If you put new lifters on a used cam & did not use a moly paste type break-in lube on the cam/lifters , you're well on your way to desroying them.. This ain't the old days... dave
Most certainly will . Had 54 ford f250 had sat for many years , my son pulled the tank rinsed it our in the mean time I did a valve job on it . Had it running from five gallon can ,ran great . he took it home and reconnected the tank filled with fresh gas took it for a ride around the block . Next day tried to start it , just kept back firing pulled the valve cover and found a bunch of bent push rods . When I took it apart it looked like some poured syrup in it . the alcohol in the fuel around here sure did a nice job of cleaning the tank !
Soaked lifters, used a ton of assembly lube on lifters, rods, rockers and wiped the cam with a lot of lube as well.
Put it on this direction. We're you able to verify TDC? Who knows what previous owners did when swapping balancers and timing covers.
Seeing you had the bent pushrod issue you will have to be sure that you are not coil binding the spring or that you don't have sticky valve guide. Whatever bent those pushrods will not just go away on its own that's for sure. Is it possible that the guy that had it before you had the rocker nuts cranked down to far? A cylinder leak down test would let you rule out a bent valve. The one thing that concerns me is the lifter that was out of its bore. It would let the oil pressure drop. Hopefully it wasn't run far once that happened. Did you happen to look at the oil pressure when you had it running? Not trying to be a smart guy, just trying to get to the bottom of your problems. JC
The pushrods didn't get bent because the engine is otherwise heathy and without issue. There's a problem. The timing marks and lights are useless unless you've verified their accuracy with a "piston stop test". Google it.
so I was able to verify tdc in relation to the balancer and it was spot on. Tape/balancer is on backwards, hence why I was getting a retarded timing reading. Also double checked my work on rockers and that was the issue. Had them too tight, so valves weren't closing completely. I guess my paranoia of having the rods/rockers chatter or breaking pushrods again made me crank them down a touch too much. She's running and not missing like before at all. Sounds healthy again. Will dial in carb and timing tomorrow. Still a little worried about what may have caused them to break before I got my hands on the car. I feel like the rockers were cranked all the way down on the studs when I took them off the first time before replacing lifters/rods/rockers, and I'm assuming that's what contributed to the bent rods. I guess I'll roll it for a while and see what happens! Thanks for the help. Next time I'll triple check my work before bugging everyone. Haha
I agree that the valves sound like they were way over-lashed. That can easily explain bottomed out lifters and bent push rods. With hydraulics, I like to set them, get it running. Then adjust them with it running after it gets warmed up.
Bob's method of adjusting when warmed up is the best way. Loosen until it clacks, then tighten down 1/2-3/4 turn. do this for all 16 rockers. It will spill and spit some oil, an old valve cover with the top cut out is a great tool to minimize the mess.
LOL I was going to say that this is a Squirrel question, he's the big block guy of the two of us but he has already chimed in.
I go conservative especially on used motors that are pretty much stock. Up to a 1/2 turn and stop. My new Lunati hydraulic calls for a 1/2 as well. Once I get it running and the cam breaks in, I'll adjust them running. I had the guy that did the short block degree the cam for me. I brought it up on #1 checked with a dial indicator and set my timing tab at dead-nuts zero.
It may be or not but Jim is right about shit gas. It is not uncommon for an engine with good valve guilds that has set for a few months to have some valves stick.= bent push rods. If the engine is half wore out there is enough clearance the valves will not stick. if
From experience that wasn't good ( I had to pull the head and clean the carbon out) bad gas will create a crap load of carbon on the exhaust valves real quick and as soon as you let the engine cool off it gets rock solid. It isn't rich carb carbon but more like the buildup inside a chimney that is well past due for a cleaning. I've got a 500 Cad in a 71 GMC that I am pretty sure that has happened but the first problem child was a little daily driver six banger that got some old gas dumped in it at a moment when I was broker than a church mouse. The killer was the gas that screwed that engine up came out of the original tank of the 71 after I drug it home from my aunt's. I'd do the crank over and check each valve as was suggested to make sure that they are working and not hanging up and go from there.
Crappy gas could have been the root of the mess of pushrods for sure. It was only intake rods that were tweaked. When I set the new rods I obviously tightened them up too much. Realized that when I started adjusting them while the car was running and it directly effected how it ran. When I got the car tank got dropped, new lines, new fuel pump, filter and new carb. Saw a good amount of sediment in old filter. I need to obviously dial in carb and timing now, and adjust valves again. Any suggestions on which order will be most efficient? Carb, timing, then valves? Carb is a new Holley 770. Didn't touch anything but idle screw, cranked it in a bunch to get it to try to hold idle when valves were too tight. Also without knowing specs on cam/valves/etc... What's a good baseline initial and advanced timing to start out at?
A vacuum gauge is your friend, it will tell you everything you need to know on that specific motor's base ignition timing, idle mixture and even valve lash by gauge indications and reading plugs. Don't misunderstand a timing light is essential, just not for setting crank timing particularly. Hell, you can do it by ear but it takes practice. Everything effects idle mixture, especially timing so carb adjustments are not necessarily last but definitely make a final pass when satisfied with everything else. Here's (supposedly) the result of stale/varnished fuel on startup, after everything was "glued" from the last run. Stole this shamelessly from the web.
Gotcha. I will get to it with a vacuum gauge and start getting it in tune. I appreciate the knowledge! I never really worried about old fuel and the damage it could potentially cause to an engine until now. Those pushrods pictured are far worse than mine were!
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