Can any of you straight 8 buick guys give me a step by step or some tips on adjusting my lifters on a 1952 special. All stock 55k mile car. Getting some lifter noise/chatter.
My 1950 service manual states that only series 40 (Specials) with Syncro-mesh ****** have plain sleeve lifters that need to be adjusted, all other engines have hydraulic lifters. It also says that a timing chain will usually become noticeably noisy at idle speed before it has worn enough to change valve timing enough to noticeably affect engine performance. I will try to post the text on adjustment later this evening. hope this helps, I know I didn't really answer your question.
On a 60 year old car, anything is possible. Engines may have been changed, so the book isn't always right, ant they could be solid or hydraulic lifters. Do you know if you have solid or hydraulic lifters? Both the hydraulic and solid lifter engines have adjustable rocker arms, so you can't tell by that method. If you aren't sure, run the engine for a few minutes, then pull the valve cover and make note of the position of one of the rockers that is holding a valve open. Take as accurate a measurement as you can. Then let the car sit overnight, and take the same measurement again. If the valve has closed slightly, you have hydraulics, as they will bleed down a bit when there is spring pressure on them. If the measurement hasn't changed, you have solid lifters. The adjustment procedure is different for the hydraulics vs the solids.
You just want to get the ticking out of the valvetrain, right? So you want to adjust the rocker arms...not the lifters. And as long as you bring the engine up to operating temperature beforehand, it doesn't matter if the lifters are hydraulic or solid. Run the engine to bring it to near operating temperature. Adjust the idle speed down. This will help to keep oil from squirting all over the place, and also make it easier to keep the screwdriver engaged in the adjusting stud. Long stroke Buick straight eights can be adjusted to quite a low idle speed. Shut off engine. Remove valve cover. Get an open end wrench to fit the rocker nuts, a flat screwdriver to fit the adjusting studs, and a rag for wiping oil off your hands and such. Crack all the rocker nuts loose, then lightly tighten them again. This is just to ensure that you can re-loosen them easily without swearing...lol. You're gonna go through and adjust them all...maybe more than once. You're gonna adjust each one, just until it doesn't tick anymore, then lightly tighten down the nut again. Initially, especially if a lot of 'em are noisy, you'll want to just do a decent job of it. This will quiet most of 'em down, so you can hear a little better to fine-tune each one during the second go-through. If you're right handed, hold the wrench in your left hand, and the screwdriver in your right hand. You're gonna wonder how the heck you can hold the blade of the screwdriver in the slot on the studs while they're bouncing up and down...but you can. Put the wrench on the nut and crack it loose. With the wrench still on the nut, turn the stud out with the screwdriver until you definitely hear "clack clack clack", then turn it back in until the tick just goes away. Don't be tempted to tighten further. If you have to, turn the adjuster in and out a couple of times...and listen closely to the tick coming back...going away...until you know exactly where you're at. When you think you've got it perfect, tighten the nut, while holding the position of the stud with the screwdriver. Two times through will probably do the job. But nothing says you can't go back and do it a third time...just to make sure they're perfect. After you're done, finish-tighten the nuts. Readjust the idle speed. Replace the valve cover. Wipe up any sprayed oil on the car and you. Go do burnouts. I hope this helps a little. Have fun.
The adjustment procedure for solids and hydraulics IS NOT the same!! If you have hydraulics and adjust as recommended above you won't have ANY lifter pre-load. Not only do you need pre-load, but in order for the oil p***ages to line up in the rocker arm the ball stud has to be in the correct position in order to lubricate the ball stud and push rod pocket. (Unnecessary editorial comment) On a Buick Straight Eight, you needn't worry about oil squirting from the rocker arm ***embly. The rocker ***embly is oiled via a metered orifice, through which just enough oil flows to dribble through the shaft and out onto the rocker arms. If you want, PM me and I can email you the "valve service" section of the manual, which has the proper information for both solid and hydraulic adjustment.The manual says in part: 4. Starting with some lash clearance in the valve linkage, turn the adjusting ball stud down until all play of push rod between lifter and ball stud is just removed and no lash clearance exists in the linkage. 5. Turn ball stud down two complete turns to move the lifter plunger down and clear of its retainer, The oil groove on ball stud must be at least half way down in rocker arm so that it connects with oil p***age in arm; if it is not, turn stud down one additional turn. Tighten lock nut. NOTE! If oil groove is still too high after three turns of ball stud it will be necessary to install another lifter or push rod.
Les...Ebbspeed is exactly right...certainly a better answer than mine. I was trying to make it simple for you, but actually gave you some wrong info. Sure don't wanna steer you wrong. Do as Ebbspeed says, and you'll be good.
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