Roller Rockers - Help!

I got Comp Cams 1.5 roller tip rockers with my cam. The motor has 1500 miles on it. When I got it back from the machine shop, they were not final adjusted because they had to wear in a little or whatever. I can hear them ticking/clicking under the hood. Recently, I snapped a rocker stud, and one rocker was just laying under there rattling around. :eek: I got a new stud and everything, and re-attached the rocker. I tightened all of them a quarter turn from what they were at, but I can hear some click when I put my hand on them and tried to move them. The car was not running while I did this. Each rocker was obviosuly in a different position so I didn't know exactly how to screw them all to 0 lash and back out......I just gave each a little turn for now until I get more time....I still hear clicking, and I don't want to open the car up again in fear of snapping something again. Anyone who has roller rockers - Do they EVER make noise at ALL? Should be they be totally quiet when running? I am putting the car away for another month soon. When I get back from school next month I guess I will adjust these one last time......Exactly how should these be final adjusted (running/not running, lash, etc)? I am assuming because I hear clicking, I should not be driving the car hard at all right? I don't want to blow $hit up again :( I hope things aren't wearing prematurely because they have had too many miles loose....

1. Find an old stock valve cover, cutout the center, above the rocker nuts only (this is to save you a large mess)
2. warm up car
3. remove one valve cover, install cutout one
4. start car, let idle
5. starting at one end of head, loosen nut on rocker, until you hear an audible tap (and more oil will squirt out)
then tighten slowly until tap stops, then go 1/4 to 1/2 turn more
(turn only 1/4 turn at a time, you will hear the motor bog for a second, then pickup, this is the lifter bleeding back down)
6. continue with each one on that side. Check and make sure each one is oiling. If any will not adjust correctly, you may have a bad lifter.
7. shut off engine, remove valve cover, reinstall other cover
8. repeat on other side.

If this fixes it, and then down the road you hear them ticking again, you either have worn locknuts, or a cam lobe going flat. :cool:

Thanks for the info. I hope nothing like that happens later on. For now things are tight. I have the regular locks with the socket kind of nuts, someone told me I should upgrade to poly locks, those allen nuts. I will see how this goes, maybe I won't need them, but if I already snapped a stud, maybe better locks will be smarter. Then again, I didn't snap the nut....maybe it was a bad stud or it wasn't in correctly. Thanks for the tips.

I got 1.5 roller tip rockers with my Comp cam Magnum 270H and had a similar issue.

First, the amount of turn after 0 lash depends on the cam. I was told a full turn ( like stock) but later found out that with the cam I had a quarter - half turn was all it needed ( got a better responce when I fixed this). Check witthe Comp Cams tech guys.

Only pay attention to clicking if the car is running, if you can manualy click them with the car off ( by moving them side to side) dont worry about that, its only with the car running that the clicking is important. If they dont click with the car going the side to side movement is of little conciquence.

Only make adjustments with the car running so texlurch's explanation is pretty much textbook - follow that and you'll do ok. I didnt use an old valve cover, it wasnt too messy as long as your fairly quick but it will get smokey. To help, wipe the spilled oil with a rag periodicly.


Even after I adjusted mine though every so often I'd get one clicking after a while. Also look for an exhaust leak....many moons ago my 57 had me adjusting rockers because I mistook a leak at the header gasket for a rocker ticking.