Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

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Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

January 14, 2009, 12:13:00 PM

I've got an 88 stang with a .040 over HO, GT40P heads, stock 97 mountaineer rockers, and a cobra intake and 70mm TB. I tore it down to change a timing cover gasket and figured I'd adjust the valve lash as well because it probably wasn't done properly during the head installation. So I used the method as seen on the 'bad shoe productions' video you can find on youtube.com, you know the canadian guy that does a video series on thunderturds. Anyway I started it up, and it sounds like ticking sewing machine shiznit. Now when I torqued down the rockers, My motor is in the car, so I was doing 1/4 and 1/8 turns and adding um up, to my best quess I was getting 20ft lbs at 1/2 and 1 full turns I'm guessing I gotta start over again and try a little a better, but I'm wondering if anyone here knows an ancient chinese secret to getting it right the first time. I'd rather not change the fluids again or take the lower intake off for that sake. Thanks again guys.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #1 – January 14, 2009, 01:24:34 PM

umm... they're hydraulic lifters, right?

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #2 – January 14, 2009, 01:53:21 PM

Yes

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #3 – January 14, 2009, 02:47:17 PM

There's no adjustments necessary.
They are bolt down rockers(tighten until torqued to spec,no adjust) and hydraulic lifters.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #4 – January 14, 2009, 02:56:27 PM

unless his head where change over to adjustable rocker studs?

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #5 – January 14, 2009, 04:33:40 PM

I thought pedestal was 15 lb, You should be good at a 1/2 to 3/4 turn past 0 lash, If anything the push rods might be a bit short.But thats just a guess.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #6 – January 14, 2009, 04:47:59 PM

GT40P heads, stock 97 mountaineer rockers, If this is what your using, you should just tighten them down and be good to go. Unless, as mentioned, your pushrods are too short. :D

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #7 – January 14, 2009, 05:00:55 PM

Were they ticking before you messed with the lash adjustments?

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #8 – January 14, 2009, 10:41:34 PM

Demon, Yes but not as bad.
Now when you guys say just torque um down, This is to be done with the cylinder at TDC with both valves closed right? It just doesn't make any sense to torque um on an open valve, rotation of the crank would be neccesary. The idea from the same method as I mentioned in that instructional video is to achieve both 1/4 to 3/4 turn past zero lash and get 20ft lbs at the same time in order to set the preload on the lifters, it makes sense to me but I'm wondering if I did it wrong, maybe the lifters weren't pumped up when I did it. Now that I've ran the motor if I do it again I think it might be quieter but I wanted to ask someone here who has maybe done a head swap before, perhaps they know more than me this is my first time doing most of this.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #9 – January 14, 2009, 11:02:10 PM

this is one of those instances where your thinking correctly but it really wont matter much. Rotation of each cyl at TDC really doesnt do much but you can go ahead and do it.

Since youve ran the motor, and you have already mentioned your lifters may have been dry, go ahead and loosen/torque to 20ft/lbs again. It is much harder to tighen a lifter full of fluid than one that is empty. IE- the 20ft/lb mark was reached much deeper into the spring inside the lifter than you would with a full lifter.

Also, if you have loud ones, just go along with your hand and feel on the rocker making noise and push down on the noisey one to locate it. Rockers will generally go quiet or less noisy when you apply presure on the valve side of the rocker while running.

tighten only the ones that make noise, leave the reast alone.

I have also learned that 20ft/lbs is a guide,, and well advertised in many shop manuals, however,,, a guide it is.;)

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #10 – January 14, 2009, 11:38:09 PM

If its efi you won't be able to run it to check it. It wouldn't hurt to do them again after running it.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #11 – January 15, 2009, 02:41:51 AM

go figure,,:D

sometimes my head is stuck in CFI land:hick:

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #12 – January 15, 2009, 07:15:51 PM

I'm gonna go ahead and loosen/retighten all of um. Out of curiousity, If I were to pull the push rods out, can I unhook the coil and run the starter to prime the lifters, or will they come flying out due to no pushrods being there. I don't have an electric drill to try and prime the pump but I was thinking the starter a few times might do the trick, I'm hesitant to pump up the lifters that way with pushrods tightened up on them improperly. Or could I get away with it if everything were just hand tight? I believe the dry motor was the cause of it all. Thanks for all your guys' help.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #13 – January 15, 2009, 10:28:55 PM

dood,, you need the pushrods installed in order to get oil into the lifter,,then from the lifter up through the pushrod.

Take a lifter out and examine it.
pop the square looking snap ring off the top and take it apart.

You will see that the lifter is a mechanical pump which depends on the action of something pusing in on the top so that, when the presure is relieved on the top, the spring sucks oil in through that little tiny hole on the side.

Take note that the little hole is at the same level as the oil journal in the block along lifter hole as well.

so,, the pump gets oil up to the middle of the lifter where the little hole is,,,
then the lifter sucks in the oil,
then the lifters internal one way check valve/pump pushes oil up to the rockers.

answer to part one of your question.................no
answer to part two of your question.................no, highly unlikely. they will just get banged up and fall back down. not enough rpm to make em fly.

overall answer,, stated above.

Valve Lash, Loud tick in my HO

Reply #14 – January 15, 2009, 10:56:09 PM

I'm looking at another lifter from a different motor, I see what ya mean. I wasn't thinking of it as a hydraulic pump before but it makes some sense now. Thanks.