How much is too much roller rocker arm noise?

[Great68]

Ok, so on Sunday I got my car fired up and the new cam broken in. Turns out Comp doesn't make a XE266HR in flat tappet (or so I was told), so I bought the XE262H. During the break-in the rockers were making quite a racket, (maybe I did something wrong I don't know, but I thought I could readjust them after the break in anyways).

After the break in, I changed the oil, and readjusted all the rockers using the Exhaust just open, adjust intake to slight resistance on turning the pushrod + 3/4 turn, intake almost closed, adjust exhaust to slight resistance on turning the pushrod + 3/4 turn method.

Fire up the car, and it still sounds like a fricking sewing machine. When the motor warms, it lessens but does not go away.

But otherwise seemingly it idles and drives GREAT.

Am I not feeling the resistance on the pushrod properly? Are my brand new lifters broken? I can take a sound clip of the motor and post it tomorrow.

I'm really at the end with this car, one problem brings another one and I'm ready to give up, put the cover on the car, take the insurance off of it, and forget about it for this summer.

 

[TT670]

Its my experience that roller rockers are just noisy and theres nothing that you can do about it. Ive asked this same question to others and pretty much got the same answer. The cure? A good stereo..lol

 

[Route666]

Another cure is to make the other engine noises louder

That's a trick Harley people learned long ago lol.

 

[brianj5600]

Some lifter are noisier than others. They bleed a little more oil at idle to reduce duration. Call the manufacturer of the lifters and talk to tech.

 

[STSFCTN67]

I thought I had an exhaust leak when I broke-in my 351. But you are right, they do sound like a loud sewing machine. I asked around and one mechanic asked me if I was sure I had the right pushrod length?? Once I tuned the carb for some reason I guess I got used to it.

 

[Doc Voodoo]

Had the same problem . Mine are roller Tip. They were loader with the aluminium Valve covers . I put the original steel ones back on it got alot quieter.

 

[TOM B]

From reading the reply's maybe I missed something, You have a hyd. cam #ex262h and have hyd none roller lifters. Seems to me that you are adjusting them right but comp cams recommend you only go 1/2 turn, you shouldnt have much if any tapet or rocker noise with this setup. Check the studs if there pressed in to see if they are pulling out. Hyd. lifters can be adjusted hot or cold, when doing the adjustment with new lifters do not PUMP them up with oil, this just makes things harder. If your motor was already run like yours then when you do the adjustment on a valve wait about a minite before you turn the crank to do another, this will let the lifter bleed down, then when you start it up you shouldnt have alot of racket and the motor wont stall or miss. Hyd cams need to be broken in right and the valve adjustment done right the first time. If you fired up the engine and it made alot of racket for more then 2 minites the you should have shut it down. Check the lifters and the cam to see if all is well. Check those STUDS to.
Let us know what you found.

 

[ashford]

there is a possibility that one of the oil gally plugs came out in the timing chain cover if its that bad. you can check by pulling the fuel pump and dist and have someone run an oil pump primerwhile watching for heavy oil flow behind the cover.

 

[EL1NOR]

That's funny because just the other day I mentioned that to my girlfriend while driving my stock 289. It sounds like a sewing machine. lol

What freaked me out was today I took it out on the highway for the first time since I bought it and when I got off the highway at idle I had a pretty fairly loud ticking noise like that rocker/lifter noise you're mentioning. I blipped the throttle and it went away... very strange but it worries me because A)It isn't normal and B)I don't know what it is...

-Tim

 

[Max Power]

Tom, he had AFR 165s. The studs shouldn't be a problem.

All the valve adjustment procedures are to get the lifters somewhere between quiet and vlaves not closing all the way. Just keep adjusting a quarter turn at a time until the noise lessens or vacuum drops.

 

[coolblue65]

have you tried adjusting them with the motor running? Thats the way I always do it and it works great. No ticking from my roller rockers.

 

[Great68]

have you tried adjusting them with the motor running? Thats the way I always do it and it works great. No ticking from my roller rockers.

I think I will try that, I haven't had time to work on the car lately, as I had to get it to a car show on the weekend, ticking and all.

 

[Max Power]

A good trick to use if you are going to adjust them with the motor running is to get an old set of stock valve covers, torch the tops off of them and install them before setting the valves. Keeps all that oil from running onto your headers and choking you out with smoke.

 

[Great68]

I took the car to a professional to have a listen to the rockers, and he says the level of noise they are making is normal.

Turns out that I'm just not used to what they should sound like when they aren't stock rockers.

 

[coolblue65]

Well the only time I have heard rocker noise to be acceptable is with a solid lifter cam or with lifters that are made to bleed down to make a big cam feel smaller at low RPMs. I would still try adjusting them yourself again.

 

[TOM B]

Hmmm, Your professional is wrong. You have a hyd. cam and hyd lifters
NO NOISE. Your going to destroy that engine, o well your money.

 

[hobbyhorse]

noise

Don't sweat it. My 289 has the XE-274 comp cams with roller rockers. Sounding like a sewing machine would be a compliment. I adjusted mine and never could get the noise out. On my last check I found a collapsed lifter. These lifters had the wire retainer on the plunger, while the replacement comp cams lifters had a snap ring. The were both the same part number. Oddly enough, this newer batch made a lot less racket. From what I have found from others is that comp cams extreme series cams tend to be a little noisy.

 

[TT670]

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