BL1 70 RR
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, my car developed a lifter tick, a few of the rockers are loose while a few are pretty tight. What is the appropriate tightness for how the much the rockers should be tightened?
Roadrunner 383 Lifter Tick
- Thread starter BL1 70 RR
- Start date
miller
Well-Known Member
What kinda rockers?
There are many good engine builders on here { Im not one of them} 
they can help but will need more info from you,
What engine do you have ?
Is the engine pretty much stock ?
milled heads or block ?
after market valve springs ?
Just general info on the engine will help them.
Lots of things can give you a lifter tick , worn rocker , bent or worn push rod or wrong length, bad lifter, lobe going down on the cam,
check and make sure the rocker shaft is bolted down tight and is getting oil.
If its nothing you can see with the valve cover off you will prob end up pulling the intake to track it down.
they can help but will need more info from you,What engine do you have ?
Is the engine pretty much stock ?
milled heads or block ?
after market valve springs ?
Just general info on the engine will help them.
Lots of things can give you a lifter tick , worn rocker , bent or worn push rod or wrong length, bad lifter, lobe going down on the cam,
check and make sure the rocker shaft is bolted down tight and is getting oil.
If its nothing you can see with the valve cover off you will prob end up pulling the intake to track it down.
BL1 70 RR
Well-Known Member
The engine is the original 383 I have never taken it apart but the owner before me said he rebuilt the engine to factory specs, I don't have any paper work or receipt's for what he did to it but as I was looking at it I noticed that it has an exhaust manifold gasket on it. I read that those might blow out and it could cause a tick that would resemble a lifter tick so I will check that out when I get an opportunity.
If it is built to factory specs, the rockers are not adustable, the only thing to tighten is the rocker shaft itself...and absolutely an exhaust leak will make a ticking sound! I would start there too, unless you can confirm it's the valvetrain..good luck!
Times 2 on the exhaust leak - easy to confuse it with something in the valve train. Sometimes an exhaust tick will quiet down as the engine gets hot and the manifold expands and seals against the head. So if it goes away as the car warms up it's almost certainly an exhaust leak.
BL1 70 RR
Well-Known Member
I checked the exhaust for a leak and I didn't find anything. As I tightened the rocker shaft the ticking would come and go. I'm going to try and find a sweet spot for them not to tick, or is there an exact number on what they should be torqued to?
Funship32
Well-Known Member
If the rocker assy is stock (meaning the stamped rocker arms mounted on a rocker shaft), then the rocker shaft bolts should be torqued to 25 to 30 ft lbs.
Last edited:
Yeah the rocker shaft is a "one time&done" thing. No adjustment built in to it. I think you have other problems- worn rocker,pushrod,lifter,cam lobe. How many miles on engine?
BL1 70 RR
Well-Known Member
Same, but the owner before me was a hooligan and over the 3 years I've owned the car I still find bolts that are loose when they should be torqued down. I think he threw it together without really caring to much about the quality of how he put it together.
You are not alone. The PO threw my GTX together quickly after painting it just to sell it. I was finding loose bolts and nuts on it for years. I think I've finally turned just about every nut, bolt and screw on the thing in 16 years so it's finally good. If it had been a better paint job I would have been more forgiving about it.
Last edited:
Wow - an original owner - that's something. Actually, considering some of the stupid things I did with my car as a teenager in the 60s, it's probably good I don't still own either of them.
Funship32
Well-Known Member
I think that guy owned my car too!
BeepBeepRR
Well-Known Member
Oil pressure?
Similar threads
