I'm getting conflicting info on setting valve lash. Not good.

My haynes manual says to get the rod to zero lash and turn 3/4 turn.

It's been posted here and I'm told to turn it 1/4 or 90*. I'm almost sure thats what I did last time.

3/4 turn would be 270* right?

What do other manuals say?

I put in a cam that would be better for me (I hope) than the comp cam 2030. It was very close in #'s but was dual pattern and had a longer torque curve. It was also within my budget. Normal lifters. Does that make a dif?

One of those things I don't want to be unsure about.

 

Holy crap man, the mechanic had the same problem when he put my 2030 cam on. Now it is noisier than hell and the knock sensor is picking up the noise. Performance sucks. Tell me what happened I'm getting mine fixed when I get her out of storage. The mechanic only tightened 3/4 every one else sais the whole turn, whatever that means. Call Crane before you mess it up. Get back to me on this to. Peace Out.

 

Holy crap man, the mechanic had the same problem when he put my 2030 cam on. Now it is noisier than hell and the knock sensor is picking up the noise. Performance sucks. Tell me what happened I'm getting mine fixed when I get her out of storage. The mechanic only tightened 3/4 every one else sais the whole turn, whatever that means. Call Crane before you mess it up. Get back to me on this too. Peace Out.

 

I just found my old Haynes 82 -91 and it says for the V6 1 1/2 turns, for V8's 1 turn

The new (1993) one says 3/4 turn for both.

I'm thinking haynes might have generalized 3.1 L specs onto all other engines.

There must another way to tell, other than turning it over and using a compression guage.

Anyone?

 

THE EXACT 100% SURE THING GUARANTEED WAY TO SET THE VALVES ON THESE DAMN ENGINES IS USING A COMPRESSIN GAUGE.
AND IT'S THE BEST WAY
I'v done three engines that way so far. Runs right up to redline & no tap and 100% best cylinder compression. Forget the other way. Don't waste the time. Just use the right tool.
Zero Guessing.

 

The extra turn after "0 lash" is setting the lifters up. Hydraulic lifters have a plunger inside them that gives them their self-adjusting property. By giving the rocker nut the extra turn after 0 lash, we're really pushing the plunger in. The extra 1/2 turn seats the plunger near-mid-way inside the lifter. 1 1/2 turns might bottom the plunger out- which wouldn't be good. Too "little "of an extra turn (say, an extra 1/8 turn) wouldn't push the plunger in enough to be good.

The "proper" way to do this is with a dial gauge. You aim the dial gauge so it rests on the pushrod (don't know how, I guess right above it, on the rocker arm?). Then, you tighten the nut. The dial gauge will move, and at the certain spec (just guessing but for the sake of arguement, lets say 0.10"), you'd stop tightening the nut. Since it's been "proven" that a certain amount of turns equals a certain amount of preload, everyone just goes by the amount of extra turn put on the nut.

So now you know "why" the extra turn is there, and maybe that can help you decide how far you want to go. The engine won't be ruined; it's just setting the "initial" height of the plunger in the lifters.

1 1/2 turns sounds like too much. I think we went 3/4 turn on my friend's 2.8/2.8 swap. I think I wrote it down somewhere... I'll see what my GM manual says tonight.

A side note- you bought new lifters for that new cam, right?

 

KED85,
How do you set valve lash with a compression gauge? That sounds too good to be true. Tell me how to do that. I think I know how being that vavles would be closed but just tell me.

Take care,
Jon

 

I did my heads this summer (2.8L). I asked the same question you did. I ended up by using the up& down method and a compression gauge. I just move the pushrod up&down till there was no movement and left it. If I went any more it bottomed out the lifter. Car runs fine, except now my MAF is bad. Hope it helps.

 

Yeah, 1 or 1 1/2 turns looks like too much. I'll stick with the 3/4, my dad was home today -he helped me last time- and he's sure we used a 3/4 turn. It looks about half-way there

I have a few probs with Ked's method, on my application. It's fresh from the rebuild shop never been ran before, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of turning over that much. If understand compression tests, you need fully oiled cylinder walls, fully pumped up lifters.

My new lifters are still a bit spongy. I imagine they'll be noisy for a few minutes after initial start up. They will harden up more right? I ASSume so

Hey Bon Jovi, did your mechanic try pumping up your lifters before? and did you use stock replacements like I did?

BTW The cam I used was a pure energy/perfect circle (some company in Michigan that makes cams for other people) MIS*115864. The rebuilder has used this cam in Cavaliers with excellent results.

112 lobe spread
107int/117 exh lobe centers
.281int/.296exh cam lift
.422 int/.444exh valve lift
.050 duration 204/214
.050 overlap -15
SAE overlap 59

The rebuilder said it would sound a little meaner, better torque curve, better gas milage and was half the price. Compared to the crane 2030. The crane would have added $200 to the cost, so it wasn't hard for them to talk me out of it.

I upgraded to a heavy duty silent timming chain, and forged pistons (I'm not sure why I did that, no nos plans, but for $15 more each, I thought why not, they look cool), bored .020 over and a used oil pan. $1175 after tax. So about $705 US for this rebuild, Did I get a good deal or what? This included all the gaskets I needed to assemble and a new oil pump.

All because of one bad main, and two bad rod barings. They were about to spin, but didn't (I'm glad I shut it down as sooon as I seen smoke coming oit of the oil dipstick tube. That affected the price.

I'm done ranting now.
I should put this thing together.


Later

 

The mechanic insists he did everything right. B.S. That is why my car ticks so bad. I cant get my $ back either, but thats life. I have no idea what he did, but whatever he did do it was expensive and wrong.

