Rocker adjustment....

Topic: Rocker adjustment.... (Read 28273 times) previous topic - next topic

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #15 – October 21, 2014, 11:54:40 PM

Vinnie,

Did you pull the dizzy when you did this work? Wondering if you are a tooth off.

Darren

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #16 – October 22, 2014, 07:32:23 AM

I'm pulling the distributor this weekend to install a new module. I will check it. I'm darned sure it's not. Still idles well once I start it twice, ran great down the highway to the car show two weeks ago. BUT, who knows? Anything is possible. I'll get it on TDC and check it out.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #17 – October 22, 2014, 09:39:51 AM

What RPM is the car idling at once you get it running good (park and in drive)?

When you first start it; is the issue immediate or does it wait till the car kicks down from high idle?

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #18 – October 22, 2014, 04:36:52 PM

I have a 5 speed. The idle is about 850 to 900 when it it stays running (after a couple of starts). Once I start it twice, it pretty much stays running unless I start it, give it gas and take off. I wonder if I need to do a base idle reset again. I'll do one anyway. I had a little bit of popping through the throttle body on the way to work today. Also, for the first 45 seconds to a minute, the car pulls hard and feels right once I get going in the morning. After a minute, I felt the mild surging and then heard the wee bit of popping under acceleration. I need to run codes (KOEF and KOER). Can't do that til Friday evening or the weekend. I am also not sure about the rockers. I set them differently this time, i did them like the video I posted earlier in this thread. Maybe I need to go back to the way Ed Curtis says to do them (the other way I mentioned early on in this thread). Not sure. My thoughts are....Maybe the rocker adjustment, ignition module, base idle reset, reset the voltage on the TPS,.......

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #19 – October 22, 2014, 05:19:05 PM

Vinnie BUDDY i have been adjusting valves for 50 Years, Once again Exhaust open adjust the intake Intake closed adjust the exhaust . But do it any way you want. Remember you have to adjust them to ZERO LASH then add 1/8 -1/4 turn. Also if you are popping you are lean that is why you are surging. Also remember set you TPS to .60 Volts max. After adjusting you base idle or min idle. But if the car stalls on cold start up something is wrong. Look for a vacuum leak. And either a compression or leak down test. Good luck.

Can't be a tooth off he brought the timing in to 13*BTDC according to his post. HJay Vinnie just for kicks are you sure you are advancing the timing??? Not retarding it. Just a thought!!

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #20 – October 22, 2014, 07:51:37 PM

Tom, please explain that valve adjusting thing again. In better detail. If you read your last reply, I think you'll see that it's a bit hard to understand.

I adjusted the rockers to zero lash and half a turn. Is half a turn really too much? I could actually tighten the nuts on a lot of them with my hand if I chose. The polylocks were easy to turn.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #21 – October 22, 2014, 08:19:11 PM

Ok here is how it is done

Start on one side and work backwards to the firewall. Identify the valves exhaust and intake. Then use a starter pistol. It has 2 clamps on it with a button and you hook it to the battery and small post on the solenoid. It is called a remote starter button. Then hit it till the exhaust just starts to open. Starts lifting the valve off the seat. Or feel the push rod and try turning it with your fingers. It should Be difficult. Adjust the INTAKE by loosening it till there is play then tighten it till the play goes away. Then add an additional 1/8 -1/2 turn and lock it up. Now the intake is adjusted. Then hit the button till the exhaust goes through its cycle and starts closing. Rocker starts coming up. Once it is up adjust the intake the same way. Another words

Exhaust just starts opening rocker tip starts pushing the valve down. Then adjust the Intake. When the intake closes rocker coming up and closing the valve adjust the exhaust.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #22 – October 22, 2014, 08:28:59 PM

This is just a thought but what is your fuel pressure? How old is your pump and how many LPH is it? Have you done a cylinder balance test? Perhaps when you put everything back together a fuel injector got unplugged?

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #23 – October 22, 2014, 08:37:34 PM

If I understand you correctly, I think that's how I described it on the beginning of this thread as how I adjusted them before. I may go back to that. But every time I did it that way, never was "right". If I had the money, I'd just take it to a mechanic.

Fixing things doesn't bother me at all. Diagnosing issues is something I bloody hate. It could be a whole ton of different things going wrong. Rocker adjustment, electronics somewhere, timing, TPS, idle, etc. I have looked for vacuum leaks over and over.

When i started the car after work, it ran pretty good, but the rockers chatter more than I think they should. maybe I'm wrong. I've been trying to line this issue out for weeks. Still no answer.

