Hi,

I have elephant foot (swivel) type adjusters on my rockers (1.25:1) and I can't seem to get them to stay quiet.

Any ideas on whether there are better adjusters to have? Are the ones that adjust on the push rod end any better?

Many thanks, Marc.

They are normally a good adjuster, but there are heaps of things that may be making the tappets noisey. What are you setting them to? Do you know what cam it is? Have you chromoly pushrods? How old is the engine?

Also do you have the rockers shimmed for end float or std wavey washers and clips?

Hi Matt,

Setting them to 4 thou
Engel W120 cam
Chrome moly pushrods
Engine virtually new
Solid shafts with shims

Hope that helps with diagnosis!

Cheers

have you got matching cam and lifters?

using standard oil or high zinc?


Also CrMo pushrods don't expand with the engine as the same rate so they get noisier as it heats up, also is you engine running at correct temps and not too hot?

I am no expert on CrMo pushrods but I beleive they run zero or close to zero lash for the lack of expansion they have.


Also I have read 1.25 is a bad ratio number becaue of float, harmonics and over lift (term?) Stock or greater than 1.3 is recomended by guys like at GB enterprises.

This aprently caused mushrooming of the valve stem and therfore make the need for adjusting all the time.


This happen to a guy on here last last year (yes 2010) and I ended up sugesting this ratio problem and mushrooming and I got it right.



Yeah just some ides for ya.

Yep, the moly pushrods have a different expansion rate so a different clearance. Zero lash is a concern for me, I set to .002" as this gives an actual feeler gauge clearance and gives your engine a small amount of room for wear/temp variations and allows for a service interval. At zero you run the risk of the valve not closing fully if anything changes, but if you want to check them weekly or daily, you could even try zero to check how it sounds.
Side clearance also makes tappet noises, so as you check each cylinders valve clearance, you also want to check the side clearance, also you want around .002".

Hi Lee,
Yes it's more that they don't stay quiet, so I guess they're going out of adjustment, which in itself is potentially an issue.

Thanks for all the tips. I think I'll start by setting them at .002" and see how I go (I didn't realise about the temperature expansion differences being that different to normal push rods). I was always a bit warey about setting them too close because I didn't want them riding, and since the book says .004 - .006, I figured .002 might be too tight, but I'll give that a crack.

If they then go out again I'll start investigating the mushrooming/ratio things (although I haven't noticed any mushrooming of the valve when I've been adjusting them in the past)

Gotta love investigative engineering eh?

Thanks again

You can buy caps to go over the end of the valves

at least I think I saw them for sale somewhere

maybe in the USA??

so that should stop mushrooming or spreading of the valve ends

is Your engine tappet noise louder than a normal vw engine?

LEE

I have CrMo pushrod on STOCK rocker
and verry little tappet noise at 0.08mm
maybe install louder exhaust and big audio systems

I used to have a standard muffler with straight thru pipes and it was VERY Noisy...

so, never ever heard anything... lol

now with extractors and a quiet muffler....

they just sound normal for a beetle... lol

except when I have the heater turned on..
the tappet noise comes thru the heaters... lol

LEE

Do the ball adjusters have a flat spot to sit on the valve stem? Sometimes the ball swivels and if the valves are set on the ball it will then turn whilst the engine is running until it hits the flat and then has excess clearance.

are you setting clearance when engine is cold?