Ford Mustang Forums banner

How do you measure lifter preload?

14K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  Kato Engineering  
#1 ·
getting ready to install some DSS 1.6 roller rockers stud mounts but wanted to know how to measure the lifter preload? They said the preload needs to be .020 to .060. it currently has the stock hydralic lifters. thanks
 
#2 ·
verbatim from fti's website:
HYDRAULIC LIFTER/VALVE ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Remove the valve covers, and pick a cylinder you are going to set the pre-load on. Only do one cylinder at a time.

2. Rotate the engine in its normal direction of rotation (clockwise) and watch the exhaust valve on that particular cylinder. When the exhaust valve begins to open, stop and adjust that cylinder's intake rocker arm.

3. To adjust, back off the intake rocker arm adjusting nut and remove any tension from the push rod. Wait a minute or two for that hydraulic lifter to return to a neutral position. The spring inside the lifter will move the push rod seat up against the retaining lock, if you give it time to do so.

4. Twist the intake push rod with your fingers while tightening down the rocker arm. When you feel a slight resistance to the turning of the push rod, you are at "Zero Lash". Turn the adjusting nut down one half to three-quarters of a turn from that point for street applications. Use 1/8 to 1/4 turn for race applications. Lock the adjuster into position. The intake is now adjusted properly.

5. Continue to turn the engine, watching that same intake valve/rocker you just set. It will go to full open and then begin to close. When it is almost closed, stop and adjust the exhaust rocker arm on that particular cylinder. Loosen the exhaust rocker arm and follow the same procedure described before in steps 3 and 4 to adjust this rocker arm.

6. Both valves on this cylinder are now adjusted, and you can move on to your next cylinder and follow the same procedure again.

There may be some initial valvetrain noise when the engine is first fired up but once oil pressure has stabilized and the engine heats up, it should quiet right down to a normal level.

Remember that some racier camshafts will have a mechanical sound to them and will not be a silent as factory units.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Here's how I did it

I mixed and matched pedestals and rockers, plus bought 2 sets of shims, so I
could get them within .030 to .040 on the intakes and .040 to .050 on the exhausts.

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/article78.html

In my Ford factory shop manual, it gives this info which helps avoid spinning the engine over so many times

With the engine at the TDC at the top of the compression stroke (Position 1)
set the following valves

#1 intake & #1 exhaust
#4 intake & #3 exhaust
#8 intake & #7 exhaust

Rotate the engine exactly 180 degrees (1/2 revolution) clockwise
to position 2 and set the following valves

#3 intake and #2 exhaust
#7 intake & #6 exhaust

Rotate the engine 270 degrees (3/4 turn) clockwise from position 2
and set the following valves

#2 intake & #4 exhaust
#5 intake & #5 exhaust
#6 intake & #8 exhaust
 
#4 ·
Correction: I set them within .030 to .040 on the exhausts and
.040 to .050 on the intakes.
 
#5 ·
you've got 2 6x's, just minor.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Good eye!

I'll discipline the keyboard for that! ;-)

Corrected it, now it's right in the post above.

That's the way I did mine with 1.72's on a TF Stg 1,
been running quiet for 20+k miles.

One could always verify or double check a couple
with a dial indicator in those positions that the Ford
oem shop manual calls out just to make sure that the
lobe is truly on the base circle.

Those people that know me always tease me about
being anal about checking, double checking, and
researching / following "procedures" - and I'm
fairly comfortable with what Ford says about their
own engines. At least with a cam that isn't a big
departure from the stock HO cam. Something really
radical might bear some double checking and closer
scrutiny just to satisfy one's desire to do it right the
first time. Always better to be comfortable with
how you're doing something than to have to worry
about it for the next 50k miles!
 
#6 ·
....I STILL say that the PAIR of valves for EACH cylinder should be checked for lash or lifter preload (depending on what you have hydraulic or solid lifters).........
......at split overlap --closed. and piston at top dead center...

....mark the dampener....
 
#10 ·
This is such a fool proof easy way to adjust them, I still don't understand why so many use the other method. Two revolutions of the crank and your done, and no jumping all around. Apparently there are a lot of guys who still believe that when the spark plug fires, the valves are open!
 
