with lifter on base circle, I know you should be able to spin the pushrods freely without any up and down. Is there anything more specific as to how tight they should be. once they hit the spot where they no longer have anymore up and down I have about 5 to 8 more turns before they can not spin freely. thanks!


DB45

 

db, not sure what your asking, but you have to let the lifters bleed off pressure before you will be able to spin them again, if you can never spin them, you have adjusted the pushrods too deep into the lifter. chad.

 

No. Just as soon as you remove any up and down freeplay in the pushrod you can lock the adjustment at that point. No need to make it tighter. Loose is better than tight because of heat expansion. I have a 1977 Iron head and I check the pushrod play about every 3,000 miles or so. She runs like a top to this day!

 

I'm so confused...........I just put Screaming Eagle adjustable's in my scoot. Instructions state that you are to lengthen push-rods until they are setting in the lifter and in the rocker w/ zero free-play, then with wrench's turn additional two and one half turns, then lock down. Allow lifters 10 minutes to bleed down, rotate motor to find TDC of second cylinder on compression stroke and repeat. Now she doesn't even want to start and when she does she runs and sounds like doo-kie with a real nice clank coming from..your guess is a good as mine.

 

You want to go a minimum of 2.5 turns down into the lifter on a twin cam after sitting on the lifter with slack gone. Slack gone is: you can wiggle pushrod all over the place when it is loose, right? as you finger tighten it, there is a spot where it stops being loose. Stop there... that is where you start counting turns. SE pushrods have a DOT on the pushrods to count turns, instead of having to count 'flats'.

Some go 3-4 turns depending.

Put the bike in 5th or 6th and turn engine with back tire to spin engine. Do NOT use starter...

Also, were the lifters new? If so, they had no oil in them and needed to 'pump up'. Clacks like hell.

You need to start over.

What YOU need to check is this...

Did you REALLY have TDC? Did you have a straw of some kind in plug hole to measure when piston is up? And remember piston is up TWICE per combustion cycle and one of those times is NOT TDC.

With piston on top, both lifters should be all the way down. If one is down and other is a bit up... you are not on TDC.

Doc and other recommend this way to adjust lifters: When the intake is about halfway up, adjust the exhaust. When the exhaust is halfway up, adjust the intake, etc. With this method, one doesn't need to know if TDC is in place or not. It takes twice as long (because you have to wait between each of 4 adjustments for bleed down) but it is pretty foolproof.

I have been call a dumbass so take this for what its worth.

 

Thanks for the response wurk_truk. What you have described is what I thought I did. Second guessing myself at this point. This evening I will back everything out and do it again. Here is the sad part, I just did the 95" conversion, w/ new cams, new 2007 style cam plate w/ hydraulic tensioners, new high flow oil pump, new air box etc....... she started right up and ran very well, sounded awesome!....................but............had a litle oil pressure at start up and lost it as it came up to temperature. Turned out that new oil pump was no good. To keep from taking rocker boxes etc. apart again I went with the adjustable's and cut out the stock rods, now I have killer oil pressure but she won't run right!

 

you got a bunch of bent valves pal,did you make sure you spin freely pushrod before turning motor over?,i dont care if it took a hour,if you couldnt spin the p/rod,valves wer`nt closed,results,bent valve(or valves)
kirby
facebook: kirby apathy

 

Agree... If you couldn't spin p-rods..... But don't panic quite yet. If you were not on cam properly (NOT TDC, but exhaust stroke instead)AND you did lash adjustment like you shoulda... then you just made it so valves NEVER open properly and clack like hell.

If you 'missed' the point of zero lash, and went too far before your 'adjustment' then.....

I just re-read your post. If you had no, or little oil, in the lifters then it is a 'fine' feel to tell when you are on top of the lifter. With no oil in lifters, one can always spin the pushrod even if right on the lifter cup. If you went past that 5-8 turns? Ur screwed.

Let us know either way.

 

Ok, can't explain it, don't understand it but, what I found was the intake pushrod front cylinder just-a-flapin in the breeze. Jam nut down around it ankles and the rod loose enough to stay between the rocker and the lifter without coming out of those parameters. All others when at TDC on compression stroke are tight and secure and can be spun with fingers. I took the intake rod out of the bike, checked threads with die, checked jam nut etc.. put it all back together as stated above, closed her up, and she fired right up! Quiet as a church mouse! With the new oil pump I have about 28lbs at idle after well warmed up and a constant 48 or better on the road. Of coarse I'm staying under 50 MPH for the break in of the new top end. Put about 50 miles on her last night. Good Lord was watching out for me on this one! Very strange. When I put them in the first time my neighbor who is a big hot rod builder of very expensive old cars was watching me every step. I went and got him last night to show him and he too is puzzled. He told me that he knows I completed all steps! Thanks again for the responses.