I'm really hoping it's good to go today. I had completely forgotten when I posted yesterday that I have to travel today. Not as much time to work on it as I thought. Going to pick up winter tires for the truck and they're 2 hours away. Heading out in a little bit here though, hope to at least have it running without any glowing exhaust before I leave. My other concern though is that none of the rockers are too loose now? I guess my question is, if they're not chattering are they fine? I worry about higher rpm's if they're too loose.

 

Yes, high rpm's will be an issue if the adjustment isn't right. That's why I take mine loose enough to clatter, and then take them back until it stops. Once it's quiet on all 16 this way, I stop and add 1/4 turn to each before quitting.

 

I tried getting that #7 to stop glowing this afternoon but it still needs a bit more adjusting. I know I'm eventually going to have to try and finish setting them with it running but I want to get to the point where it'll run right, without the tubes glowing. It took a little longer to start glowing today with the engine running after I loosened it. It's just so strange, all the exhaust rockers are literally flopping around with the engine off now. I'm to the point where I'm downright scared to loosen it any more but I apparently need to! Not quite as obvious whether I've got the intake ones loose enough or not, but I'm going to say they need to be adjusted more as well. When I started the engine today it's on a fast idle. I tapped the throttle to bring the idle down and it stalled, probably because of being so chilly and not warmed up yet. When I try to restart, if it doesn't fire up and run it still wants to come through the carb a little bit. However, what makes me think that they still need loosening is from what you said about not running right under a load. I shifted into drive today to see if it would engage. It did (no crazy noises either) but as soon as the trans engaged in D, the engine stalled. I did this three times and got the same result each time. I have the idle set at 1200 rpm right now but slowly creeps back up to 1500 rpm after running for a few. I think I'm going to take another old valve cover and just cut a slot across the top that'll just leave enough room to get at the nuts/poly locks on the rockers. That should help cut down on the oil going everywhere and give me a little more time to try and adjust them with it running. I'll have a little time tomorrow afternoon to go at it again. Those wheel dollies are 2 days out!!

 

If I loosen these rockers any more with the engine off, they're going to fall off the pushrods! I did a test today also to see how much tighter they got after the engine was ran. What's interesting is how loose they still were after I shut it off? I was expecting them to tighten right up, but they didn't. Header tube(s) still glowing after running for a couple minutes. It's actually 3,5 and 7 (could see them because it was dark out when I checked this evening) that are still wanting to turn red. Another strange thing to me is with as loose as I have these rockers, none of them are chattering when I start the engine. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they are going to fall off the pushrod if I loosen them any more. Kind of at a loss here. Since HF/FedEx can't seem to ever live up to a delivery date, guess I'm blessed with a couple extra days to mess with these things. Still, if I try and start the engine and it doesn't fire right up it still burbs out through the carb. I'm going to get a clip on here tomorrow showing how loose these rockers are. I really don't understand how ANY of them could be too tight and causing the valve(s) to stay open! Lastly, ALL the issues with the glowing headers have always been on the driver side of the engine only. The finish on the tubes are completely different from one side to the other.

 

Humor me and pardon for any unintended insult, but those are hydraulic, and not solid lifters you have?
You may have already mentioned exactly what you have, but I'm not going back into the novel.

 

If your rockers are loose when it's running, then they need to be tightened. You're not getting full lift, and at high rpm the valves will float, and lifters may come apart! The slop on the rockers will be like a hammer hitting on the lifters, and that will pop the circlips inside the lifters out, and deposit the guts inside your engine.
I can't imagine how they could be that loose and not make any noise, unless your exhaust is so loud you can't hear the noise?

 

They're hydraulic lifters.


I realize that the rockers should be tightened if they're loose while the engine is running. Up until yesterday, the topic was how the rockers need to be loosened since they are most likely tightening up when the engine runs. I still have glowing header tubes and it was suggested to keep trying to loosen the rocker until that goes away. That's what I was doing. I had the cut open valve cover on there yesterday to see how much the rockers would tighten up after running and I was surprised that they didn't.

