200 adjustable rockers

shetland

Well-known member
My 65 200 has adjustable rockers and Hydrolic lifters.
my question is- How much adjustment should there be? the rocker assembly that is original was very dirty so I disassembled it and cleaned everything including drilling out all of the oil passage holes in the rocker arms. The shaft was baddly scored on the bottom especially on the front cylinders 1,2&3. I honed out the rocker arms and cleaned up the shaft as much as I could and reinstalled with the shaft turned over. I noticed when I took the assembly apart that the adjustment studs had no lock nut on them but they were all quite tight in their threads. I thought that it was one of Fords better ideas.
I knew that I would need to get a new assembly soon because I didnt trust it with all the wear on it so i ordered one from FSSP (stock 1.5 like the one I have).
The assembly that I got from Mike has lock nuts.With the lock nuts on I can't adjust them down far enough. Checking the assembly I have the nuts will not work on them either, not enough room. My push rods are 8 1/16" total length.
I considered removing the lock nuts like the orig assembly I have but quite a few of the studs I can turn by hand and I wonder if they will stay where I put them.
Do I need longer push rods? is the assembly right? am I a victim of Fords better ideas or some past backyard mechanic? are the lifters right?
Any ideas?

thanks
Dale
 
Hi Dale,

Sounds to me like there is a simple solution. More than likely, what's happened is that your lifters bled down. When they bleed down, it can give you a false sense of having too much lash even you passed "zero" lash 3 turns ago. You probably have the valves adjusted way too tight now, as you are compressing the piston inside the lifter and bottoming it out.

I would start all over. Remove the shaft and back the adjusters out. Try pushing down on a few of the lifters by hand with a pushrod. I'll bet that you'll feel it compress and then spring back up. If that's the case - they have bled down from sitting a length of time (2 hrs or 2 weeks). They will pump back up as soon as the engine fires and builds oil pressure. Reasemble and pay attention when setting the adjustment. Don't keep tightning until the lifter bottoms out. Just tighten until there is zero play between the rocker tip and valve when you push up and down on the pushrod - then add 1/2 to 3/4 turn. You don't want to push down on the rocker so hard that the lifter compresses (it doesn't take much). That should get you squared away. Hope all that makes sense.
 
I thought you were supossed to adjust rockers when the car is running. I understand that this would make a mess (oil splattering everywhere), but I remember guys having spare valve covers laying around with the tops cut off. This would allow them to adjust and minimize the mess.

ski
 
ski4evr":2rduirdd said:
I thought you were supossed to adjust rockers when the car is running.

No, not with shaft mounted rockers. The adjuster would be a little hard to get a wrench on with the engine running :shock:
 
Inliner":2v4ome5r said:
Sounds to me like there is a simple solution. More than likely, what's happened is that your lifters bled down. When they bleed down, it can give you a false sense of having too much lash even you passed "zero" lash 3 turns ago. You probably have the valves adjusted way too tight now, as you are compressing the piston inside the lifter and bottoming it out.

Before I removed the old assembly I ran the motor to operating temp. When I installed the new assembly, within about 1/2 to 3/4 hour I set the adjusters pretty loose or so I thought. I could easily spin the push rods and I didn't go any tighter. Then I ran the motor again to temp and let run for a few minutes and started the process over. backing out the adjusters then tightening again. I was taking them only till I could not spin the push rod with my fingers +1/4 turn.
I will give it one more shot though. Should I be able to feel the lifter push back up if I push it down by hand with the PR? I have not done that yet.
Thanks
Dale
 
Inliner":3mwvkyhw said:
ski4evr":3mwvkyhw said:
I thought you were supossed to adjust rockers when the car is running.

No, not with shaft mounted rockers. The adjuster would be a little hard to get a wrench on with the engine running :shock:

Good point. I've done it on a bent-8 before and not on a I6. I currently have non-adjustible rockers. :oops:
 
Dale,

I don't like the "pushrod spin" method. It works only if the lifters are pumped up. Grab the pushrod with your fingers and giggle it up and down while tightening until the lash is gone - then add 1/2 to 3/4 turn. It's much more accurate. And yes, you will be able to feel the lifter spring back up after depressing it with the pushrod.
 
Well that may be the problem. I can't feel any movment in the lifters at all, up or down. The old rocker assembly was pretty clogged up before I cleaned it so the lifters probably are too. Time for new lifters?
Dale
 
First off, there is a different specific set of pushrods that that assembly takes. I only scanned through, but Im hoping youre not using the pushrods for the regular non adjustable setup.

Also, the trick my father taught me (which Im about to pick up the pushrods and do today) is, get that cyl to tdc, and with compressed air injected into the cylinder, you can turn the adjustors one, then the other, one at a time, until you hear a bit of air leaking through the valves. Then you tighten the adjustor to where it is silent again, then another 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

Let me know if this is misinformation, because I plan to do this this afternoon

I guess it also depends on if you have compressed air and an inlet sparkplug type available.
 
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