S&S Push Rods
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Beaumont, Ca
S&S Push Rods
I just installed S&S Premium tappets and S&S Quickee pushrods on my 2000 Springer. During installation, I had each piston on top dead center on its compression stroke and cam on the base circle. I tried pumping each tappet with oil, but was unable to purge the air out of three of them, and could not get the pistons to come up. Immediately after installing the intake and exhaust push rods for the front cylinder, I was able to rotate them with my fingers, but I still waited thirty minutes for them to bleed down and went on to the rear cylinder and installed the rear push rods. I was also immediately able to rotate both push rods with my fingers. I adjusted all push rods four turns at zero lash, as per instructions. The bike runs fine, but I am wondering if I need to go back in and extend them a flat or two mainly because of the absence of bleed down time. I had marked the 1/4 in. pushrod stem as well as the female adjuster to use as a reference point when counting the turns from zero lash.
Last edited by cgmartine; Dec 27, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Can't help, but I'm sure 99% of the people who use adjustable, have no problems. I tried a set once, nothing but a PITA for me. I found it easier and less aggravation to reuse the OEM pushrods.
Jim
Jim
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From: poway
They generally fill the lifters with light machine oil. They can bleed as fast as you can turn the adjuster on the pushrod. If the motor is quiet don't worry about it. You probably did it right. Technically the only time you need to wait is when the lifters have regular weight motor oil in them. I takes longer for them to bleed down.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Beaumont, Ca
Here is a theory I have come up with about bleeding down tappets to make the push rod adjustment more accurate. Let's say I prime the tappets with oil. Because the tappets have .200" of hydraulic travel, we never know where exactly the plunger is when it contains oil. The plunger could be at rest at .025" or .050" or whatever, and if I begin my push rod adjustment at that point, it would have an adjustment of four turns, plus whatever measurement the plunger had. For example, it could be four turns plus 0.25". My suggestion would be to allow the tappets to bleed down before starting any pushrod adjustment. I am aware that the tappets will pump up with oil once the engine is started and warmed up, but during that initial period, the tappet will begin having bled down and the plunger will be at its lowest point, and therefore, the push rod will be out of adjustment and the engine will be noisy. So, in my mind, tappets should be allowed to bleed down twice...once before adjustment, and once afterwards. Just a thought......
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From: Poolville
You'll never have a lifter that the piston is at any other position than full up (as in pumped up unless there lifter has collapsed, broke) there is a spring under the plunger that will always have the plunger at the top touching the training clip.. so you should always be able to start the at zero leash and set your pre-load to your desired setting.. And as Max said the light oil that they ship new lifter with will allow them plunger to go down as adjusting occurs..
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: poway
Here is a theory I have come up with about bleeding down tappets to make the push rod adjustment more accurate. Let's say I prime the tappets with oil. Because the tappets have .200" of hydraulic travel, we never know where exactly the plunger is when it contains oil. The plunger could be at rest at .025" or .050" or whatever, and if I begin my push rod adjustment at that point, it would have an adjustment of four turns, plus whatever measurement the plunger had. For example, it could be four turns plus 0.25". My suggestion would be to allow the tappets to bleed down before starting any pushrod adjustment. I am aware that the tappets will pump up with oil once the engine is started and warmed up, but during that initial period, the tappet will begin having bled down and the plunger will be at its lowest point, and therefore, the push rod will be out of adjustment and the engine will be noisy. So, in my mind, tappets should be allowed to bleed down twice...once before adjustment, and once afterwards. Just a thought......
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Beaumont, Ca
While installing the Rocker arm rockouts on the rear cylinder on my 2000 Springer, I decided to check the S&S pushrods I had installed last week, since I had the rocker arm assembly out. I pulled out the intake and exhaust pushrods. I noticed that one, I can't remember which, had less threads showing on the adjuster unit (male), meaning that one pushrod is extended more than the other. Are both pushrods supposed to be equally adjusted? Did I do something wrong? Perhaps not having both tappets fully on the base circle? Both pushrods were adjusted four turns at zero lash.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Beaumont, Ca
These are S&S adjustable (Quikee) pushrods. All four pushrods are the same length, exhaust as well as intake. They collapse and extend the same length. It is the adjusting that can make one longer or shorter than the other. I think that in my case, the reason for that is that one pushrod extended further than the other is that is that one of the tappets may have been fully off the cam lobe, but the other tappet may only have been partially off the cam lobe, and although it appeared that the piston was at TDC and on its compression stroke, with both tappets appearing to be on the base circle, they both needed to start off evenly. I think I will need over to start over again and make double sure both tappets are on the base circle and are even with each other while on the compression stroke.
Last edited by cgmartine; Dec 31, 2020 at 12:16 AM.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Beaumont, Ca
QC, after further review, I have to agree with you that one of the pushrods is longer than the other. This is because of the way Harley-Davidson places the intake pushrod, which is inboard, or closest to the engine, and the exhaust is outboard. The exhaust pushrod would naturally have a longer reach from the tappet to the bore of the rocker arm. I guess it stands to reason that although the S&S pushrods are the same length, after adjustment, the exhaust pushrod is extended farther. I may, or may not be right in my assumption, so correct me if I am all wet on this. Thx.