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So, I just finished rebuilding the heads on my Comet. 289 V8. It has hydraulic lifters and I’m wondering if I crushed them after tightening the rockers too much or what… After installing the heads I had tightened down the rockers to a good starting point. Started the car and it actually ran very well and sounded great. Oil was flowing, no problem. Some of the rockers were clacking. I turned off the car and started to tighten them down per the service manual specifications (zero lash, plus 1/2 turn). Afterwards, I went to start it and it wouldn’t start. It squealed real bad like something was stuck. So, I loosed all the rockers just a tad…and tried again and it started fine, only no oil was flowing anymore. What the heck happened? Did I crush my lifters to a point that oil isn’t following through them and up the rods? I pulled a couple rods to see if they looked damaged and they were still straight and un-impeded. Anyone have any thoughts or had this happen to them?
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good job getting it pulled. Are you going with a stock pump or a hv pump? no damage to the distributor?
what about the lifters or cam? no scoring? clean up the pan and new gasket. just a bump in the road.C8-)
The motor is mostly stock.Surprisingly everything else looks to be fine. I’d expected some damage to the distributor or cam, but it’s all good. So, yeah, just a bump in the road.
I picked up a new stock pump and shaft today. All in all, I’m out about $30…so I guess I can’t complain about anything other than losing a few nice days to cruise around in the Comet.
Quoted From Six6vetteguy:
I would go stock pump…hv can run the motor dry.
+ 1 on a stock oil pump. would only run hv pump with an after market extra capacity oil pan.
No worries, stock pump all the way here. I was surprised to find the local Autozone had the stock pump and shaft on hand. Was afraid I was going to have to order it. But, I suppose there are enough Mustangs out there, with this same engine, to keep one in stock.
I’m wondering if the rocker tightening had anything to do with this afterall. The old oil pump wouldn’t turn at all. So, I’m thinking
it was just a coincidence. Gonna put it all back together again today. Hoping to have her back on the road this week. Fingers crossed that no more stupid things happen.Well, I got it all back together. It won’t start though, just keeps backfiring out the top of the carb. Ugh… I put the distributor back the same way I took it out.
So I know it’s in the right place. I’m afraid of tightening down the rockers too much, so I left them all just a little loose so I can do the tightening with the engine running. I’ve quadruple checked that all the spark plug wires are going to the right plugs. I’m going to go do this now -> W-|Flipped the dizzy around and I get gunshots out the exhaust.
I’m trying the valve lash adjustment again according to the service manual. It says to tighten the rocker bolt of the intake and exhaust valve for the 1st cylinder when it’s at the end of the 1st cylinders compression stroke. Wouldn’t the end of the compression stroke be when the intake valve is wide open?? Or is that just as the intake valve closes? Cause if that’s the case, what’s it matter if I adjust it at the very end of the compression stroke or when other cylinders are active, which would assure that the 1st cylinders valves are both seated?
Sounds like the dizzy is off a little…put cyl 1 at tdc compression stroke. Best way to do this is by watching the lifter on the intake side close…when it closes, bring harmonic balancer to 0. At this point, adjust your rockers in cyl 1 and see if the rotor is pointing at cyl 1 on your dizzy. If not, adjust your timing at this point. To adjust the other rockers, all you have to do is turn the balancer 1/4 turn clockwise and adjust the rockers for the next cyl in the firing order. Do this 6 more times and you are done. You can look at rocker movement for tdc too, but it isnt always accurate with hydraulic lifters. You want to be on the heel of the cam Just a note…make sure your plug wires are hooked up in the right order too.
Thanks for that. I think it got me to a better place now since the car isn’t backfiring anymore. It’s still not starting, but at least it doesn’t sound like I’m shooting people in my garage.
Taking a pause now to wait for the battery to charge up since I’ve run it down pretty good with all the revving. Hoping once it’s charged up this thing will start up. If not, I think I’ll push it off a cliff.Cranking good now. Still not starting. Ugh… Not even giving me a “kind of thinking about starting” stutter. C;(
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