valve train noise?

-
63dartman

63dartman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
2,230
Reaction score
24
Location
rio rancho, nm
I recently bolted a set of 360 j heads on to my 318 and now I have what sounds like slightly loose pushrods. When the engine is idling or cold it is not present. Iwas running the 302 swirl ports prior to the change and did not have any valve train noise. I checked pushrod length and i have 20-30 thousandths preload on the lifters. I tried putting in pushrods that were 30 thousandths longer and I get the same results. I am still using the stock non-adjustable rockers. I am going to be getting a set of stock 273 adjustable rockers to see if this will help. Am i heading down the right path to solve this? Will the adjustable rockers hold up well in a slightly modified 318 that does not go past 6000 rpm. I also converted to a 90 degree oil filter adapter to fit my spitfire headers in. I pulled the valve covers and checked for oiling issues but it seems to be getting good oil supply up top, oil pressure is good too.It does not seem to be hurting the performance much but it sure does worry me that I may be slowly killing my cam or worse. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. (the j-heads are for future plans with a 360 swap)
 
Hee hee - thanks for moving the post - I was moving it as you deleted the original!
 
strange no noise at idle, if preload is really good why use adj rockers, so longer pushrods made no change? ( RPM OR TEMP ) So perload may be ruled out, have you checked for broken Valve spring?
 
I had exactly the same problem! Still do to some extent.
I transferred cam,lifters and all rocker related gear from my 318 to my 360. Result, too little preload resulting in the need for adjustable pushrods.
i would also be interested in solutions to the above problem!
 
The 273 rockers will hold up well to the abuse. I put a thousand + runs on the same set in a 7000 rpm small block, plus street use. I still have 'em too.

Depending on who did your valve job, you could have uneven valve heights because they may have sunk a valve or two to clean up the seats. If this is the case you may have a couple of lifters with too much preload and the only way to fix it is with adjustable rockers. With adjustable rockers on hydraulic cams I used to run 1/2 to 1 turn preload(.020-.040), with 1/2 turn being just a touch noisy.

What kind of condition are your valve guides in? A worn guide will give some noise too.
 
What he said..put in the adj arms, make and set the preload at 3/4 turn tighter than "0".
 
Sounds like the adjustable rockers are the next step, Talked to the shop that rebuilt my heads and they say everything was good. I did have hardened seats installed. will this cause uneven valve height between the intake and exhaust? It is going to be a few weeks before I get my hands on the adjustable rockers....will keep everyone posted and thanks for the great info. Everyone have a merry christmas too.
 
Just wanted to let everyone know that it is people like headsbikesmopars that make this site so great. He took the time to contact me and and help me with my valve train problem. I probably spent an hour of his time on the phone talking about my valve train problem. I also purchased adjustable rockers from him (very minimal charge too) and hopefully my dart will be running smoothly again after the new year. I am kinda new to the mopar scene and It is great having a place with so many tech experts willing to help out us guys that need a little bit(o.k. , sometimes alot) of guidance from time to time. Thanks again to all.
 
Dartman, thats good news. Let us know what the results are after you fit the new kit.
 
I borrowed some 273 adjustable rockers to try them out and I still cannot get rid of the ticking. I used new crane ball/cup pushrods with my old rocker shafts and adjusted the preload per headsbikesmopars instructions and still got that annoying ticking. (even tried adusting to 1 1/4 full turn and still noisy)I also found 7 lifters that were bleeding down rapidly. changed those out with new also. BJR Racing suggested that I get rid of the stock rocker shafts. He said that they may be flexing with the stiffer springs in my heads. In the end I swapped all my old back on and changed the oil from 10/30 to 20/50 and it did quiet down some but is still there. Will post again after the rocker shaft swap.
 
See your other post. I think you need 273 shafts, or a complete set of arms and shafts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top