Solid Lifter Sound
 

Guys-

I have told you all that I am still learning & a newbee... so this is one of those questions. This is my first solid-lifter motor (BBC). When it is cold, they make some niose... I assume that is normal?? They are pretty noisey compared to hyd lifter motors I have had...

There are only intermitent niose @ idle. I have not ran the car much this year & only go to start it once in awhile latley while working on other things. The lash is adjusted, but the last time I did it I wonder if the motor was warm enough( it is .26/.26). Anyways, solids do make some racket at idle when cold right??? Thanks! Scooter

Yep they do make some noise cold or hot, but i would warm the engine up to about 200 degrees and re-check the lash settings.

JMO

Zip.

Zip- thank you sir. I wondered about that too. I am pretty sure that I did not warm it up to 200 the last time I adjusted them. Hot metal expands, so the thoery is that I may have the lash too tight at operating temp... is that right? Thanks.

The lash will measure larger or looser when hot. The block and head grow and give greater lash when hot. The hotter temp you set the lash at, the tighter it will be when cold. Set the lash at the operating temp you run your engine at. Be it 200 deg or 160 deg.
Bruce

I set mine cold, alot easier than working over a hot motor, and say your start on # 1 with the motor @ operating temp (HOT,) by the time you get to the last valve the motor has cooled considerably making for an uneven adjustment, unless you stop and start it back up warm up, etc.

A couple guys I know real well who used to work for Joe Lunati back when it was still Lunati used to do R/D on cams, experimenting with different grinds and so fourth, they actually cam up with the grind I run in my motor, orignally devoleped as a jet boat cam.

They now run their own engine shop/machine shop and dyno service in Southaven Ms, (Southern Performance)

They told me about 99% of solid cams can be set @.022 cold with very good results.

I have been running my solid roller @ .022 (cold) for 2 years now. I've only had to readjust once and then it was only one or two that were off.

I've never noticed any valve train noise but then I again I run open headers. :lol:


JMO, Cp

This hot lash procedure takes me a tick over 3 min from start to finish doing all 16 valves. I use the battery to roll the engine over with my remote trigger switch to my 90 deg marks and rock on thru in the firing order easily in 3 min. I leave the water pump on to maintain the heat soak and use my track temp gun to verify the engine temp. I'll bet that the engine block and heads do not loose 4 degrees during this entire process even with my all aluminum block set up. It is ok to do them cold like tod likes to. I used to do them that way as well. I had discovered on one of my oldsmobile engines that my cold extrapolation of -.006 from hot lash, was no where near where I thought it was hot when I had checked it a few times at temp. Some valves measured .004 loose or better hot, and some were not even close to the same lash as the one next to it. From that time on I did my lash at starting line temp and my engine ran faster and smoother than it ever had previous, I figured due to the lash being more identical at operating temp.
If you think your lifters and rockers are noisy you should hear my BBC coming back on the return road at 140 degrees. I thought that I broke a rocker the first time I heard that clattering. Lash makes noise, the more lash the more noise period.
Scooter, No matter which way you do them be it hot or cold, do them the same way every time to tell if there has been a actual change in lash and not just a thermal valve lash change.
Bruce

The more alum. you have the more growth. You should always set your valves hot and then check what they are cold. After which you could set them cold. I still think setting your valves at operating temp is best IMO.

Yup, setting hot is best and most accurate without exception. There is not a short cut to the correct setting's. More mass makes larger diff in lash with temp. Cool is not a temperature, it is a relative measure. Is cool 45 deg 75 deg or 100 deg? Big differences in cool temp's and that deserves mentioning. I do my valve lash at 125 deg which is what I call hot with my drag race only engine. Ambient temps in Tuscon Az are close to the coolant temp I use to lash my engine. You should always go to an exact temp to adjust valve lash and repeat the adjustment every time at that same temp. If you think about the temp difference between ambient and 125 deg, there could be a bigger variation in temps which some would call cool, not to mention, 65 deg is hard to repeat in the summer, 180 deg is much easier to repeat any time....................
Food for thought.
Bruce

Ok this is good....

By reading all of this, I really need to go back & re-adjust them. Topspeed,CP & Dparker: you have given me alot of good advice about thinking more than just the valve lash itself. The elements beyond the proceedure I can see are very important.

my builder told me to set them @ .26/.26 & start w/ the int. on one cylinder & then go to the exh on the same & follow them one cylinder at a time.

Perhaps I was not precise enough when I did it last time... at the very least, I need to perform it again to gain knowledge alone keeping in mind the temperatures VS tolerances...

I used the remote starter which is nice, but I wonder if at times if I have truely have hit absolute max lift. It seems like a narrow window of opperunity to be exact on the duration/adjustment point. Thanks again!! Scooter