After you adjust the rods, you should ALWAYS be able to turn them with your fingers once the lifters bleed down. If they are dry, that will happen quicker than if they are full of oil. If you can't spin them, don't even think about starting the motor.

 

does it matter what cylinder is at top dead center to adjust the pushrods, example: I adjusted my rear pushrods 1st the rear cyl. was at TDC and then the front. we turned mine 4 times and im still getting the chatter, were going to pull them out and reset im just wondering if I should do the front cyl. 1st ?

 

What brand are you using?

Are BOTH lifters at the very bottom of the lifter bore?
This is when that cylinder is at TDC.

 

im using S.E. brand adjustables

Im assuming yes they are at the bottom... but honestly dont understand the question

 

I know some install lifters "dry", but IMO opinion it is not a good practice unless you crank the engine until you have oil pressure before actually starting. If dry, this is just one more area that the oil pump has to fill and without oil in the lifter, there is no oil pressure to the rockers or valve assembly until it fills. That being said,

Ensure the lifters you are adjusting are on the base of the cam lobes, meaing the lifter is as low in the lifter bore as possible. Adjust (lengthen) the pushrod to zero lash, that is the point at which there is no more free play in the pushrod. Then go an additional 2-1/2 tuns on SE rods. Lock them in place, wait 10-15 minutes, the pushrods should then spin freely between your fingers. Move onto the next pushrod(s) that are on the base of the cam.

What you intially described is that you bottomed out the pushrod in the lifter and were actually opening the valves permanently due to too much length of the pushrod. Even turning the engine over by hand in this situation can cause valve damage.

The other caveat to those reading this is that various different pushrods have different thread pitches, meaning how many threads per inch. You want to get to approximately .100 of adjustment to start. HD pushrods have 24 threads per inch (TPI). HQ pushrods have 32 TPI and there are others that have somewhere more or in between. Turning only 2.4 turns on HQ pushrods for example, will only get you to about .075 adjustment, not enough. Ensure you know the TPI (count the threads) of your pushrods before adjusting if there are not specific instructions that come with them when you buy them.

 

Guy,
This is exactly why I like the S&S pushrods over the others.
Their directions are very simple.
They tell you exactly how many turns to go.
S&S states "24 Flats"
Adjuster nut has 6 flats on it...4 turns, total.

If anyone is unsure what a flat is...a nut has 6 sides...1 side is called a flat...6 flats is one complete turn.

 

There are others also that give you the correct "starting" adjustment. I ran Rivera Taperlights for a while but don't recall if they gave the number of turns or flats, but it is easy to figure out. S&S, HQ, Rivera and others all are pretty good pushrods.

I have heard, and this is hearsay, that the SE tapered have had some issues with the adjuster nut splitting. Don't take my word for it but ask your dealer (what am I saying, will they really give you the truth??? )