Broke in new cam today, couple of issues.

[Peter]

alright broke in my new cam,lunati 60801 today which is just shy of .500lift and i believe i might have issues with pushrod length.

During the break in period, the valvetrain seemed quite loud and (don't murder me)i never looking into any preload stuff with the pushrods and I was assuming the cam was small enough that I wasnt going ot run into any issues. I am now running #5 heads that have been decked (not sure of the amount taken off) I didnt look into any adjustments while i Was installing the cam and lifters because i assumed that when the lifters filled up that it would work out any issues. Any insight of how i come to some conclusion of how to fix my noisey valve train

Also one other issue I had was a very odd oil build up. The oil build up was near the number 8 cylinder that just puddled between the exhaust manifold and head. Not sure if you can see in the pic but there is no trail from the valve cover so i do not think that is the issue.

 

[chevy2480]

You need to adjust the pushrods thats why it noisey. They are not self adjusting. By having them to loose you are probably doing your cam more harm then good while breaking it in. Because lifters tend to loose contact to cam lobe in return when it makes contact it like hitting cam with a hammer and will chew it up quick. Adjusting everything prior to running it was and is very important.

 

[Peter]

You need to adjust the pushrods thats why it noisey. They are not self adjusting. By having them to loose you are probably doing your cam more harm then good while breaking it in. Because lifters tend to loose contact to cam lobe in return when it makes contact it like hitting cam with a hammer and will chew it up quick. Adjusting everything prior to running it was and is very important.

Olds are not like chevy's, there is no adjustment. Olds have rocker arm pedestals and the lifters are supposed to act as the adjustment

 

[chevy2480]

You need to adjust the pushrods thats why it noisey. They are not self adjusting. By having them to loose you are probably doing your cam more harm then good while breaking it in. Because lifters tend to loose contact to cam lobe in return when it makes contact it like hitting cam with a hammer and will chew it up quick. Adjusting everything prior to running it was and is very important.

Olds are not like chevy's, there is no adjustment. Olds have rocker arm pedestals and the lifters are supposed to act as the adjustment

 

[chevy2480]

You need to adjust the pushrods thats why it noisey. They are not self adjusting. By having them to loose you are probably doing your cam more harm then good while breaking it in. Because lifters tend to loose contact to cam lobe in return when it makes contact it like hitting cam with a hammer and will chew it up quick. Adjusting everything prior to running it was and is very important.

Olds are not like chevy's, there is no adjustment. Olds have rocker arm pedestals and the lifters are supposed to act as the adjustment

Brain fart. Lol i stand corrected. Yea same setup as my buick. Either way I wouldnt run it till you get the pushrod lenght in that case squared away the damage it could cause to cam is still the same. I have seen people use valve lash caps in place of getting rushrods. Also keep in mind people tend to resurface the valve stem tip which will also change the rod length. Good luck hope you get it squared away with no major issues.

 

[CHRIS.O]

You need to measure your proper push rod length first. The preload on the lifter will only take up a certain amount. I believe you can use shims to adjust the pivots or order different length push rods. Being that those heads have been milled you definitely need to get an adjustable push rod and measure the proper length.

 

[Peter]

You need to measure your proper push rod length first. The preload on the lifter will only take up a certain amount. I believe you can use shims to adjust the pivots or order different length push rods. Being that those heads have been milled you definitely need to get an adjustable push rod and measure the proper length.

Would it be possible to try to calculate the play in the pushrod then add .030 for preload and order that size pushrod.

or even try to go the route of grinding down the pedestal?? would that eliminate the lack of preload

 

[Minion1186]

You said you have the heads milled? Usually by milling the heads, you need to double check the pushrod length since material is being removed from the heads reducing the surface.

Have you checked the rocker arm geometry after the cam install? That can be a sign of what's going on too.

 

[Bar50]

Get ready to take a long hard look at the adjustable rocker arm kit Comp Cams sells. Just go on and get it. Trust me, because for it to be 'right' you would have to measure each pushrod for length as valve wear and grinding, plus the head surfacing altered all the specs.

Here is the kit, it used to be available without the rocker arms if you already have some:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-1441-KIT/


By the way, those pedestals would have to be longer or you need a shorter push rod.

 

[Peter]

Get ready to take a long hard look at the adjustable rocker arm kit Comp Cams sells. Just go on and get it. Trust me, because for it to be 'right' you would have to measure each pushrod for length as valve wear and grinding, plus the head surfacing altered all the specs.

Here is the kit, it used to be available without the rocker arms if you already have some:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-1441-KIT/


By the way, those pedestals would have to be longer or you need a shorter push rod.

however much that might be a little easier on myself, its just not in the budget. I have yet to repull a valve cover but i have a noisy valves train probably pointing at a lack of preload. I had differnet pedestals comes with my heads than i used. (i used the pedestals that were working on my 3A heads) I plan to measure those pedestals to see if they might be shorters. if they are shorter that could be my problems and i could switch to those.

The eventual goal of everything is i need to add preload to get rid of the valve train noise. Therefore i need longer pushrods or the pedestals closer to the cam