Ticking after valve adjustment? Too loud?

[jd_e30]

I noticed that engine ticking got much louder after my adjustment. It makes sense to a point since all of the valves except one were set to almost 0 clearance. Clearance was adjusted to 0.010". I did notice that after adjusting the eccentric and tightening the bolt, the clearance would increase slightly. There is some play in the rockers themselves and tightening that bolt essentially lifts the rockers up. I tried to make my adjustments accordingly.

I also noticed a decrease in power (especially top end power, where the car used to really scream), which I was not expecting and makes me think that clearance is too great.

Any ideas? I know a ticking tappet is a happy tappet, but does it seem too loud?

http://youtu.be/WRLMmJA2dN4

Thanks for the help

[Dirty325ix]

That sounds a little rough maybe you used the wrong size feeler guage.....i think it's .025

[jd_e30]

Ticking after valve adjustment? Too loud?

I should also note that I have 17lb injectors, which are quite loud as well

[E30Gus]

That sounds pretty loud even for a cold engine.

[jd_e30]

Ya? Hmmm.. Maybe I have some eccentric wear? I may go a bit tighter on the .010" feeler gauge or maybe step down one size?

[E30Gus]

May be a dumb question but are you measuring between the valve stem and eccentric? I ask because there have been conversations about measuring between the rocker and cam.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=277021

[jd_e30]

Ticking after valve adjustment? Too loud?

It wasn't until after doing the valve adjustment that I read about measuring at the cam. I think tightening it up a bit to compensate for worn valvetrain parts could help. I will should for 0.09", so heavy drag on a 0.010" gauge unless I can find (or already have) a 0.09" gauge

[ForcedFirebird]

I find that if you make sure each lobe is pointing exactly down for adjustment keeps them a little quieter than of you adjust both at the same time with that piston TDC.

[jd_e30]

That's actually what I did. As crazy as it sounds, I rotated crank for every single valve so cam lobe was pointing down for each adjustment.

[ForcedFirebird]

Lash adjustment using feeler gauges and just something to hold the eccentric is very subjective, though.

To best explain "the feel" is when you slide the shim in and out, on it's way out, it would be like pulling a hair between your fingernails and feeling the end of it. If the feeler gauage (shim) slide in easy, you may very very well have the lash too loose. Snug and feel a "pop" when it leaves the valve/eccentric gap.

[jd_e30]

Ticking after valve adjustment? Too loud?

It slides in and out fairly easy due to me going by the "slight drag" instructions. But as I mentioned, between the subjectiveness of "slight drag" and the slight eccentric and rocker movement that occurs when tightening the 10mm bolt, I think the lash might be too loose. I should note that I did check each valve after tightening the bolt and they all had the same drag on the correct feeler gauge. Each valve took a few tries. My main concern besides the noise is the apparent loss in power.

[jd_e30]

I did another valve adjustment today and set the lash to 0.009". Wow, what a difference. I remeasured each valve before today's adjustment and there was very slight drag at 0.010". At 0.009", I made sure there was a respectable amount of drag and slight "pop" when removing the feeler gauge. The noise is considerably less and the car really rips now. No more feeling like loss of power. I took it out in the rain for some fun.

Again, here is a video with 0.010" lash and slight drag

http://youtu.be/WRLMmJA2dN4

And today's video at 0.009" lash with slightly more drag

http://youtu.be/FEnc0z9TLd0

[efficient]

still sounds loud. i think your eccentrics are. i did my friends valve adjustment like 5 times and it still sounds loud. I'm just gonna guess the eccentrics are worn

[FLG]

Theres a tool just for this, which eliminates the need for any "feel" and gets it spot on every time, worth the investment.

Losen eccentric, place feeler gauge in between valve and eccentric, place tool in hole and bend till 45 degrees, tighten, done.

Also jumping pins 11 and 14 on the diag connector will engage the starter to rotate the engine for you, make sure car is out of gear and ignition is off.

http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=113070&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_source=113070&utm_source=ChannelAdvisor&source=CSE&CAWELAID=120131870003193065&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=120131870003932881&cadevice=c&gclid=CjkKEQjwk9CcBRDEopHmnZa5td8BEiQAr2BckKyKapQYiPponBNvqW-jdlEGKUA7ivbH2-hsrhtTdnrw_wcB

[jd_e30]

Ticking after valve adjustment? Too loud?

Thanks guys. I actually planned on waiting until the spring tool arrived but it was just too loud to even drive around.

The head is fresh and I'm pretty sure new springs, rockers and eccentrics, but can't confirm. I may have worn eccentrics if not, which explains the noise level. Still, even with basically no clearance before my initial adjustment, it was quite loud. The m50 injectors are very loud, so I attribute some of the noise to them.

It is much quieter now and feels great. Some of the video noise could be echo from the garage too. I will give them one more adjustment at .009" with the spring tool. Perhaps it's time to replace the eccentrics, and if I open up the valve cover again I am going to want to do a new gasket and shaft plugs too.

One thing I did notice in the 2nd video is a kind of whirring noise, like a vacuum leak....hmm.

Thanks for all of the help.