If it's running lean, maybe I need to install my adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Mine is currently reading about 40 psi with the vacuum hooked up. Plugs look really clean. Maybe I need to bump the pressure up to about 43 psi. I'm open to all advice.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #24 – October 22, 2014, 08:46:15 PM

Shouldn't need an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I run a stock replacement Motorcraft unit.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #25 – October 22, 2014, 08:58:01 PM

That video earlier in the thread is dead on. Make sure valve is completely closed (however you'd like to do this - just watch how the valves move, then you'll know that when the valve closes, plus a little more for good measure, the lifter is on the base circle of the cam), tighten until zero lash, tighten about 3/8 a turn further, lock in place. The extra pressure from the 3/8 turn is simply to preload a hydraulic lifter. I believe you normally want 0.020-0.040" preload for most vehicles (1/4 to 1/2 turn with the threads-per-inch on your studs) - shooting for the middle of this range has worked for me, and my valvetrain is very quiet.

Some rocker arms are just noisier than others. My current ones are dead quiet. My previous ones were more than twice as loud. Too loose (no preload on hydraulic lifters, or flopping around on solids), the valve train will be quite noisy and wear quickly. Too tight, the valve may not close all the way when pumped-up with oil - poor compression and ignition will go out the intake or exhaust, burning valves. Poor-running engine without obvious signs of valvetrain misadjustment, likely not related to the rocker arms.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #26 – October 22, 2014, 09:02:19 PM

Your pressures are OK. Do this vinnie. Bring the engine up on number ONE ignition cycle anotherwords bring number one up with both valves closed. Make sure you are not in overlap. This can be accomplished by seeing if the push rods spin. Then follow the ignition firing order and adjust the rest of the vaklves. Once again bring number one up on ignition cycke both valves closed and adjust it. then go to the next cylinder in the sequence. Do this by turning the crank with a breaker bar and socket. This way you can de sure the valves are closed and properly adjusted. Good luck.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #27 – October 22, 2014, 09:06:04 PM

Quote

Mine is currently reading about 40 psi with the vacuum hooked up

With a stock regulator? At idle? It shouldn't be. That would be fine WITHOUT vacuum, but that would translate to about 48-50 PSI on mine with the vacuum line pulled which would give a theoretical flow of close to 27 lb/hr injectors.

That almost sounds as if there is a clog somewhere.... I'd run a gauge that you're able to read while driving temporarily to troubleshoot. While driving it keep the vacuum hooked up. At WOT you should see near identical pressure as when it's at idle with the vacuum line disconnected.

Before you do any of that other stuff, I would FIRST readjust the valves like Tom & the rest of us said (which was how you did it to begin with) and then SECOND hook up a vacuum gauge to the car. Take note of the vacuum reading at idle in park and what the needle is doing. Manually open the TB to WOT and watch/take note of what happens as well.
http://sbftech.com/index.php?topic=3020.0
For reference on what things you may or may not see, click on the scenario buttons in the first post in the following thread: http://sbftech.com/index.php?topic=3020.0

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #28 – October 22, 2014, 11:05:01 PM

I'll re-adjust the rockers this weekend and check the vacuum as well. Gotta borrow my friend's gauge. I'll report the fuel pressure I see while it's running.

I just read that vacuum thread. Sweet. I will have this handy when I check the car's vacuum pressure. I appreciate the guidance.

Rocker adjustment....

Reply #29 – October 23, 2014, 10:01:51 AM

with good vac connections the at idle you make the most vac , about 19lbs.
your want to simply watch the needle at idle and observe the "amount" of side to side deflection. Your needle wont be rock steady but it will stay within the boundaries of +/- 1psi while at idle. the needle will jiggle a little.

you can add acceleration during the test as well and you are looking for similar steadiness results yet the needle will drop in vac pres and attempt to recover although not fully. if you add throttle in a way that you can maintain a certain rpm, the needle will behave similar in a steady way. your looking for a somewhat steady behavior in the needle even when you add throttle. Wide wiggles or deflection of the needle or behavior that shows the needle is swinging around tells you more than you can believe about the top end seats and such.

I got pretty good at this diagnosing a fairly high leak down issue once, I am not by any means a pro, I just had to learn it and do it and understand what the gauge was telling me.

you can gather the vac data from any port that has a cap on it like at the vac tree or on the intake.

if your really good, you can "T" into individual vac lines and attempt to observe the differences seeking a clogged or cracked line.
if your cracked or disconnected, no matter where you read vac things will be wrong.
if your clogged, eventually you will find the clogged line because readings will be right for various points then wrong one the clogged line.

I think you have omitted the white and black vac lines so you really don't have much to look at,, don't forget the tiny black line that leads out to your storage container inside the passanger fender... that's where vac is stored for use by your cars vac required devices.