Thread: Setting valve lash on a 383 with a hydraulic cam

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Originally Posted by DennyW

I agree with the proper procedure. That's why I also posted the others. I wouldn't call what I said as a bad habit though. It's just that with the smaller cams, you can adjust them the way I said. Like anything else, you have different adjustments, and ways to do them, and get the same results for that particular engine. That's all I was trying to say on that Erik. Theres no difference adjusting them with the engine off, or on, but, as some guys say you can't do that, the engine has to be running to set them correctly, which as you know, is not true.

O.K,maybe bad habit was not the correct choice for words.
Like you said the engine does not have to be running.

The absolute best way is to set them with the intake off,when first assembling the engine.You want the pushrod to engage the plunger of the lifter past the circlip retainer in the lifter body.
This is how I did mine, rotate untill lifter is on base circle,install pushrod ,rocker and then adjust them until the lifter internals are depressed below the circlip inside of the lifter body,I also used blue loctite on the poly locks.
I then assembled the engine and broke it in,no further adjustments needed,looking back I would not hesitate to use red loctite on the poly locks.
For a hydrauilic lifter in a mild engine ,you should never have to adjust them again ,unless there is failure going on,they should never loose the adjustment in 100,000 miles,unless wear /breakage/stud pulling out of the head ,etc.
Unfortunatly this only works on mild hydro cams and only on the initial assembly of the engine,I would not use this method on a installed engine,only a fresh engine stand build.