#8 ·
#11 ·
yup, I've always done mine that way....just follow the firing order on the dizzy starting with #1 piston at TDC (and on timing pointer) and adjust both valves...then rotate crank a bit till the next one is TDC
 
#14 ·
it dont hurt to check them all..

there are many variables,,,....mainly the length of valve sticking out up to the rocker.

depends on the valve job....
have found heads that were not surfaced even from one end to the other...
....froma wet-back shop...!!!!
 
#16 ·
the lifter plunger has around .100" travel in it. you dont want so much preload that the lifter will bottom out and act as a solid. but you dont want not enough to where everything jumps around at high rpm and creates slack.

i set my rockers to .020 and havent had a problem. sound great!

you will have the ability to set whatever preload you want.

have the heads on the car. take a rocker and put it over the stud and thread the poly lock on. hold the rocker up and adjust the poly lock up or down to where the roller tip on the rocker is about centered over the valve stem tip. if anything make it a little on the intake side just a hair (the roller travels in an arc and will move towards the exhaust side a bit)

now take and adjustable pushrod. sit it in there and adjust it out to zero lash, where all the slack is taken up BUT the lifter piston isnt depressed, take out the adjustable pushrod and measure it with a set of dial calipers. now you can just add the amount of preload you want to run to the measurement and order that pushrod.

say you measure a 6.750" at zero lash, for .020" preload order a pushrod thats 6.770" long. it doesnt have to be exact. in my case i ordered a pushrod .050 longer than my zero lash measurement. this gives me some play room for preload and etc. dont be anal about getting the exact length you need, get it pretty close. if you want EXACT chances are you will be paying for a custom set of pushrods which isnt cheap. every engine is different and all engines should be checked on an indivudual basis, there are many variables in pushrod length.

my car measured 6.750 at zero lash, i ordered a set of 6.805 pushrods, they were cheap and fairly close to my measurement, i was going to experiment with preloads if need be so it worked out good, gave me some room to mess with the preload if i needed to.

now that you have your pushrod get ready to put them on, put all yoru pushrods in and start rotating the engine by hand. an easy way to do it is watch cyl #1 until its compression stroke, on that stroke both valves will be shut and lifters on the base circle. you can proceed to adjust this cyls valves

put your rocker on and handtighten the poly until you reach zero lash, easiest way to know is to wiggle or twist the pushrod until you feel resistance and there is no slack.

now its time to set the preload and lock it down.
depending on stud size you will turn your wrench in different increments.
most studs are either 3/8-24 or 7/16-20, the thread count per inch is what makes the difference. in the 24 threads per inch... 24 full turns of the poly lock will move it down exactly one inch. to find out how much it moves in say 1/4 turn increments its just simple math.
divide 1 by 24 and you get .040". so one FULL turn of the polylock past zero lash on a 3/8-24 stud will be .040" preload. do the same math for the 20 threads per inch stud and you get .050 so on the 7/16-20 will be .050

so a 1/4 turn on the 3/8-24 stud is going to be .010", a 1/2 turn would be .020" etc

a 1/4 turn on the 7/16-20 stud is going to .0125" just a hair more than the smaller stud, a 1/2 turn will be .025"

set your preload and lock the two rockers down, then rotate the engine until the next cyl reaches its compression stroke with both valves shut, you can follow the firing order if you like, wont have to turn the crank so much.

my car uses 3/8-24 studs, i set my preload to .020 so i turned them 1/4 turn past zero lash and locked them down.

there any MANY methods to do valve train stuff dont let people tell you there is only opne magical way to do it correctly. some people prefer to set each individual valve instead of two at a time like i did, thats fine but i dont see any difference because both valves are on the base circle in the method i explained.

everything i explained is how i did mine and had great luck and dont have any valve train noises, its quiet and sounds great.

good luck.
 
#17 ·
preload less than .060" OR LESS ( I like .030") is much better because there is less ability to float the valves because of the lifter filling up with oil.
floating the valves and the inherent banging and bending of valves on the pistons is usually because of weak valve springs... but if the plunger is too full of oil, the plunger will be "taller" and make pushrod go UP and thus will keep the valve open further and closer to the piston at the wrong time.

when preload is more than minimum, then there is more chance of float.
 
#18 ·
Why can't people like you guys live in my damn state?
 
#19 ·
paint a big red and white bulls eye on the roof and we will send out the helicopter..........


be right over...


but UTAH is a big place....