Need some help after cam swap
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 358
Likes: 3
From: Brunswick Georgia
Need some help after cam swap
Hey guys, i just finished my cam swap and i got the car to start but it sounds bad. i made sure everything was tdc before putting it back together. i have a loud ticking sound coming from the valve covers. so i think my rocker arms are loose. yes i did forget to put lock tight on them and are my 7.400 push rods to long for a 225/229-580/590 cam?
another question i installed a high pressure old pump and well at idle its between 10-15 and moving its at 25-35 is this normal?
another question i installed a high pressure old pump and well at idle its between 10-15 and moving its at 25-35 is this normal?
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 8
From: Hopatcong New Jersey
Did you actually measure with a pushrod length checker to make sure you had the proper length push rods for your setup? Did you properly set your pre-load for each rocker assembly? To me it sounds like you don't have a service manual and/or you didn't follow the proper procedure for installing your rocker arms.
10-15psi at idle and 25-35psi moving is NOT norrmal, especially for a high pressure pump. Did you make sure the pick up tube o-ring didn't get pinched when you installed it?
10-15psi at idle and 25-35psi moving is NOT norrmal, especially for a high pressure pump. Did you make sure the pick up tube o-ring didn't get pinched when you installed it?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 358
Likes: 3
From: Brunswick Georgia
yeah i torqued them to 15, rotated twice, then to 22ft/lbs but i forgot the lock tight. No i didnt check the push rod length thought the 7.400 would work. i have prc .650 dual springs. i thought about changing back to the 7.350's. The oil pump i did gently put the tube back in then i tightened slowly, the kit came with a black, green and red o ring. i used the black one, because my stock one on my 97 was black. i did notice one of my intake manifold bolts was very loose and leaking some oil, maybe some blow by. ill check after i fix the lifter problem just to make sure its not that.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,447
Likes: 409
From: Portland OR
Thread sealer on the rocker arm bolts, not loctite. At 22ft lbs, they won't come loose.
Size matters on the O-ring, not necessarily color. Still have the old one? See how it compares to the 2 you have left over.
What was the oil pressure before you did the work? What pump did you install?
7.4" pushrods are typically too short with an aftermarket cam.
Who made the cam?
Size matters on the O-ring, not necessarily color. Still have the old one? See how it compares to the 2 you have left over.
What was the oil pressure before you did the work? What pump did you install?
7.4" pushrods are typically too short with an aftermarket cam.
Who made the cam?
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 8
From: Hopatcong New Jersey
Where did you read to do this? This is not the proper procedure for installing rocker arms. I GUARANTEE your valve train noise is due to improper preload, wrong pushrod length, or both.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 358
Likes: 3
From: Brunswick Georgia
thanks yaknow, i used the ls1howto it says
"Insert all 16 pushrods (7.400" is probably needed unless you have highly milled heads or a small cam, in which 7.350" might be needed), place pedestal back on the head, apply locktite to all the rocker center bolts and reinstall all the rockers. Torque the rockers to 22lbft.
Now, using your 24mm socket wrench, turn the motor over by hand (should be difficult as you are now building compression) and make sure the motor turns over by hand a full 720 degrees, then turn it another 360 (doesnt have to be exact or anything).
Go over all the rockers again with your wrench just to make sure they are all at 22-24'ish lbft."
im switching back to my stock pushrods they are smaller then the comp 7.4's. the rocker arms weren't loose and they lined up pretty good from what i could see. now how do i rotate the motor with the steering rack back in? could i try turning the car over, of course unpluging spark plugs with the covers off. i dont think it could hurt anything and should i plug harness back in or just clear the codes after?
"Insert all 16 pushrods (7.400" is probably needed unless you have highly milled heads or a small cam, in which 7.350" might be needed), place pedestal back on the head, apply locktite to all the rocker center bolts and reinstall all the rockers. Torque the rockers to 22lbft.
Now, using your 24mm socket wrench, turn the motor over by hand (should be difficult as you are now building compression) and make sure the motor turns over by hand a full 720 degrees, then turn it another 360 (doesnt have to be exact or anything).
Go over all the rockers again with your wrench just to make sure they are all at 22-24'ish lbft."
im switching back to my stock pushrods they are smaller then the comp 7.4's. the rocker arms weren't loose and they lined up pretty good from what i could see. now how do i rotate the motor with the steering rack back in? could i try turning the car over, of course unpluging spark plugs with the covers off. i dont think it could hurt anything and should i plug harness back in or just clear the codes after?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 8
From: Hopatcong New Jersey
thanks yaknow, i used the ls1howto it says
"Insert all 16 pushrods (7.400" is probably needed unless you have highly milled heads or a small cam, in which 7.350" might be needed), place pedestal back on the head, apply locktite to all the rocker center bolts and reinstall all the rockers. Torque the rockers to 22lbft.
Now, using your 24mm socket wrench, turn the motor over by hand (should be difficult as you are now building compression) and make sure the motor turns over by hand a full 720 degrees, then turn it another 360 (doesnt have to be exact or anything).
Go over all the rockers again with your wrench just to make sure they are all at 22-24'ish lbft."
"Insert all 16 pushrods (7.400" is probably needed unless you have highly milled heads or a small cam, in which 7.350" might be needed), place pedestal back on the head, apply locktite to all the rocker center bolts and reinstall all the rockers. Torque the rockers to 22lbft.
Now, using your 24mm socket wrench, turn the motor over by hand (should be difficult as you are now building compression) and make sure the motor turns over by hand a full 720 degrees, then turn it another 360 (doesnt have to be exact or anything).
Go over all the rockers again with your wrench just to make sure they are all at 22-24'ish lbft."
im switching back to my stock pushrods they are smaller then the comp 7.4's.
the rocker arms weren't loose and they lined up pretty good from what i could see.
now how do i rotate the motor with the steering rack back in? could i try turning the car over, of course unpluging spark plugs with the covers off. i dont think it could hurt anything and should i plug harness back in or just clear the codes after?