Approved method of installing pushrods and roller rockers?

I know there is a lot of info and advice out there on this topic and videos on youtube.com as well.

I would like to know what method you guys use and if there is a video of it?

Is this guy doing it right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJMezBqVYes

Well I see he's a firm believer in using assembly lube on the face of the lifter, but what about the push rod ends and the cup in the rocker. I heard him say you can never use enough. but he failed on the push rods and rockers.



Dan

Depends on the type of lube, got to watch with some types, to much is bad.

I clean and PRE-SOAK roller lifters however, not hydraulic flat tappets. Non moly assembly lube is used all over the lifter upon assembly and the lifters are filled during pre lube of the engine.

Right or wrong ... that's the way I do it

Randy do you add a little lube to the ends of the push rods before setting the lash ?

What about the way he is tightening the rockers until the rod wont turn by hand and then another half turn.. Is that setting the correct load?? I have a flat tappet cam and hydraulic lifters also..

TRUKPULR wrote:Randy do you add a little lube to the ends of the push rods before setting the lash ?

I use high point pressure grease on the pushrod tips.

tightening the rocker 1/2 turn after zero lash is a safe adjustment.

Cobbcfi wrote:What about the way he is tightening the rockers until the rod wont turn by hand and then another half turn.. Is that setting the correct load?? I have a flat tappet cam and hydraulic lifters also..

There is a problem with what he said.
What you want to do is to tighten the poly lock until all the clearance is gone between the push rod and the rocker, and then tighten 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

If you 1st tighten it to the point that you can not spin the push rod anymore, then you have bottomed the hydraulic piston in the lifter and then if you turn it another 1/2 turn you will actually be opening the valve.

When I sent valves on a hydraulic lifter, I spin the push rod until I feel the slightest bit of drag then tighten another 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

Remember, unless the lifter is fully pumped up, the only resistance you will feel is the small spring inside the lifter.

I pretty sure he meant to say that he tightens it down until pressure on the spring is noticed, and then 1/2 a turn

No, he was actually turning the rod with his fingers until it wouldn't turn anymore, then he cranked it another half turn.. That seems a little exsesive to me but I think I will reverse engineer the remaining rods to see how tight he has them now and try for about the same when installing the new rods..

If my engine already has about a 1000 miles on it before the rod failed, do I still need to use the super slick lubes on the lifter and still give the lifters and oil bath or just put it back together??

Cobbcfi wrote:No, he was actually turning the rod with his fingers until it wouldn't turn anymore, then he cranked it another half turn..

I know, thats how you tell when it is up against the cup.

Cobbcfi wrote:No, he was actually turning the rod with his fingers until it wouldn't turn anymore, then he cranked it another half turn.. That seems a little exsesive to me but I think I will reverse engineer the remaining rods to see how tight he has them now and try for about the same when installing the new rods..

You are making this harder than it needs to be. Just find "zero" lash then go another 1/2 turn.

If my engine already has about a 1000 miles on it before the rod failed, do I still need to use the super slick lubes on the lifter and still give the lifters and oil bath or just put it back together??

If you had a push rod failure, you should probably try to figure out why before you put it back toghther. To answer your question about prelube it depends on how far you disassembled your engine.

The rod failed because it wasn't hardened or chromoly, just a standard rod that the engine builder put in during assembly (he's very well know for his race engines but his old age I think made him slip up on the rods, and he has since retired shortly after the rebuild). The rod failed after it rubbed down to nothing on the hardened rod guides and bent over. Had a new engine guy go through it and found no metal shavings and said the metal was just pressed up and down and remained on the rod. The only tear down was the intake manifold and valve cover, all the components are still in place as of now so it wont be anything more than just removing the rocker and replacing the rods. When the intake was pulled some anti-freeze fell down into the intake area so I am going to pour some oil down where it went in to flush is out, put it all back together and then just change the oil 2 or 3 times in 500 miles to get the rest of the junk out.

I'll slap it back together and let ya how it goes.

If you guys think of anything else, let me know.

Lifters are in an oil bath... I put her back togerther tomorrow and we'll see how it all works out.

The push rods (unless they were in thier functioning state I.E. moving the valve down) all the other rods were very easy to spin with my fingers.. Was that to loose??

are you putting new lifters in or your old ones if you are reusing yours if you did not mark them where they came from throw them away and buy new ones or you will be buying a new cam and lifters