Thanks for that update,I noted your reply in the top post.:s
Adjusting Pushrods
- Thread starter glider.
- Start date
Thanks for that update,I noted your reply in the top post.:s
glazier
Junior Member
Can anyone make this more clear for me, I sort of get but don't. Thanks
6
ractice makes perfect.
Pre-adjustment Procedure
On all models except the 1990-99 Sportster which has one piece pushrod tunnels, push the spring retainer down. If you have paws the strength of Godzilla you can do this with your fingers. For the rest of us, there are various techniques. The one I use is with a slotted or flat-sided screwdriver. I wedge the slot, horizontally between a couple of head fins while the screwdriver shaft lays on top of the spring retainer. The leverage provided allows for the retainer to compress easily. This can be done with one hand. With the other use another slotted screwdriver or a set of needlenose pliers and remove the spring keeper.Now the lower cover can be easily pushed by hand over the upper cover exposing the adjuster mechanism.
6
ractice makes perfect.Pre-adjustment Procedure
On all models except the 1990-99 Sportster which has one piece pushrod tunnels, push the spring retainer down. If you have paws the strength of Godzilla you can do this with your fingers. For the rest of us, there are various techniques. The one I use is with a slotted or flat-sided screwdriver. I wedge the slot, horizontally between a couple of head fins while the screwdriver shaft lays on top of the spring retainer. The leverage provided allows for the retainer to compress easily. This can be done with one hand. With the other use another slotted screwdriver or a set of needlenose pliers and remove the spring keeper.Now the lower cover can be easily pushed by hand over the upper cover exposing the adjuster mechanism.
I have my pushrod tubes up and am trying to readjust the PR’s, I guess I got lucky when I put the new cams, lifters, push rods in because it ran fine. The valve train was a little noisy and so I opened up the PR tubes to readjust them after I talked with Bill Gaterman of Gaterman lifters. I had been told initially to put 2 turns on the PR's by whomever. Bill said that they have decided since that 3 turns is what works best. To be to the point I am confused about finding the low point on compression and # 6 from your pushrod adjustment post (below) has definitely thrown me a curve ball. Is there anyone out there that could make your statement clearer, I'm not getting it.
Rule 6:
Practice makes perfect.
Pre-adjustment Procedure
On all models except the 1990-99 Sportster which has one piece pushrod tunnels, push the spring retainer down. If you have paws the strength of Godzilla you can do this with your fingers. For the rest of us, there are various techniques. The one I use is with a slotted or flat-sided screwdriver. I wedge the slot, horizontally between a couple of head fins while the screwdriver shaft lays on top of the spring retainer. The leverage provided allows for the retainer to compress easily. This can be done with one hand. With the other use another slotted screwdriver or a set of needle nose pliers and remove the spring keeper. Now the lower cover can be easily pushed by hand over the upper cover exposing the adjuster mechanism.
Any assistance would be appreciated or better yet a contact where I can talk with someone over the phone to walk me thru this.
Thanks
Jb
glazier
Junior Member
The instructions you copied are just for removing the pushrod tubes so you can get to the adjusters. Once you get to the adjusters, you need to know what type of pushrods you have and how many TPI they have. Most are either 24 or 32 TPI. You're wanting to set the pushrods so they depress the lifters about halfway through their travel limits. Not too tight or the lifter will bottom out and possibly bend a pushrod or valve, nor too loose where the lifters will be noisy from too much slop in there. You have to start on one cylinder where the piston is at TDC on the compression stroke, and then let the lifters bleed down for about 10 minutes before starting the adjustment. Take all the slack out of the pushrods so they are snug and you can still barely spin them with your fingers. Then loosen the jam nut, back off the adjuster accordingly, usually about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 turns, depending on the TPI. Lock down the jam nut and do the same on the other pushrod for the same cylinder. Then, after getting to TDC on the other cylinder and allowing that lifter to bleed down, repeat the process. Once the pushrods are set properly, I can't think of any reason to have to re-adjust them. I bent a paper clip and hooked in under the pushrod tube and tied a piece of string on it to hold the tube out of the way so I could do the adjusting. If you have SE adjustable pushrods don't over tighten the jam nut. I've heard they can crack. Some have gone to the hardware store and got #8 nuts to replace them with to avoid this problem. Its not hard to do this right, but it is important that it is done right. Good luck.
When a lifter is sitting on your workbench it is " expanded" but not necessarily " pumped" up. Oil pressure when the motor is running is what pumps up a lifter. When referring to pushrod adjustment and bleeding a lifter down, the reason one should wait is to avoid adjusting a pushrod to say 4 turns and immediately turning over the motor and having a valve make contact with the top of a piston when it reaches top dead center. That's why it's a best practice to wait the 15 minutes to prevent that from happening. Remember these motors grow as they heat up and thats why proper pushrod adjustment including waiting for bleed down is important to how critical some of these tolerances are with parts coming in close contact with each other at high speeds even at idle where that piston comes close to each valve a little over 200 times every minute. :s
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
I don't quite follow, but as the lifters fill with oil they pump up to run as close to zero lash as possible, they can only pump up when the engine has been run , however you let them bleed down (squeeze the oil out of them) when adjusting them so when they do pump up with oil the push-rods will be adjusted correctly