[Lugnut79]

Whats the average interval one should go for adjusting solid lifters? I use it 50/50 racing and street driving and have Crane full roller rockers and stud girdle . You would think solid lifters wouldn't need to be adjusted as often as hydraulic since they are solid and there's no moving plunger or spring to wear out.

 

[veno]

factory Hp engine were every 12 months 12,000 miles....

If you notice a little nore noise( tapping than usual) time to to do it...

 

[luke'snova]

Not to Highjack

What about Solid Rollers, same set up (full roller rockers and stud girdle)?

 

[veno]

What about Solid Rollers, same set up (full roller rockers and stud girdle)?

How many miles a year do you drive? I put around 1000 per year... In 6 years, going on 7.. I have adjusted them 4 times..

but I also use a FT cam... and the first two adjustments were wear in. the last two were generally not needed... only .003 to .005 change on 4 valves

 

[64PRONOVA]

Whats the average interval one should go for adjusting solid lifters? I use it 50/50 racing and street driving and have Crane full roller rockers and stud girdle . You would think solid lifters wouldn't need to be adjusted as often as hydraulic since they are solid and there's no moving plunger or spring to wear out.

You never have to adjust hydraulic lifters unless something comes loose. That's the beauty of them. They don't have a "lash" so to speak. They have preload which is very forgiving.

Flat-tappet solid lifters do require periodic re-adjustment. How often depends on how much lift and spring pressure you have as well as the rest of your valvetrain.

Mechanical roller cams (or solid roller cams) don't require as much adjustment as flat-tappet solids. Not as much friction and wear going on, even though mechanical rollers usually have far-higher spring pressures than flat-tappets.

Back when I used to run solid flat-tappets, routinely adjusting the valve lash became a pretty regular ritual. They would always be off a little after a few months. Not with my mechanical rollers though. They rarely move at all.

 

[D-Man]

You never have to adjust hydraulic lifters unless something comes loose. That's the beauty of them. They don't have a "lash" so to speak. They have preload which is very forgiving.

Flat-tappet solid lifters do require periodic re-adjustment. How often depends on how much lift and spring pressure you have as well as the rest of your valvetrain.

Mechanical roller cams (or solid roller cams) don't require as much adjustment as flat-tappet solids. Not as much friction and wear going on, even though mechanical rollers usually have far-higher spring pressures than flat-tappets.

Back when I used to run solid flat-tappets, routinely adjusting the valve lash became a pretty regular ritual. They would always be off a little after a few months. Not with my mechanical rollers though. They rarely move at all.

That's somewhat true but I still recommend checking the solid rollers at a regular interval as well (ESPECIALLY on the street) because the lifters don't last as well and if one starts going away it's usually catastrophic. It also allows you to keep an eye on the spring pressures as well.

 

[veno]

That's somewhat true but I still recommend checking the solid rollers at a regular interval as well (ESPECIALLY on the street) because the lifters don't last as well and if one starts going away it's usually catastrophic. It also allows you to keep an eye on the spring pressures as well.

a side note to D-man


when solid rollers start to go.. generally speaking.. the roller wheel axle is the culprit. the axle is the weak link in the whole system and receives more pounding and pressure per square inch then any other part of the valve train... hence the need for a high ZDDP oil...

so when you see lash changes in a solid roller.. inspect the roller axle..:yes:

Veno

 

[64PRONOVA]

I change my roller lifters every few years of street use just for good measure. You can rebuild them (although I never do). I still have the same mechanical roller cam in my 406 that I first used back in 1997. It has been in two engines so far. I've never had a failure of any type related to the cam or lifters. There's a lot less friction and no cam break-in is required. You can also remove lifters and put them on different lobes, unlike with a flat-tappet. I have mechanical rollers in both of my engines.

 

[veno]

Have you ever disassembled the roller and examined the axle? bet ya you would be surprised... if your logging 10 to 30k miles between changes... and running 250 seat and 600 open

 

[D-Man]

Mine usually still look pretty-good but I don't take any chances. I just replace them after a few years.

Roller cams don't require the ZDDP nearly as much as flat-tappets do. ZDDP is an "anti-scuffing" additive. Since roller cams do not scuff the lobes like flat-tappets do, the need is not as great. There is no critical break-in period like flat-tappets have. They do need good oil flow to the bearings to remove heat and keep them lubricated as they roll though. I don't use oil restrictors with my roller cam.

Unless you dis-assemble the lifter, you'll never know what kind of wear and/or discoloring is there. Just rolling it on your forearm won't cut it.:no:

Oil restrictors don't hurt the lifters as bad as the valve springs. 90% of the oil the lifters get is slung off the rotating assembly (that's why it's widely understood idleing in traffic is the worst thing you can do on a solid roller), but the pressure fed oiling in the lifters (to feed the bearings) does help tremendously.
Funny, some people would want you to believe pressure fed oiling in the lifters is a fairly new thing (to help solve a specific problem) but Harold was doing it back in the 80's (@ Ultradyne), priced in line with everyone else and it was considered standard equipment with no big sales hype or higher price for the added option.

 

[64PRONOVA]

Mine usually still look pretty-good but I don't take any chances. I just replace them after a few years.

Roller cams don't require the ZDDP nearly as much as flat-tappets do. ZDDP is an "anti-scuffing" additive. Since roller cams do not scuff the lobes like flat-tappets do, the need is not as great. There is no critical break-in period like flat-tappets have. They do need good oil flow to the bearings to remove heat and keep them lubricated as they roll though. Synthetic oil is the best for mechanical roller cams. I don't use oil restrictors with my roller cam. They need all the oil they can get when operating on the street. At idle and lower RPM is when they are most prone to failure due to lower oil flow.

 

[veno]

From and Source:

http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html

Oil
What motor oil is best for my aircooled Porsche?
(or any high performance engine)
by Charles Navarro​

ZDDP forms AW films only when there is metal to metal contact, so why do I hear that it is so important when there shouldn't be metal to metal contact in the first place?

This isn't 100% true. Yes, there has to be metal to metal contact (friction) to form anti-wear films. What most naysayers don't explain is that there are different kinds of lubrication - boundary and hydrodynamic are just two. Boundary layer lubrication exists where there is always metal to metal contact, like with the top piston ring, cam lobe, tappets, and rockers which makes up most of the non-corrosive wear. Hydrodynamic lubrication exists in areas like bearings, where in the best case scenario, there should never be any metal to bearing contact. The thickness and speed of formation of AW wear films on metal to metal surfaces has to do greatly with ZDDP levels, which detergents are used, and amount of pressure and friction between the surfaces in contact.

 

[bowtie0069]

I go a LONG time between adjustments because I'm lazy, but I've never seen one of mine change more than a thou or so.
After having lost 2 lifters a thousand miles from home (due to lack of oil holes in the antique Isky lifters) I have them rebuilt occasionally--I'll be picking them up tomorrow for a new engine build. I have owned these for over 10 years and they were old when I got them, but I'm not worried about re-using them.
I had a couple Comp roller lifters go bad too, but they had 30,000 miles on them and the valvesprings were shot, causing a lot of valve float and abuse to the lifters--Comp says to inspect them every 3000 miles; I waited about 10 times too long!