Lifter\Rocker question

[inviolet]

Whats up guys,

I have a new motor, and I've put about 5 to 6000 miles on it. It runs fine/strong but it alwasy had a noisey valve-train. So I pulled the valve covers off and found one adjustment nut alot tighter than the rest (about 2 to 3 turns more than the rest). The noise kicks in at about 3,500 rpm or so and it sounds like the lifter is bleeding down, and it looks like someone tried to tighten it more to quite it down. What you guys think? Is it normal to have adjusment nuts at all differnt levels? Swap out the Hydaulic-lifters or leave it? The car run fine....There's are part of me that says if aight broken dont fix it.

[boydsdodge]

 I'd worry after I found that.
 If it's a new engine who built it?
Go have a talk with that builder before you start tearing into it.
But if they are no help, it's still winter(at least it is here) pull the rods check the length, just in case some one ahead of you broke one and installed one from the shelf.
The threads are too far south on that rocker and that could be a breaking point so i would try to fix it or find the reason.
If your lifter is not pumping up it could be losing pressure around the lifter bore.
Is it a roller hydraulic cam?
I have had a couple of small blocks with comp cam and lifter not pump up until it was warmed up well, but you say it starts later when it is warmed and running, that might be the lifter bore.
By all means I am not an engine guru, just some thoughts from a Motor Heads brain.

[inviolet]

It starts and runs more than fine,, and I have put 5 to 6000 mile on it so far,, that's I why I never paid any mind to it before. The car a hydraulic roller in it.

[Strawdawg]

something is wrong...and there are way too many threads showing if I am looking thru the blur correctly

[inviolet]

I agree, it looks like it, but the car runs fine, that's why I'm skeptical about tearing it apart for nothing. 

[Strawdawg]

how many threads do the instructions for those rockers say is acceptable to be stuck out?   

Might be cheaper to address the problem now rather than to fix what breaks later?

[inviolet]

Tops according to the rocker company is 3 threads sticking out from the bottom. Mine looks way over 3 threads. Strange that it runs fine/strong, (no shacking or backfiring) had this thing down the track penalty of times and no issues other than noise, which may very well be normal noise.

[Strawdawg]

If it were me, I would be concerned about that adjuster breaking off and creating a train wreck.

As others advised, I would check the push rod length and the rocker geometry...I cannot see well enuf to judge the length of the others, but, they also look a bit borderline.

In the end, you may have a bad lifter and/or pushrod...but...?     Roller cam, or regular flat tappet?

[inviolet]

hydraulic roller cam. It's been like that for a while now, At least 5 to 6,000 miles and so far so good.

I've already had all the push rods out twice and they are all the same size and in good condition. none are bent.

As far as the rest of the adjustment nuts they are more or less at the same height. Only that one has such a big difference.

[Strawdawg]

so, if the pushrods are the same length, the rockers are identical, but one has to be adjusted three threads further, then, is the lifter shorter?, or simply bad and someone turned it down trying to stop the noise?

[inviolet]

so, if the pushrods are the same length, the rockers are identical, but one has to be adjusted three threads further, then, is the lifter shorter?, or simply bad and someone turned it down trying to stop the noise?

Yup that's my guess too, that the lifter may have been noise and they kept tightening it to quite it up.

[boydsdodge]

if you do that then your valve could hang open at the wrong time and hit the piston, say it pumps up all of a suden for some reason.

[Aussie Challenger]

Another possibility could be the valve is sitting higher than the others, have you checked to see if the valves are all at the same height when the push rods were out?   

[inviolet]

I have never taken a measurement but all the valves look to be at he same height.

What I find strange, is if the issues where anything of the above, wouldn't I've broken something by now? At least 5,000 miles on the motor so far, and there not babied miles, ...........

[inviolet]

So I'm stuck on why the car performs well if the rocker adjustment is so far off on that one rocker. NO backfiring or shaking. I really don't want to open a ditch here.

Could it be because that's an intake valve and not an exhaust valve? I heard that intake valves that are out of adjustment are more forgiving than exhaust valves? Is this true?