Adjust / Readjust Pushrod Advice Please

[MikeG]

Been all over the post and how to section and have followed the adjustment procedures and did adjust pushrods. I don't think so, but I may have done something wrong because I believe I went 4 turns out and my Dog does not like it. More noise than before I adjusted. Seemed ok for a bit but is really loud now and is more than just the normal tick noise. Once up to operating temp, they really seem to be loud. Please correct me if I am wrong because I want to re-adjust but don't want to screw up.

Originally I started cold, rotated tire till rear exhaust was fully extended and then adjusted front exhaust and went 4 turns out which raised the valve correct?

Then I let sit for about 20 mins to bleed down and I was able to turn pushrod by fingers at that time. Then i locked it down and continued till i got all adjusted.

Did I go wrong somewhere?

Now if i want to readjust them, is there a different procedure to follow to get it back to where it was originally and then only go 3 turns out?

In other words, how do i make sure I get back to an original starting point no matter how many turns I went out on the adjust?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :up:

 

[Throttle Jockey]

After you lock it down try to turn with fingers again. When you lock it down they will have a tendency to tighten up again.

TJ

 

[MikeG]

Once locked down, I was still able to turn with fingers. I just want to be certain when I readjust them and understand without a doubt where they are now, how to get back to lets say a first starting point and then adjust to only 3 out.

 

[BadBrad]

Been all over the post and how to section and have followed the adjustment procedures and did adjust pushrods. I don't think so, but I may have done something wrong because I believe I went 4 turns out and my Dog does not like it. More noise than before I adjusted. Seemed ok for a bit but is really loud now and is more than just the normal tick noise. Once up to operating temp, they really seem to be loud. Please correct me if I am wrong because I want to re-adjust but don't want to screw up.

Originally I started cold, rotated tire till rear exhaust was fully extended and then adjusted front exhaust and went 4 turns out which raised the valve correct?

Then I let sit for about 20 mins to bleed down and I was able to turn pushrod by fingers at that time. Then i locked it down and continued till i got all adjusted.

Did I go wrong somewhere?

Now if i want to readjust them, is there a different procedure to follow to get it back to where it was originally and then only go 3 turns out?

In other words, how do i make sure I get back to an original starting point no matter how many turns I went out on the adjust?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :up:

To start back at the beginning, just loosen all 4 pushrods and let them set for about 15 to 20 minutes to let the lifters expand. Be sure to loosen them enough so the lifters can fully expand. If you don't, then you're starting your adjustment at something other than "zero lash". Then start over like your post states. It could be that one of your pushrods didn't lock well and collapsed. You said it was good for a while, then became more obvious. Right? Also, you did turn the rear wheel after you adjusted the front exhaust to open another valve and adjusted the opposite cylinder of the same valve, right? One more question. Before you began this procedure, did you collapse all 4 pushrods and allow time for lifters to adjust?

 

[MikeG]

Yes, once I adjusted the front exhaust, i turned the wheel a few rotations and got the front exhaust fully extended and then adjusted the rear exhaust and so on.

Prolly where I screwed up and hope I hadn't done damage was when I originally started my adjustment, I did not back off on any pushrod and wait to fully extended and then go my 4 turns out from there. Maybe I didn't read that in the instructions and don't see anything stating to back off first. Was I wrong? So am i way too tight now?

So just to clarify, I should start cold again, rotate engine till rear exhaust is fully extended, loosen front exhaust pushrod way out and wait for a bit to fully extend, then extend until the pushrod just makes contact with lifter with slight resistance, finger turnable, and then add 18 flats and lock down and continue on around to the rest?

 

[BadBrad]

Yes, once I adjusted the front exhaust, i turned the wheel a few rotations and got the front exhaust fully extended and then adjusted the rear exhaust and so on.

Prolly where I screwed up and hope I hadn't done damage was when I originally started my adjustment, I did not back off on any pushrod and wait to fully extended and then go my 4 turns out from there. Maybe I didn't read that in the instructions and don't see anything stating to back off first. Was I wrong? So am i way too tight now?

So just to clarify, I should start cold again, rotate engine till rear exhaust is fully extended, loosen front exhaust pushrod way out and wait for a bit to fully extend, then extend until the pushrod just makes contact with lifter with slight resistance, finger turnable, and then add 18 flats and lock down and continue on around to the rest?

If you don't collapse the rods and give the lifters time to expand, then your basically putting 48 flats when you adjust (the original 24 and the 24 you just did). Make sense now? I would pull the plugs, rotate the piston to the top of the cylinder and look at the top of the piston to make sure the vavle didn't contact it before I got started. I would go by the specs and adjust to 4 full turns to begin with and then determine if you need to back off.

 

[MikeG]

Ouch.... So would you suggest when collapsing to collapse it like 48 - 60 flats to make sure it extends fully, then go to zero lash and go back out 24 flats and lock down? If so, once I get to zero lash and go 4 out, i will need to wait till bleed down once again befor moving on correct?

 

[BadBrad]

Ouch.... So would you suggest when collapsing to collapse it like 48 - 60 flats to make sure it extends fully, then go to zero lash and go back out 24 flats and lock down? If so, once I get to zero lash and go 4 out, i will need to wait till bleed down once again befor moving on correct?

That's right. Just make sure you can spin the pushrod by hand before moving on to the next pushrod.

 

[MikeG]

:2thumbs: Thanks Brad for all your help.... makes sense to me now and will get her all adjusted this Saturday cause I got a big ride with some friends in the works for Sunday.

 

[MikeG]

One last question or two just to make sure I'm on track.

So if I start on the front exhaust valve and the valve is fully closed and i can turn the pushrod freely with my fingers before i do any adjusting at all, when I collapse it further, is it going to expand out further since I can already freely spin the pushrod?

Since i will be collapsing them so much to start with, could I just collapse them all at once and then wait 20-30 mins or so and then spin wheel and begin adjusting?

 

[BadBrad]

One last question or two just to make sure I'm on track.

So if I start on the front exhaust valve and the valve is fully closed and i can turn the pushrod freely with my fingers before i do any adjusting at all, when I collapse it further, is it going to expand out further since I can already freely spin the pushrod?

Since i will be collapsing them so much to start with, could I just collapse them all at once and then wait 20-30 mins or so and then spin wheel and begin adjusting?

That's what I do. Collapse them all completely and wait about 20 minutes to give the lifters time to expand. Then start the process as stated in the manual. To answer you question above, the lifter will adjust after about 15 minutes so you can freely spin it. Just because you can spin it does not mean you are at zero lash. Collapse the pushrod and wait 20 minutes before finding zero lash, then with the opposite cylinder valve open, give the shut valve pushrod 24 flats turns (4 full turns) as recomended by S&S. Wait about 15 minutes (1 beer) and make sure you can freely spin that pushrod before moving on to the next. Do not turn your wheel until you can spin the pushrod by hand.

 

[V]

What Brad said. Best to lossen all of them even if they feel like they are going to fall out they won't. Let the lifters expand to there top limit and them start your work.

 

[MikeG]

One last clarification ... I am only to adjust by the very bottom nut (Lifter) and it's lock nut (middle) and leave the nut at he top alone correct?

 

[Brew]

Correct...

 

[2004BC]

I miss solid lifters. So simple a Caveman could do it!

 

[PHATASS]

Anyone willing to do a video of this procedure? May clear up a lot of the confusion and questions from everyone if they can watch the process.

 

[lee]

it's one of those things that sounds more difficult to do than it actually is. Chacha's description is pretty good. The hardest thing to do is to make sure you got TDC!