 

I think the conversation was about loosening the rockers until the lash was correct, and hopefully that eliminated glowing header tubes. I sure didn't mean to loosen them past the point of zero lash, as once they reach zero lash, anything more wont make them more closed. Closed is enough, and more lash stops the cam from giving the valve full lift, and effectively clips off the top of the cam and engine performance. It also creates the previously mentioned possibility of lifters coming apart, and valve train failure.
I know you're getting closer, and that's great. But don't want to go too far the other way, and create issues that will harm the engine.

 

I do understand that loosening the rockers past zero lash isn't making the valves close more. However, our discussion centered on the lifters pumping up and tightening the lash with the engine running, that's the only reason why I loosened them more than zero lash with the engine off. After running the engine for a few minutes and immediately checking the rockers after turning it off, that's when I noticed the lash wasn't any tighter. That's when I posted that message, right after that realization. You were telling me about how the rockers in your Austin were "sloppy" with the engine off but tightened up after running it. I was checking to see if mine were doing the same thing is all. I took them all to zero lash last night. Engine starts right up and seemed to run very smooth, while it was running. It would run for about 10-15 seconds and stall and did that over and over. It'd also be really nice to figure out why it's only the tubes on the driver side that are wanting to glow. Haven't found any vacuum leaks and I know the rockers weren't too tight, at least the last several times I've ran the engine. I kept thinking that "this time" the red tubes would be gone each time I loosened the rocker more. Each time it seemed to take a bit longer for the tube to actually start glowing but I really can't say for sure on that. Red is red I suppose, whether it happens 2 minutes after starting or 20, something's still not right. Things are still happening that point to the rocker adjustment with the coming back through the carb when it doesn't start right up, stalling when I engage the trans and of course, the glowing tubes. By now I would think I could've simply stumbled onto a cure with as many times as they've been adjusted.

 

Think I'll be taking the top of the carb back off again and getting rid of those high flow needles/seats that I installed with the rebuild.


I started the engine today and let it run for a few minutes. I watched the #7 tube start to glow again and shut it off. I stared at the engine and kept thinking and asking myself "WHY IS IT DOING THIS ON THIS SIDE ONLY?!?!" I decided to take a hammer and (not do what I want to at this point) tap on the back of the carb where the needle is on that side of the engine. AND, ever since I did that the header tube(s) have not turned red. I have video of the engine running right after I tapped on the carb but it's 7mb too big for Photobucket and I can't get it uploaded to show. I've started the engine and let it run for several minutes a few times now and no glowing tubes. Still can't get the idle lower than about 1300 rpm or it stalls. Still can't get it to stay running when I shift into gear. Rockers are all set at zero lash (I went through the firing order 3 times to be certain) and the engine runs quite smooth, just can't get the idle where I want it.


Have a couple questions:


Is it normal for the heater hoses to get warm/hot quickly after starting the engine? They are almost too hot to touch within 2 minutes of the engine running for me. Not sure if there's still bubbles that need to get worked out but I can hear the water circulating around after I shut the engine off and it's going into the overflow jug (a very little bit) after only a few minutes of running. The fan is turning on also and that seems a bit premature for that to happen?


I remember asking this a long time ago, before I tore everything apart but the fan/blower being on a low setting and running with the key on is normal correct? If I remember correctly the fan always runs on that real low speed to help circulate air/etc. with the engine running? It just seems odd that it always runs even though I've got the fan turned off. Just wanted to double check but pretty sure I remember being told something along those lines.


The idle. If I have somehow managed to cure the glowing tubes then I'm onto trying to get this thing to idle down a bit AND stay running when I shift into gear. I'd very much like to believe the rockers are set well at this point, what other possibilities could I focus on? Air/fuel mixture screws were out 2 1/2 turns and I even turned them in until I heard the idle change slightly then backed them back out a touch today.