Ok - we helped a fellow board member with a spring/rr/pushrod install today. During the install we noticed that all of the lifters had bled down and you could not compress them by pushing on the rockers. Had a hell of a time adjusting them because the rockers would almost immediately loosen up once tightened. Getting oil to the rockers - we checked that. Great oil pressure etc... but the rockers are noisy due to being out of adjustment. Any ideas as to why these stock lifters are bleeding out so quickly? Are they bad? We'd like to replace them to be sure tho.

 

I'd love to know the answer too since the board member is me. Very disturbing, its like going in for a teeth cleaning and floride and needing one drilled and filled. I dont mind replacing them if they are infact bad, but its weird I had no signs until we were finishing up the install. Thanks again Aaron, Waswa, Jonny, and Jason.

-Dustin-

 

Sounds to me like they are adjusted wrong. The factory lifters don't JUST go bad at the snap of your fingers or a spring swap and they will take you well past 450RWHP@7000RPM's.I would suggest adj them until you get them to work.You can got to Shoebox's sight for instruction's.Is the new RR ratio to much,are the springs going into coil bind,is there enough clearence between the valve guide and retainer are the pistons hitting the valves??? There is something more going on than "bad" lifter's.

 

If the lifters are worknig properly, you shouldn't be able to push them down (they will hold enough oil to keep then nice and solid). Did you make sure the lifters were on the base of the cam lobe when adjusting them? If not, they will all be wrong and either way to loose or way too tight. I'm not trying to imply you didn't do it right, but just making sure that you did. Definately check out shoebox's site for adjustment instructions.

 

The rockers would not stay adjusted, you'd adjust one and move to the next only to find that the one you just adjusted was loose again?? Very strange - Grease and CANTONRACER have installed many a set of rockers and it is indeed odd. I've not ran across this before so that is why I posted it - just looking for clues. Maybe Grease will chime in tomorrow (later today) on the exact symptoms while trying to adjust them.

I would like it not to be bad lifters to save Dustin some money - will still knock out the manifold leak tho.

 

This is very normal, especially with high performance fast bleed lifters, once the engine starts and gets oil pressure they won't bleed off like that, but obviously if you adjust one it will be loose new/used lifter all same, I've done a ton of cam installs its always the same, try doing one then turn the engine until the lifter opens the valve, it will bleed down obviously don't worry about it LOL. Why do you think the first 1 second after start up you may hear a clack, its totally normal. This is why they say leave lifters in oil when you buy a new set, and even then they clack until the oil pressure hits them.

 

Well driving around lately sounds like Darkhorse bolted a tamberine to my crank hub I was hoping the ticking might die down, but is hasnt. I sure would like to save some $ on lifters and put it towards something else.

I read about Hi-Performance lifters bleeding very quickly also. Each time we started the car or we turned the crank the rockers would loosen. I for one know turning the crank was very difficult. Perhaps adjusting them while the car is running would remedy the situation? Much like a fail safe for the lifters bleeding too quick. That would insure they are pumped right and the rockers are adjusted correctly, right? From that point what would the signs be of bad lifters?

I dont really want to drive the car much like this, not knowing what exactly the problem is. Plus it sounds like Hiljack Cletus's fast Camero

I think having Grease post exactly what he did would help, then maybe he would understand more about whats being said about rocker adjustments and posters could understand exactly how they were done. I definately trust Grease's ability, it seems like something just isnt right though.

Thanks everyone for your posts.

-Dustin-

 

I have a set of stock lifters with about 10k miles on them I'd let ya have pretty cheap if you need some new lifters. I am going with comp r lifters on my new set up and was just gonna throw em in a box in my garage where they would probably sit for the next 10 years. They are Melling lifters that I paid about $155 for the whole set.

 

How did you adjust them, I always use the intake 1/2 open adjust the exhaust, exhaust 1/2 closed adjust the intake.

 

I'll have to wait on Grease to tell ya how he did them.

I'll hold off on the Lifters till I figure out the exact problem.

-Dustin-

 

I responded to your PM. I would be VERY careful to drive around like it is now, as I suspect that rockers are way too loose and could be slapping your valvetrain around.

Dan

 

Thanks, I hope to get it fixed before I have to drive anymore. I think your analysis was correct. At least it makes sense, you should post it.

-Dustin-

 

O.K. Here it is:

I don't know what to tell you, but it sounds very strange, and I doubt you really have a serious problem. After reading your post, I see that you didn't adjust the lash yourself, but I can tell you what I think happened. I don't think that they were adjusted when the lifters were on the base circle. Picture this. Your lifter is on the top of the cam lobe, or somewhere down the slope of it. You adjust your lash, and when you turn the crank to adjust the other rockers, the lifter now slides down the cam lobe towards the base of the cam. This pulls the lifter away from the pushrod and gives the slack that you are seeing. What I recommend is reading shoebox's tutorial on setting valve lash. Do it yourself. It's easy once you try it. Do the method where you do 8 at once, and then turn the crank 360 degrees and do the other 8. The KEY is to make sure you know if you are at #1 or #6 TDC (Top Dead Center) and adjust the appropriate rockers.

Dan

 

I am definately no valvetrain expert but it makes good sense to me Thanks Dan. Hopefully this is the case and its not the lifters.

-Dustin-

 

Let Waswa know about the post so he can check it out. We'll get you worked out - want you at D42 this year with the rest of us. If all else fails maybe we'll take a small road trip to Youngstown to knock them out for ya. Still don't understand why they aren't like the rest of our but.....