View Full Version : Valve adjustment?
I have an 82 wag with the 360 in it. I replaced the cylinder heads a week ago and now it runs really rough. Some of my friends said that I need to adjust the bolt on the rocker arm. My haynes manual says that you don't need to adjust the valves on this engine. When haynes says valve adjustment do they mean tightening and loosening the bolt on the rocker arms? What should I do? Also the pcv valve might be bad, but if it is bad it has been bad before I changed the heads so this probably rules the pcv valve out Right? so all I'm really tryin to say is do I adjust the bolt on the rocker arms, and if I don't adjust the bolt why is my engine running bad now but not before I changed the heads.
Crazy_Jeepman
01-04-2003, 03:50 AM
There are no Valve adjustments. The rocker bolts are torqued to spec. Do you have any noises? By running rough what do you mean? At idle? Under power? I suspect a Vac leak or timming. Do a Vac test, recheck timming.
It is running rough at all the rpm's. If I take my foot of the accelerator of the gas pedal in the first 10 min. it will die. After it warms up when it is idleing its revs go up and down and it is very shaky. I tried to adjust timing by spinning the dist. cap and listening but I could move it a hole half inch before there was any change in the way that the engine was running. After I got out of this half inch margin it would just die. I also forgot to tell you guys that my thing that pulls the warm air of the manifold isn't there so maby that is the problem to? It might be worse because the weather was fairly warm before I started but now it is about 35. I did hear the valves clicking after I installed them but I think it was because oil hadnt got to them yet. there also was some noise coming out of my messed up catilyitic converter but that was all the noise I could hear. But it is constantly running rough it is shaking alot and kind of stumbling around(like when the timing is messed up)
Damage, Inc.
01-04-2003, 07:46 AM
Did you put the right-side head on the left-side of the engine, perhaps?
Sounds like a vacuum leak. A quick way to check for a vacuum leak is to, at idle (if you can), take a shop rag and carefully plug the intake, COMPLETELY. If the engine still runs, you've got a vacuum leak.
Good luck...
BTW--I'm kidding about having the heads on the wrong side. redface.gif
Damage, Inc.
01-04-2003, 07:48 AM
Also, if you dropped the exhaust on this thing (to pull the head), it's possible you jarred the cat a bit and this, on older cats, could cause them to be plugged.
This wouldn't cause your problem--unless it was COMPLETELY plugged--but it's something I'd investigate.
I looked at the heads but couldnt tell a diffrence in them. I didnt think that there where right and left cylinder heads? If I put them on the wrong side how would i know.
oh I just now read your whole post. you scared the poop out of me!
Crazy_Jeepman
01-04-2003, 09:14 AM
ROTFLMAO!!!! OK that was funny. Put a Vac gauge on it, sounds like a bad Vac leak, check all hoses, Carb spacer plate ect.
there is a hose that goes into the coal cannister it comes from behind the carb. the tube is connected to the carb and intake manifold in the middle of the tube (that runs between the carb and the intake manifold) there is another tube that branches off(this is the one that runs to the coal canister) it was not connected and it was sucking a ton of air. So much air was coming out of it that I could hear it sucking over the engine noise. When I put my finger over the hole the engines revs went way down. I think it made it run better but it was hard to tell because my muffler is loose and it has holes in it. I reconnected it to the canninster. But now my engine was making a knocking/tapping sond it was coming from the left side of the engine it sounded like it was either coming from under the valve covers or the exhaust manifold if the exhaust maniforld is loose or has a leek will it make this noise? thanks for all your help!
Crazy_Jeepman
01-04-2003, 10:51 AM
Sounds to me like you need to quiet the engine down, fix exaughst leaks to really be able to hear whats going on. Go over every vac hose and be sure you have NO LEAKS. Once you get that done you can diagnose any other problems you may have, and tune the engine properly. Untill everything is hooked up as it should be this won't be possible
I know its a stretch but do you know of any web sites that have pictures or just tell where all the vacum hoses go?
Damage, Inc.
01-04-2003, 12:03 PM
I go to my local library--they've got a book for everything.
Mo'Gas
01-04-2003, 12:23 PM
Have you checked the timing chain?
No what would happen if the timing chain was bad
Michael F
01-04-2003, 12:42 PM
A little bit off the thread but, you can adjust the valves by checking lifter preload and using longer pushrods if you do not have enough preload or shims under the bridges if you have to much preload as you would have if the heads were milled.
Preload can be .020 to .060 if I remeber correctly and you can learn how to check it at www.cranecams.com (http://www.cranecams.com)
Do I really need to worry about this?
BigChief
01-04-2003, 12:57 PM
What every one else said, Vac. leak, disconect ct. to see if it makes a difference. You could do a comp. test after that to see if a valve is hung open. You can buy shims to put under the rocker if it is to tight, if it is to loose, you can buy new rocker asssemblies or you can carefully file each pedestal down till it fits properly.
how do I know if it is to tight or to loose?
Crazy_Jeepman
01-04-2003, 01:07 PM
Take care of the obvious problems, exaughst leaks and Vac leaks, like you have already discovered. You keep getting deeper and deeper here you will be rotating your tires soon.
Damage, Inc.
01-04-2003, 01:20 PM
LOL....yeah...could be the magna-flux core drive unit as well.
Mo'Gas
01-04-2003, 02:26 PM
two ways to check the timing chain;
1) remove your distributor cap and put a ratchet on the crank bolt.
turn the crank and if the distributor does not move until you have moved the crank a little then your chain is probably streched.
You may have to turn the crank in both directions to find the slack in the chain.
The other way is to pull your fuel pump, turn the crank 90 degrees counterclockwise, stick your fingers into the pump hole and see if you can feel slack in the chain.
There shouldn't be more than 3/4 inch of deflection in the chain.
Yuo might also pull your distributor and inspect the gear at the bottom of the shaft and get a flashlight and look at the drive gear on the cam.
Doug B.
01-04-2003, 08:04 PM
Sounds like a vacuum leak.........and it could be anywhere.
Thanks a TON! I got the engine to run 100% better by pluging some tubes and tightening the exhaust mani. But now that I can hear what is going on down there I can hear a tapping. it speeds up with the engine. It is a fairly loud tap, louder than what your valves would make (I think). it is coming from the left side of the engine.It sounds like it is in or near the valve cover or exhaust manifold. there are a few holes in my muffler and cat and the noise taps at the same time as the holes. How can I decide what the noise is coming from?
Zac
Bob Barry
01-05-2003, 03:41 PM
How many miles were on this engine?
I had a similar bad experience on a very-neglected 360. When I pulled the rockers to replace them with better ones, and pulled the pushrods, one of the snap-rings on a lifter had broken, so removing the pushrod allowed it to puke its guts into the lifter valley. This resulted in a LOT of extra clearance and a very loud tapping noise.
Check if one or more of your pushrods is not very tight up against the tip of the rocker-arm. If it's not, you may have a bad lifter.
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