Thread: Adjust valves in a 350 with Noisy Gear Drive

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Well my dad and I rebuilt the engine in his 56 chevy. We installed a gear drive (1st one by the way) we really love the sound of one. Preloaded the pushrods and now are having one hell of a time adjusting the valves with the engine running, when we back off a rocker arm the gear drive noise overwhelms the rocker clatter. We have even tried putting in ear plugs to help dampen the noise of the gear drive...but no luck. Just arrived here and I gotta say this forum looks pretty damn good!

Thanks for reading.

Michael

U need the car doctors stethascope{spelling?}

I just adjust my valves once during assembly, before the lifters pump up. That way, I don't have to do it the messy way with the engine running. If you can figure out a way to bleed down your lifters, just bring each cylinder to TDC, run the nuts down so they just barely put pressure on the pushrod and then go 1/2 turn? past that. If you turn the pushrods with your fingers while the nuts are loose, you'll feel it bind a little once the nut starts to put pressure on them.

if you go on line or get a repair book then you can adjust the valves and only have to turn the engine over once after the 1st adjustment of the valves. bring up tdc and adjust the valves in order that the book states and so forth ,imo i think that this is alittle easier then turning the engine over and over for each cyl good luck

I have only done a valve adjustment once with an engine running...never again. There is no reason to do it that way. Do it once, after assembly as 76GMC said. Set your #1 cyl on TDC, compression stroke...set intake and exhaust. Rotate 90*, set #8, rotate another 90*, set #4, etc....thruout the firing order. I go only 1/4 turn after the pushrod is snug, and have never had to re-adjust. Good luck on your new engine. I'll ask you guys again in about 6 months how you like the gear drive. It gets old really fast!! I had it once, so have several others I know...none of us wants it any more...but enjoy it anyway. John