Vavle adjustment

[JLettner]

So I have a question regarding adjusting my valves. My new engine has about 800 miles on it. I am starting to hear some ticking noise coming from cylinder #4. The cam is a Crane hydraulic roller with Crane hydraulic roller lifters and Harland Sharp roller rocker asb. So last night I followed the procedures on adjusting my vavles from my shop manual. I rotated the crank until cylinder #1 to TDC and adjust #1-I/E #3-I #4-E #7-I #5-E #8-I/E then rotate engin 360* until cylinder #6 is at TDC then set #2-I/E #4-I #3-E #5-I #6-I #7-E. When I was setting my lash to zero lash and giving one more  full turn at about 3/4 turn the vavle started to open so I back it off to 1/2 a turn on each vavle. Started up the engine and it was much quieter. I just want to know if this is the recommended way to adjust my valves or should I have rotated the engine each time on all valves. Thanks for your help

[cjshaker]

There's nothing wrong with using Fords shop manual procedure. It's the quickest and easiest way.

My engines are typically solids, so after using the shop manual method I often turn the engine over and look for any irregularities in the gaps as the cam goes though its cycle. But you can't really do that on a hydraulic.

[blykins]

The most accurate way would be to set the intake valve on a cylinder when the exhaust valve on that cylinder starts to open.  Set the exhaust valve when the intake valve starts to close.  .

You probably had a lifter that was engorged and when you went to a full turn, it was opening the valve.  My gut tells me that if you would have let it sit for a few minutes, it would have bled the oil out and the valve would have closed.  Always a chance that you had short travel lifters as well and in that case, it could have just been opening the valves because the lifter was out of travel.

[Falcon67]

The most accurate way would be to set the intake valve on a cylinder when the exhaust valve on that cylinder starts to open.  Set the exhaust valve when the intake valve starts to close.  .

You probably had a lifter that was engorged and when you went to a full turn, it was opening the valve.  My gut tells me that if you would have let it sit for a few minutes, it would have bled the oil out and the valve would have closed.  Always a chance that you had short travel lifters as well and in that case, it could have just been opening the valves because the lifter was out of travel.

Echo.  EOIC one cylinder at a time - exhaust starts to open, set intake.  Intake almost closed, set exhaust.  Loosen the adjuster, let it set a bit, then run the adjuster down while spinning the pushrod with your fingers.  When you feel the pushrod lock up, 1/2 turn and lock the adjuster.  That's been my procedure with all types of hydro lifters and dovetailed nicely with the instructions from Howards on the hydro rollers I used in the last engine assembly. 

[blykins]

FWIW, I've never been a spinner....

I try to move the pushrod axially until I feel no lash at all, then do my preload from there.  I've found that you can spin the pushrod easily, sometimes even while pushing the plunger down in the lifter if there's no oil in it.  If your pushrod end is lubed up well, it will spin pretty easily. 

[cjshaker]

It can depend on the cam used. If it's a big cam with lots of duration, then it would probably be best to use the methods that Brent described. On a mild cam with shorter durations, the factory method works fine. Turning the engine over by hand 4 times while in the car, as opposed to the luxury of an open dyno, is a PITA. And using the starter is obviously not good for the starter or the ring gear.

And I agree with his spinning comment. I've been fooled with hydraulic systems when the pushrod spun just as easily when compressed as it did with no pressure on it. Feeling for rocker movement gives no false indications.

[blykins]

Four times?  Who needs to do that?   

[afret]

The most accurate way would be to set the intake valve on a cylinder when the exhaust valve on that cylinder starts to open.  Set the exhaust valve when the intake valve starts to close.  .

You probably had a lifter that was engorged and when you went to a full turn, it was opening the valve.  My gut tells me that if you would have let it sit for a few minutes, it would have bled the oil out and the valve would have closed.  Always a chance that you had short travel lifters as well and in that case, it could have just been opening the valves because the lifter was out of travel.

What I noticed in setting the intake is that the lash opens up a bit when you keep going until the exhaust is almost fully open.  I would guess that it's the spring pressure on the cam causing this.  I was told by one of the cam guys to set the lash where it is the loosest so I've been setting the intake lash there. 

[cjshaker]

Four times?  Who needs to do that? 

I said 4 times, not 4 rotations.

On my solid lifter stuff, I do it like Earl said. I've found there are variations of up to a couple thousandths on the base of the lobe, so I set them at their widest gap. A hydraulic lifter isn't as finicky.

[shady]

I usually adj. hyd. with the engine running. 1/4 turn past zero lash. can get messy though.

[JLettner]

The most accurate way would be to set the intake valve on a cylinder when the exhaust valve on that cylinder starts to open.  Set the exhaust valve when the intake valve starts to close.  .

You probably had a lifter that was engorged and when you went to a full turn, it was opening the valve.  My gut tells me that if you would have let it sit for a few minutes, it would have bled the oil out and the valve would have closed.  Always a chance that you had short travel lifters as well and in that case, it could have just been opening the valves because the lifter was out of travel.

 

Brent when I adjusted the lifters the car was sitting for a couple of weeks so the lifters should have bleed down by now. The Crane lifters I am using are p# 35532-16 .875" can you till me if these are short travel lifters. Also the Crane cam I am using is p# 34957  with lobe separation 112* I also what to thank everyone for there feed back.