If hearing the clicking is a problem, I think you are not backing off the adjustment back past the point of zero lash. A lifter with no preload makes quite a racket, and should be easily heard, even over open headers.

Quickly making a 1/2 turn adjustment requires no correction. If you turn the nut down slowly, you should notice, nothing. If you turn it down quickly, you may cause the engine to stumble, because the valve isn't allowed to seat until the lifter self adjusts. Self adjusting, is the whole point of hydraulic lifters. IF you only turned it the intended 1/2 turn beyond zero lash, it makes no difference whether the adjustment was made slowly or quickly.

RACE ON!!!

 

You can also bend a pushrod tightening them too fast. I never do mine running but I know many like to and that's fine. I know I can get them just as accurate with the static method but then I've adjusted more valves on more types of engines than most people. It's just one of those things that the more you do it, the better feel you'll get for it.

 

Remember that most injectors make a ticking sound also that sounds very similar to a valve out of adjustment. Good luck

 

What you have done will continue to work just fine. What you identify as "no play in the pushrod" is zero lash. The amount you turn the adjustment nut, "untill the cup in the lifter is just below the retaining spring clip" is the preload. Most people use a little more precise measurement than, "just below the retaining spring clip", by making a specified fraction of a turn of the wrench, 1/2, 3/4, or a full turn past zero lash.

Most of the problems you read of here on the forum, are from first timers who incorrectly identify the point of zero lash. Common instructions will have you twisting the push rod until you feel resistance to the twisting, and calling that zero lash. If the plunger spring isn't strong in some or all of the lifters, you (they) may not feel the resistance and continue tightening until the resistance is felt, when the plunger bottoms in the lifter.

I like to recommend jiggling the push rod up and down, as a more clear cut way of being sure of zero lash. The surest way of establishing zero lash, more accurately, is by adjusting the valve with the engine running. There is no mistaking when the clacking stops and zero lash is attained.

In short, if you have adjusted hydraulic lifters, successfully, in the past, you should have no problem with your Corvette. Just keep doing what has worked for you in the past.

RACE ON!!!

 

 

Yeah I've NEVER used the twisting the pushrod method after seeing it push the rod cup down and still being able to twist it freely.

The jack off method works the best for me.

 

well i guess the roller rockers are going to have to wait till after vacation second week aug. going to go with the crane gold found them for around $330. for now i want to try my hand with the car off. my question is should i warm the car up first then try the adjusting?

 

Did mine cold, about 3 months cold. Be sure to allow a minute or two after loosening the rocker so the plunger in lifter can return to the top of it's bore. I tried this method as it seems to be the most accurate for static adjustment.

Intake Valve Adjustment: ENGINE OFF!

with #1 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #6 Intake Valve
with #8 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #5 Intake Valve
with #4 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #7 Intake Valve
with #3 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #2 Intake Valve
with #6 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #1 Intake Valve
with #5 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #8 Intake Valve
with #7 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #4 Intake Valve
with #2 cylinder Intake Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #3 Intake Valve

Exhaust Valve Adjustment: ENGINE OFF!

If you have noticed, this is the same procedure as the intake valves listed above, just that you are now adjusting the exhaust valves the same way.

with #1 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #6 Exhaust Valve
with #8 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #5 Exhaust Valve
with #4 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #7 Exhaust Valve
with #3 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #2 Exhaust Valve
with #6 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #1 Exhaust Valve
with #5 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #8 Exhaust Valve
with #7 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #4 Exhaust Valve
with #2 cylinder Exhaust Valve at full valve lift .... Adjust #3 Exhaust Valve

Need an explanation?

Well, what you have here is "opposite" valves on the engine cycle. The small and big block Chevy engines use a firing order of 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2. What you do is separate the order into the two sides of the firing order. These are "exact" opposites that put the opposing valve at the correct location for adjustment, meaning the back side (base circle, or heal) of the cam lobe.

1 - 6

8 - 5

4 - 7

3 - 2

If the lifter is anywhere other than on the heal of the cam where there is NO ramp contact you will have incorrect lash. The chart above makes sure you are on the backside of the cam lobe. When the cylinder is at TDC, this is not often the correct location to get the proper lash setting.