Could someone point me to or describe the proper way to adjust roller rocker arms on a hydraulic roller cam? I have a Mondello hydraulic roller cam with roller rockers (CQEX?) in my '69 400. Thanks.

 

Your hydraulic roller lifters need pre-load, probably between .02 / .05 while in dwell position. Read up on specs required.

 

google the "EOIC valve lash adjustment" method. Super easy. I set mine to a hair more than a quarter turn after no lash.

 

It's exactly the same as adjusting rockers with hydraulic flat tappet lifters. Just look up any of the dozens of articles, videos and writeups and pick your favorite.
The lifter manufacturer can tell you if the lifter needs special pre-load. There are a very small number of lifters that are short-travel, so they typically want less pre-load. Most lifters will want 1/2 to 3/4 turn pre-load. I like to jiggle the pushrod up and down while turning the polylock by hand. You're at 0 pre-load once things start to bind. Turn the poly-lock another half turn, snug down the allen set screw, then give the polylock a good tightening. Should end up right between 1/2 and 3/4 turn.

 

Thanks for the help. It took a couple of tries to get it right but now it's good. I did find that most of the rockers did not have enough preload. The whole reason I thought the lifters were out of adjustment was a knocking that sounded like a rocker arm hitting the valve cover. This knocking was only after the engine was warmed up and only at higher rpms. I put taller valve covers on which did not help. Now the hydraulic roller lifters are in adjustment and I STILL have the knocking although it seems a little bit better. Any ideas? Could I have a bad lifter or two? The engine (cam/lifters included) only has less than 10K miles on it. Could running the hydraulic lifters out of adjustment cause premature failure?

 

It's possible. I'll say that the past several sets of lifters I've had (roller and flat) have just been noisy. Sometimes it's due to the cam profile, sometimes it's just... noisy.
Make sure the pushrods are still straight and the tips are in good condition. It's easy to get weak pushrods that can't handle being pounded in loose setups.
Roller lifters are painfully expensive, and right now good ones are hard to find anywhere, so I wouldn't recommend just replacing them. If the noise is worse on one side than the other, you can swap all the lifters around and see if the noise moves. Roller lifters can be moved around with no problem - flat tappet lifters can not.

 

Not sure what you mean by "noisy". My engine is making a loud knocking at higher rpms once it is warmed up to operating temp. The engine runs great so this knocking doesn't seem to affect the performance. If it is in the valve train, it's only one valve or lifter. I'll get out my stethoscope and see if I can narrow down the source of the noise. Looks like I will need to pull the intake manifold and have a look at the roller lifters and pushrods.

 

Did you build it or did Mondello build it? You mentioned Mondello parts and was wondering.

 

From what I understand... the previous owner bought a Mondello short block and did the rest himself. I wasn't able to get much out of Mondello regarding what parts were in it.

 

Update: I replaced all of the "Ruben" lifters with Comp Cam roller hydraulic lifters. Ouch. Expensive. Bad news is that the knocking is still there. Has anyone ever heard of a knocking mechanical fuel pump? I'm about to install an electric pump so we'll see if that's it. I'm running out of ideas.
Anyone need a good set of roller hydraulic lifters?

 

Definitely spend some time and Narrow down where exactly the noise is coming from. If you don't have an automotive scope, a regular old screwdriver can work just as well. The longer and wider the better.. You keep saying knocking so it seems like it could be something deep inside. Rods and mains "knock". Pushrods or rockers usually "tap" . And lifter or exhaust "tick". (Sometimes described as a sowing machine sound). Bad bearings in accessories usually "schreech" or "whirl" but I suppose if its bad enough may also "knock". Once you find the right spot that your sound is coming from, it will be very pronounced and loud if you try the screwdriver method. If you can't find it, don't just throw random parts at the car. It never just solves the current issue and with the quality of today's aftermarket, you could just creating more problems for yourself very shortly. It seems counter-productive to pay someone else to diagnose the issue but in the long-run it's usually cheaper to pay for the experience and knowledge rather than trying to self-teach and replacing stuff randomly. If you can narrow down the area, let us know and someone here can guide you where to go next.

 

All of what you say makes sense and I appreciate it. I have been working on muscle cars for about 40 years and have better than average experience. I would have bet money my noise was a bad lifter. The noise is between a knock and a tick or tap and is rpm dependent. The engine has less than 10K miles on it so a bad bearing is not impossible but not likely. My experience with spun rod bearings is that it makes noise all the time. The oil will also have metal in it. My oil is clean and the engine runs very well. These internal engine noises are hard to pin point but I do have a automotive scope and will try it again.
thanks.

 

Mechanical fuel pumps can definitely make noise

 

If its an automatic check the torque convertor bolts also. If one is loose it makes a knocking sound.

 

If its between "a knock and a tick", I'd probably l would pull intake and check clearance on the lifters and the lifter bore. One possibility I could see causing a knock when cold and slowly turn into a tick as everything heats up and starts to grow a little would be side to side clearance on the lifter bores.

 

I'd think an engine with this issue wouldn't have very good oil pressure.

 

I did pull the intake and replaced all lifters with Comp Cam roller hydraulics. There was not much, if any, side to side clearance in the lifter bores. To be clear....the knock/tick doesn't happen until over 3K rpm or so and only when the engine is at operating temp. Oil pressure is good too.

 

I used Sealed Power HT2104 in my 307 top end, less than 200 miles and have a couple that chatter through first 20 seconds after start until oil pressure is up. Cam only has 0.480 lift so I can't see that being the issue. Not enough preload, or bad lifter?

 

Boy, I haven't been on this site in a while.... Regarding the tick/knock- it turned out to be the mechanical fuel pump. I mounted an electric pump in the trunk which also helps "push" the gas to the engine after it sits for a while. Removed the mech pump and installed a block off plate and no more noise.

 

I have heard of that, a shot in the dark and probably a big relief.