454 Lifter Adjustment

[scatgo]

Can somebody give me info on how to adjust the lifters on a 454. Got the valve covers of. Want to get rid of some ticking. Thanks

 

[RaceCarRich]

Lifters not adjustable. Adjustment of valve lash is done at rockers. Google EOIC adjustment method. There are easier methods that work on most cams but EOIC work on all cams so it’s my go-to.

 

[tpenfield]

Which generation 454?

Mark IV
Gen 5
Gen 6

???

IIRC, on the Mark IV you tighten the rocker to '0' lash, then go another turn on the rocker bolt. Not sure about the 5 & 6, never had to adjust those.

You can probably Google it though . . . "GM 454 valve adjustment"

 

[RaceCarRich]

Which generation 454?

Mark IV
Gen 5
Gen 6

???

IIRC, on the Mark IV you tighten the rocker to '0' lash, then go another turn on the rocker bolt. Not sure about the 5 & 6, never had to adjust those.

You can probably Google it though . . . "GM 454 valve adjustment"

Good point. My advice was for traditional Mark IV BBC. The valve lash amount whether “0” or ‘0 + so much of a turn’ or a certain gap (solid lifters) depends on year or cam. The method is to tell you which rocker to adjust at what point of engine rotation.

I don’t think Gen 5 or Gen 6 have adjustable valve trains but I have never played with them so Google or manual would be best way to fly.

 

[ahicks]

OK, this goes WAY back- late 60's, early 70's
I worked at a Chev. dealership for a few years after graduating high school, quickly coming up through the ranks to "master mechanic" status. BACK THEN, the big blocks used lock nuts on the rocker arm studs (no idea what the newer stuff uses). With the engine warm and running (and oil going everywhere) each rocker arm nut was backed off to the point of rattling, you'd let it rattle for a second to make sure the lifter was fully extended, then slowly tightened just enough to quiet the lifter. From that point the nut was tightened 1/4 turn.

The problem with tightening beyond that point was seen at high rpm's. Oil pressure would occasionally allow the lifters to "pump up" which not only made a racket, there was also good potential for a valve held open, and in severe cases, a valve might just kiss the top of a piston..... bad news!

Side trip for those enjoying the GM muscle cars - the Pontiac GTO's of the day used a system where the rocker arm nuts bottomed out and were torqued. On the hot rods of the day often run at higher rpms, this could lead to pumped up lifters with the resulting problems mentioned above.

That was until some pretty crafty mechanic noted the rocker arm studs were the same size used on the Chevy's. That information in hand, Royal Oak Pontiac in the metro Detroit area, made quite a hit with their "Royal Bobcat" kit/mod, where the OEM Pontiac rocker arm nuts were pitched, and replaced with Chevy items, then adjusted using the same procedure as the Chevy's. This allowed the GTO engines to rev much like a Chevy could..... GAME ON!!!!

To go even further astray, some of you car fans I'm sure, have seen a picture of a tiger tail extending from the trunk of an early GTO. That's a subtle way of indicating you are looking at a VERY rare Royal Bobcat, or at the very least, a car that has the Chev. rocker arm nuts installed....

Last, back in the day, cars that had not been maintained real well often had a lifter or 2 rattling. We would put a quart of ATF (which is very high detergent), in the crankcase and run it for a while (1000 miles or so). Amazingly enough, this would very often quiet those noisy, or even occasionally noisy lifters. Today's synthetics in mind, we don't see that problem much any more, but the ATF might still be something to try... -Al

 

[scatgo]

The casting number lookup "10114182"shows it to be 1991 and up gen 5 but I am getting some so so info on that from the web.

 

[scatgo]

How would you set up the lifters with a rocker bolt like that?! They go right through the rocker bearing and were tight. The lifters are hydraulic.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you have non-adjustable valvetrain simply tighten those down. no adjustment.

 

[RaceCarRich]

Nobody’s gonna talk about the elephant in the room? That pushrod in the pic looks a little tweaked.

 

[Scott06]

How would you set up the lifters with a rocker bolt like that?! They go right through the rocker bearing and were tight. The lifters are hydraulic.

As scott said your valvetrain is not adjustable bigger issue is why the pushrod got bent. it
ooks liek there is corrosion on the rocker and bolt .

 

[scatgo]

Nobody’s gonna talk about the elephant in the room? That pushrod in the pic looks a little tweaked.

Just a little? lol Looks like the elephant stepped on it and more than once! lol Frozen valve did that. Long story but it looks like that engine is going to be a anchor. Just curious but how would things work if its not adjustable? The lifters just pump up to where they need be and thats it?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Just curious but how would things work if its not adjustable? The lifters just pump up to where they need be and thats it?

yes, been that way since 1996 for GM V6's and V8's, some as early as 1990

if you want adjustable valvetrain, you go aftermarket

 

[scatgo]

Thanks for the help. Happy new year.

 

[ahicks]

Just a little? lol Looks like the elephant stepped on it and more than once! lol Frozen valve did that. Long story but it looks like that engine is going to be a anchor. Just curious but how would things work if its not adjustable? The lifters just pump up to where they need be and thats it?

The lifters get crud built up in them and won't pump up fully. That (or a bent pushrod) is generally the story with a noisy lifter. Before I give up on a noisey lifter, even these fixed ones COULD be loosened a bit to see if they'll extend fully, then quiet as they are snugged up. This far into it, worth a try....

 

[Scott06]

Just curious but how would things work if its not adjustable? The lifters just pump up to where they need be and thats it?

Yes a lot of V8's like this had non adjustable valvetrain. It generally works fine as long as you don't change deck height or mil heads significantly , of the valves stem and spring is at the factory installed height; otherwise you have to change to adjustable valvetrain or use a non stock pushrod length.

 

[Lou C]

On a marine inboard with a bent pushrod like that I'd be thinking of checking all the valves to see if any are stuck and also check the exhaust manifolds to see of water is leaking back in the exhaust ports.

 

[ahicks]

Compression check may be in order.....

 

[Lou C]

For a stuck valve you are looking for one or more that are lower than the rest...here are the old heads I removed from my 4.3 when I had the blown head gaskets back in 2016, if you look closely you can see a couple valves that are lower than the rest...this was due to water in a couple cyls, not enough to hydrolock it or cause the valves to stick enough to bend pushrods, it would run rough when cold and smooth out when it warmed up. I wound up replacing the heads with reman ones.

 

[scatgo]

Thanks for all the info. Just walked away from this deal.

 

[Bondo]

To go even further astray, some of you car fans I'm sure, have seen a picture of a tiger tail extending from the trunk of an early GTO. That's a subtle way of indicating you are looking at a VERY rare Royal Bobcat, or at the very least, a car that has the Chev. rocker arm nuts installed....

Ayuh,.....Glad to hear yer goin' a different direction scatgo,......

I remember the tiger tails, though very differently,......
Back in the '60s, gas stations always had a gimmick/ give-away goin' on, to get ya to come in to their station,.....
Mobil, might be givin' away water glasses, with Pegasus on it,.....
Well, I remember, ESSO had a tiger mascot, 'n they gave away a tiger tail which was tied to the gas cap, as their slogan was "Put a tiger in yer tank",.....
Sinclair, had the dinosaur, etc,....