Changed head gasket/rods/adjusted valves and....HELP!!

Ok, so I changed the head gasket....discovered while I had it apart that my valves were leaking....cleaned and lapped the valves....had a bent rod, (it even had a wear mark on the side from rubbing on the head)....got a new set of rods....(two had a sort of sphere shape at the bottom, the other two are just a rounded off bottom like the ones that came out)....put the new rods in despite differences.....set valve clearance to .018 on the intake and .016 on the exhaust....I start it up and it has an awful chatter from the valve train.....like all four are knocking.......

I didn't have a torque wrench that fit the rocker assembly bolts.....got it close to what it felt like coming off....Is there anything I can try here???? I need to be able to drive to work in the morning.....

(by the way, its getting oil...the only remotely dry spot is the middle of the rocker shaft)....
Please help it you can....

 

I set it to TDC and adjusted #1 valves....turned to 180* out and did #3, back to TDC mark, and did #4, then 2, and so on....

 

Ok, took the valve cover back off.......and it seems that when the valves are adjusted to .018, the pushrods have alot of play side to side and up and down......what am I missing here?

 

ANYONE??????? I tried putting two of the good old push rods back in, in place of the ones that looked different.....still loud.....oil goes everywhere when it runs without the valve cover....that seems ok....I only lapped the intake valves....(didn't think that would cause knocking though....I didn't have the right spring compressor to get the exhaust valves out).....I called off work today because of this, (no vehicle)......on the verge of getting fired......DESPERATE FOR HELP!!!!!!!!!!

 

You understand that the engine goes around twice for each cycle? That there are two TDCs, one for intake and one for exhaust? TDC on intake is where you want it for valve adjustment. If you try to adjust on the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve is typically open at TDC.

 

Yes....I started with the distributor rotor on #1, and the timing mark at TDC, then went 180* adjusted #3, another 180* did #4, and then #2 per instructions in the Jeep owners bible.....did I miss something? Is there something else it could be, am I definitely dealing with the intake valve train?

 

I'd just go back and verify that you're setting the valves correctly. I assume you're workin on an F-head since you say you didn't have the tool for the exhaust valves? If the pushrods have a lot of play up and down, then your lash is greater than .018. You may be adjusting lash with the lifter on the lobe and not the base circle. Just for giggles, check the lash on one of the loose lifters and see what it comes out to be. If it's more than .018 you're going about the valve lash proceedure wrong.

Regardless of engine, you need to make sure the adjustment for the valve lash is being made with the lifter on the cam's heel, or base circle. The most fool-proof way to do this is to set the intake valve when the exhaust valve just starts to open. You'll have to pop off the block window to verify since the exhaust valves are in the block, but at least that will rule out the question of the valves being adjusted properly.

 

:iagree:

 

WHOA!!!!!! so I cant set it to TDC #1 and do the intake and exhaust at the same time???????
Should it be more like this:
TDC #1 intake, #4 exhaust
#3 intake, #2 exhaust
#4 intake, #1 exhaust
#2 intake, #3 exhaust
?????
I was doing #1 intake and exhaust, and so on.......

On another note.....I adjusted them again the old way,(prior to this post) still got the knocks, and occasional backfire, but it runs smooth and revs well now.......Let me know what to do.....

 

Absolutely not!!!!!!

Forget getting fancy - you need the fool-proof method (absolutely no offense meant).

Pull the spark plugs and set 'er in Neutral so you can spin the engine easliy by hand. Start on the #1 cylinder and do the intake first. Rotate the engine until the exhaust valve on the #1 just starts to open, and then adjust the intake valve. Spin it over again until the intake just starts to open and then do the exhaust on #1.

Then move on to #2, #3, and #4. It'll add some time to the operation, but at least you'll know you're on the right cylinder on the right stroke, etc.

Should be some ticking/tapping, but not what I'd describe as knocks.

Good luck with it.

 

Will do.....hopefully it will work out.....
By the way, I didn't have a torque wrench that I could do the rocker assembly bolts with. That wouldn't be a major issue as long as they are relatively even and tight right?