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Are My Roller Rockers Hitting My Rocker Cover

Started by _glennhailstone_ , Sep 09 2014 02:32 PM

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18 replies to this topic

#1 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:32 PM

Hi All,

I just fired up the Torana for the first time, and it didn't go to bad. But there is a tapping sound coming from under the rocker cover.

I think that maybe the roller rockers are hitting the side of the cover. I know the height is fine, but where the rocker cover screws go into the head, the mould of the cover looks suspiciously close to the rocker.

No marks or anything but when I take the cover off I only move it a few mm and it hits.

Anybody else had this, and are those aluminum covers on ebay any better, or suggestions.

Thanks

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#2 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:39 PM

Solid cam or hydraulic?

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#3 UCgazman

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:44 PM

Run it briefly without the rocker cover, if the noise is gone you know what the problem is...

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#4 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:45 PM

To answer my own question yes it they were hitting the cover right on the spark plug side on the most extreme outside corners of the rockers, hitting the side, (not the top) corner of the cover.

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#5 wot179

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:47 PM

File a scratch off the rockers.

Those big alloy covers look like pus.

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#6 _CraigA_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 02:51 PM

^^^ what he said.

Or relieve the cover in the area where it hits.

In other words, hammer adjustment

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#7 jd lj

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 04:05 PM

You shouldn't have any problems with the KC alloy rocker covers except that most people have to put a ding in the heater box for clearance, however you can put a spacer between the head and the thermostat housing to avoid this.

If you want a chrome cover use the factory one but double up the gasket to get enough clearance. No offence but the rocker cover pictured is rubbish IMO. It's taller than the standard ones but the baffles sit down so far that there's actually only 3mm internal height difference between that one and the standard one. The baffles are also poorly designed and don't achieve much.

I used to have one of these and had to make a spacer to lift the oil cap up higher from the baffles, otherwise it was pumping oil onto the baffle which then was getting sucked out the oil cap. This made for a smokey run down the highway.
I pushed the centre of the baffle down slightly (1-2mm) to allow the oil to drain off it faster and that was enough for the rocker to start hitting it.

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#8 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 05:31 PM

Interesting, yes I did get alot of oil coming out of the back breather. Is there a way I can fix the baffles.

I will shave the roller rockers, and the cover may look like shit, but I can't really afford another one right now, so this will have to do for the time being. Any other brands, that you don't have to modify to work.

Cheers

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#9 jd lj

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 06:21 PM

At one stage I made a baffle out of some copper pipe to go inside the elbow I had fitted in the rocker cover for the crankcase ventilation.

I would suggest getting any holden red, blue or black motor rocker cover and using that for the time being. Use contact glue to carefully glue together 2 gaskets to gain the required height clearance. The factory covers have better baffles than any after market covers I've seen.

Even if you eventually end up with one of the alloy covers make up your own baffles and weld them in.

I'd probably try to get the fuel hose of the bottom radiator hose (it appears to be touching, but I could be wrong).

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#10 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 06:36 PM

Ok JD thanks very much

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#11 _ljxu1torana_

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Posted 09 September 2014 - 10:37 PM

You shouldn't have any problems with the KC alloy rocker covers except that most people have to put a ding in the heater box for clearance, however you can put a spacer between the head and the thermostat housing to avoid this.

If you want a chrome cover use the factory one but double up the gasket to get enough clearance. No offence but the rocker cover pictured is rubbish IMO. It's taller than the standard ones but the baffles sit down so far that there's actually only 3mm internal height difference between that one and the standard one. The baffles are also poorly designed and don't achieve much.

I used to have one of these and had to make a spacer to lift the oil cap up higher from the baffles, otherwise it was pumping oil onto the baffle which then was getting sucked out the oil cap. This made for a smokey run down the highway.
I pushed the centre of the baffle down slightly (1-2mm) to allow the oil to drain off it faster and that was enough for the rocker to start hitting it.

agree.

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#12 Dave6179

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Posted 10 September 2014 - 08:11 AM

My 1.6 Summit rockers hit my cover too. Never thought about trimming the alloy, I cut two rocker covers in half, + 1/2", and welded them together making it taller.

Also had to square off the r/f corner a little.

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#13 _Agent 34_

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Posted 12 September 2014 - 06:43 AM

Put blue tack on each of the rocker heads and turn over by hand .

Remove cover and check clearance

3cents

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#14 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 15 September 2014 - 10:58 AM

I'd probably try to get the fuel hose of the bottom radiator hose (it appears to be touching, but I could be wrong).

Is it bad if it is?

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#15 EunUCh

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Posted 15 September 2014 - 05:42 PM

it could rub through over time,best with steel line as per orig.from pump up to around the rocker cover area and modify to fit from there with what you have done but bring the fuel manifold towards engine,not sure on brake booster manifold pick up but looks like you only have it coming off #5,might need at least 1 or 2 more pick ups for a bit of brake boost,not sure?

Edited by EunUCh, 15 September 2014 - 05:42 PM.

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#16 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 15 September 2014 - 06:28 PM

Ok thanks

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#17 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 06 October 2014 - 09:16 AM

UPDATE

So, the roller rockers were hitting the rocker cover so I shaved the perpetrators back and fixed that issue. But the tapping sound continued.

I have a confession to make,… I didn't bleed the hydraulic lifters. But somebody told me they should bleed themselves.. any truth in that?

Anyway, I bled them. Also when I was bleeding them I checked the push rods and the oil ways were bone dry. Is this a direct result of not bleeding the lifters.

I haven't started it up yet so fingers crossed : )

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#18 _glennhailstone_

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Posted 06 October 2014 - 01:25 PM

Yep that fixed ticking sound : )

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#19 jd lj

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Posted 06 October 2014 - 04:01 PM

Is it bad if it is?

My main reason for getting the fuel hose off the radiator hose was to avoid heating up the fuel, but any hoses rubbing against anything is not desirable. You don't want them to rub through.