Vt not starting after rocker install (backfires)

[Milesvtcalais]

Hi all, so it's been a while and I've purchased a torque wrench and now the car is running, just wobbles on idles and until 2500. The torque wrench is in newton meters for TRUCK sake but I can do the conversion. I think I've over tightened some because it's still not running well but the car is hot atm and I cant be trucked. I'll let you know in the morning

 

[07GTS]

have u adjusted the preload ? set one cylinder on compression stroke top dead centre (both valves closed) and with the rocker undone do it up until the play is gone (between rocker to pushrod and valve tip) and then count how many turns until the bolt stops tightening rocker down, then if u know the bolt thread pitch u can roughly figure out what the preload is, bout same as this

 

[losh1971]

You want either 3/4 of a turn or 1 & 1/2-3/4 of a turn preload. I can't remember which which now, its been nearly a year since i fitted mine. If I have time i will go digging to confirm the number of turns.

 

[Milesvtcalais]

have u adjusted the preload ? set one cylinder on compression stroke top dead centre (both valves closed) and with the rocker undone do it up until the play is gone (between rocker to pushrod and valve tip) and then count how many turns until the bolt stops tightening rocker down, then if u know the bolt thread pitch u can roughly figure out what the preload is, bout same as this

You want either 3/4 of a turn or 1 & 1/2-3/4 of a turn preload. I can't remember which which now, its been nearly a year since i fitted mine. If I have time i will go digging to confirm the number of turns.

Thanks for your responses guys, played around with the car again today and just ended up adjusting them by ear until it ran well, discovered that if I tighten them individually it will run crap for a couple seconds because the lifters are full of oil and then they will compress and it will run fine again. Seems to be running perfect now and goes much harder. Ever since I got a lsd it wouldn't spin but now it will light em up to 5 and a half grand and even bang second. Very happy with them and nothing else was affected, idles smooth and fuel economy seems unchanged. I dont know if it's just me but it also sounds different, nothing like a ls or a 5ltr (in my dreams) but it sounds alot deeper than the typical mang mang.
Thanks for everyone's help

 

[07GTS]

its best to tighten each pair up when valves are both closed, if u wernt doing that at the start some may have been offset a smidge maby causing an issue, but sounds better now

 

[Trevor loves holden.]

ended up adjusting them by ear

Make sure you get all the grease out of your ears, .

 

[Milesvtcalais]

Make sure you get all the grease out of your ears, .

After a month of it not running I'll do my best
Thanks for your help bro

 

[Milesvtcalais]

Well, it's running properly as I've mentioned before but now its making a knocking/ticking noise... (SIGH) is it possible that from all my adjustments I've screwed one of the lifters up, or even from it running back that flywheels has been shaken loose? When I put the motor in I didn't really tighten the flywheel to torque converter bolts up and I didn't even use lock tight. The noise practically goes away when I put the car in drive and when I rev it to 2500rpm
I'm really getting sick of myself stuffing up

 

[losh1971]

There is no flywheel on an auto its a drive plate or flex plate. Those bolts need torquing to spec and you need to loctite them. The rattle you now have could be timing chain, especially if it goes away under load and returns on the down rev. Unfortunately more lift can bring out other problems that were existing but unknown with stock components. If its not a rattle and just a tick then it could be lifters or rockers.

 

[woteva]

Well your better off getting them fitted by a Mechanic

Speaking from experience here ?