kingofthetwisties Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share Posted December 23, 2007 Without being rude are we all talking about the same thing? The cam would require you to remove a cover off the front of the engine and the crank pulley. describe what you actually did as to remove the head on a crossflow you don't need to touch the cam. If you email a phone number I will call you tomorrow to talk it through with you. I took of the rocker cover. i then undid the four bolts holding what i am assuming is the cam in place and removed it ( this has the rockers attached), I hten removed the rodas and took off the head. To replace the head I did the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 As I supected that is the rocker shaft not the cam. The cam is buried deep in the engine. When you took it off did you mark all the push rods so they went back in the same place as well? if not the valve clearences will be all over the place and could cause the engine to spit back. I do suggest you call me in the morning on 01454 323817 and I will try to talk you through it. Or send me an email with your number and I will call you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofthetwisties Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share Posted December 23, 2007 As I supected that is the rocker shaft not the cam. The cam is buried deep in the engine. When you took it off did you mark all the push rods so they went back in the same place as well? if not the valve clearences will be all over the place and could cause the engine to spit back. I do suggest you call me in the morning on 01454 323817 and I will try to talk you through it. Or send me an email with your number and I will call you. Thanks Jeff. I really appreciate your time and help with this. No, i didn't mark the push rods, I was not aware they were all different. I have to go out first thing (still not got the wifes xmas present but should be back around 11.30 / 12.00 Ill give you a call then if its ok. Again thanks for this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 It sounds like there's probably a few things you may need to check quite apart from the starting issues. Did you tighten head bolts in the right sequence, do you have the right torque setting for the head bolts etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofthetwisties Posted December 24, 2007 Author Share Posted December 24, 2007 It sounds like there's probably a few things you may need to check quite apart from the starting issues. Did you tighten head bolts in the right sequence, do you have the right torque setting for the head bolts etc. Yes I can confirm that when i put the head back on i used the correct sequence and torque settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 No, i didn't mark the push rods, I was not aware they were all different. They're not deliberately different on normal overhead cam engines (okay, I know this is a Xflow! ) but they wear differently and have each got their machining tolerances. The length of the pushrod is integral with the valve clearance settings (tappets). If for the sake of discussion one is 0.010" longer than another and you swap them around, the valve clearances are going to be affected by that amount. Combine that with the possibility that the rockers are asymmetric in lever length then the error could be compounded. All that being as it may, however, I would have thought the engine would start and run albeit roughly. My money, if I were a gambler, is still on a timing error somewhere. If you took the distributor to bits, make sure the rotor arm assembly isn't half a tun out of phase. I've done this when rebuilding a distributor before - it's easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 As a rule of thumb, unless you're fitting a brand new component, any engine part that rotates or slides against another should go back in the same position it came from. As MOTCO said, it's a combination of wear as things have bedded in together - camshafts and tappets are the classic example, as well as parts that also have "adjustable" clearances to allow for wear/machining tollerances. Though TBH, if the rocker assembly has been off, clearances should be checked and adjusted anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu999 Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Just skim-read this thread, so apologies if this has already been suggested. Have the tappet clearances been checked/adjusted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr-rad Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Surely as it's a new head and gasket then the lenth of the pushrods is irrelavent as tappets will have to be adjusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Surely as it's a new head and gasket then the lenth of the pushrods is irrelavent as tappets will have to be adjusted. A Good Point! A very Good Point! Nonetheless, it is still good practice to maintain position for existing parts for the reasons given by Gadgetman regarding the compatible wear characteristics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr-rad Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Agreed always good practise. But with the engine boxed up and having been run it's to late to worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofthetwisties Posted December 24, 2007 Author Share Posted December 24, 2007 It's Alive!!!! Guys, thanks for all of your help especially Jeff who took the time to talk me through in simple terms what I needed to be doing. I have set the valve gaps to 0.010 & and 0.022 (got the settings from the book how to rebuild and tune a ford xflow engine). It now runs but I will need to re set the gaps when it is warm as it rattles a bit. It is still not running smooth as the carbs are not set up right. One is flooding a little. I will probably now take it in to a specialist to get the carbs set up right. This was the first time I have attempted anything like this and although I have made some mistakes, I now know a lot more than i did before is started. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Well done mate , glad to be of help (well sort of ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 That's what being part of the club is all about Anton. Happy to have been able to help you. Have a great Christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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