 

business owner, better business bureu, peoples court, chamber of commerse, word of mouth. get satisfaction that way

 

So how do you do it with a compression gauge? But first you should prime the engine right?

 

Well I always say go to a TRUSTED GUY YOU HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS, or do it yourself. I perfer the later. That way you have no one to blame but yourself, and you know what mistakes you made, if any. And you get a good learning experiance.

 

Very simple. Screw in compression gauge into each cylinder.
Turn over engine.
Read gauge.
Adjust valves until it's the highest reading. Then crank again.
TO LEARN.
Adjust to highest setting, then go, one turn more.
Crank engine. You'll see no compression in cylinder.
Go back to step one.
It is very simple bloody foolproof.
AND I'M AN IDIOT & I DID IT THIS WAY!
I promise I'm an idiot.
My cylinders read 175-200 each on my 3.4
Worn engine of 211,500 read about 100 each.
Yeah, it's dead, Jim.

 

Sounds like a sure fire way but crap that must take a LONG time to do. About how long does it take just to do one cylinder?

 

It took me twenty minutes to do my last job.
When I did my 3.4 swap the herion addict told me to adjust by feel.
I did it and I had to destroy all my work, as my engine did not start, due to no compression in the cylinders.
He gave me the compression tester to use.
First time, took an hour or so (I also learned about zero compression in an engine and how the engine SOUNDS as you tighten the valves, while it cranks).
THEN I reinstalled the valve covers (AGAIN ) destroying perfectly good gaskets I had already done perfect!, Then installed the middle and upper intakes & fuel stuff.(AGAIN ) And destroying new gaskets, too!
This 60* v-6 ain't no V-8 Chevy!
Spend the money for a compression tester and a fitting.
Worth IT

 

With our setting of "0" lash, tighten to no movement, then 1/4-1/2 turn and your good.

 

with the 0 setting. Take down to 0 then another 1/4-1/2 turn.

 

I'm reading this over and over again and being completely dumb founded. Can you reword this in like a Haynes manual type deal? I'm going to save this on my computer. Take care,
Jon

 

double post.

 

Ked is saying that you adjust your valve(s) close to absolute 0. Do a compression test. Adjust them tighter, compression test. and over and over untill you get the highest compression readouts. your done. It will just take a while.

I will say that that way is the best way to do it, it just takes forever to get it done.

 

Perhaps like this.
GOOD compression gauges have fittings
Like spark plugs.
Ya screw the fitting into each cylinder.
Attach the gauge.
Cylinder pumps up compression. The gauge reads it.
How do you make the cylinder get more compression?
You tighten the valve, as if you are adjusting them.
When you have maximum numbers registered on the gauge, you're done. You overtighten that cylinders' valve, your gauge will read zero as you test the cylinder (by turning over the engine).
You need to do this, once, and the next cylinder is dead easy.
NO NEED to do it in order (Cylinder 1 then two) just go down one side and then go to the next side.
go to a parts store and look at the gauges and look at the engine block on the sale floor to see how to do this. It really is simple. Honest.
You need a field trip to visualize this better.
And this answer is also in the chiltons too!

 

Definately sounds like a good deal! Do you know the part # of those pistons? The forged pistons I've seen in the PAW catalog add $300 to the price of a rebuild kit!

Did the machine shop assemble everything, or did they just do machine work?

 

Just out of curiosity did they submerge the lifters in oil and pump them to remove any air pockets before they installed them.

 

Tom

I don't have a part # for those pistons. When I first asked about them he said they would be $38 more per piston. I just looked down and said I can't afford them. He already had them there and just wanted to move them I guess, so he sold them at cost. He felt sorry for me after I told him how my car got a new paint job, and just passed mechanical and structural safety(very freakin intense) and on the way to insure it the engine went. I know the pistons weren't brand name, I'm thinking they were pure energy. I could find any Keith Black pistons for my car.

Oh yeah they liked my hat, that helped. It's a Pontiac Firebird hat i found at the dealer. The lead guy there had to brag about his 98 T/A. And they guy that accually did my engine talked about his 95 Z-28 thats in storage for the winter. I felt a little dumb I was the only one there driving his firebird in the snow, or at least planning too.

Find a machinist that has all chevy's parked in the employee lot. I found that these people were more interested in building up my engine than gouging me. The first rebuilder I called wanted $1600 (can) to do only the machineing and give me the rebuild kit $2300 if I gave them whole engine and they gave it back fully assembled.

I didn't mention I got $400 off that rebuild because I already had the heads done. Thats what caused this.

I took the engine out in peices, left tranny in (bell bolts are easy with the heads off, getting the block in was trickyer though). I removed the water pump and blockheater. I gave it to them like that.

It came back internally assembled. I had to reinstall the flexplate, oilpan, oil pump, timing cover, water pump, oil filter adapter and lifters. Most of the parts said #1 engine parts (ertel manufacturing canada), Clevite bearings and Victor Reigns gaskets. I have found this gasket set is more complete than the fel-pro (it has a paper distr gasket, oil filter adapter gasket and they all just felt higher quality).

I dropped it off Friday morning and it was ready the following Monday.

Anyhow I've gone with a 3/4 turn past 0 lash. I turned it over a few times by hand and it didn't feel like anything bad was happening I am going to use my compression guage on one cylinder only. I'm still uncomfortable turning the key on my rebuild unless it's going start.


I'll post the results later

 

Can't drive 55;

No I had to do that, they were still a bit spongey and you can tell by pushing the rockers that some aren't as stiff as the others. My lifters came in sealed boxes.