I had to do about 1/2 turn on each one. I just drove it another 100+km today and there was no difference. I am just stuck on what my gap should be for my plugs when stock is .040 is .055 to much of a difference? Thats what I have it set to now.

 

modern ignition systems will allow big gaps and still run very well. The LS4 calls for 0.040 as I recall, so I would not go any smaller than that. The gap that GM specs out is actually the way the drivetrain was tested for emissions, by law, you must use the same gap. As a practical matter, a 0.055 gap is getting a bit large, but the engine would probably run fine with a 0.080 if the gap had worn that far (my LT1 had a set your basic 99 cent copper plugs and when I pulled them out after 104K miles, the gap had worn to beyond my gapping tool (0.080+) and it still ran pretty darn good!)

Anyway, while you might pick up some smoothness or a few horsepower with indexing and gapping your plugs, it hardly seems worth it to me to worry about it. Just gap them the all the same and call it a day.

I guess I will try a quarter turn more on my preload and see how that does.

 

Just make sure you can take 2 fingers under the roller of the rocker and its pretty stiff to lift up at zero lash. Thats what I found finally worked for myself I hope anyways.

 

I OFFICIALLY GAVE UP. Tuned my rockers AGAIN on Saturday I thought they finally found there home drove about 400km between Saturday and Sunday. Woke up today and guess what! car freaking started to chatter again. So I am taking off the Crane 1.8's and putting the factory ones back on. If any one would like the Crane 1.8 rockers, pushrods, guide plates kit I will sell it all including shipping for $375.00 us. I paid $877.94 cdn for this kit.

 

 

No need to laugh it hurts

 

Don't feel too bad, my Yella Terra's non-adjustable do the same thing everyonce in a while on start up. It goes away after about a minute of driving easy.

 

mine are quieting down some, just the normal roller-tip finger-nail tapping sound with the occasional metalic tick. I think I will be able to adjust them slightly and get it beat this weekend. Seems to be very, very touchy on the preload, still think it has something to do with the DOD lifters having a small window of acceptable preload in their design vs a standard LSx lifter

 

I have never heard any one have this many issues installing Hydraulic Rockers. I have had 4 different friends help me with this and they are all at a lose. When I adjusted them on Saturday it was the back ones making the sound. So we took off all of the spark plugs to rotate the motor and the rear valve cover snug everything up start the car and bang the front are chattering. So once again we take out all the spark plugs and fix the front ones up. Sounds perfect I drive about 250-300 km and boom it starts to chatter. I am not to sure if this LS4 is made to have after market rockers another guy mentioned above his non-adjustable Terra's make the same sound?

 

I decided last night to give one more kick at the cat. Will tell you guys more in a couple days after some more driving.

 

I believe I have it beat. My ticking would go from mild to severe and back again, seemed to make no difference hot or cold. The only thing I did notice is that it did get less severe as the miles rolled on. Now, with 1.5 turns preload, it will sometimes clatter softly for the first minute or so on the road, then it is almost dead silent. I have done no additional adjusting in the last 500 miles, yet it is world's better. Seems like the lifters take a while to settle after the spring load is taken off them. I have zero knock retard so the knock sensor is not seeing the light clatter as knock. I went ahead and started over with the fueling about 500 miles ago (it is as close to stock as I could get it) and just took a scan. Showing -14 (read: waaaay rich) and 0.92 O2 on WOT (moderately rich). I believe that is what Vinci would have had when they got 20 horses out of these rockers since they claim stock program during the dyno test. It does feel much stronger than stock, tommorow I will get some more impressions after I lean it up a bunch, I am pretty stoked about it, should pull pretty fiercely.

 

Well I have had 2 days with no adjustments again, so tommorow morning if I wake up and it chatters I will drive it for a couple more days and see what happens. I ordered HP Tuner today so I cannot wait for that. Just hoping it finally stays without it chattering again. We have dipped into the vavle covers easy 7-10 times trying to make these work. Hurts the pride when you tinker with it that much and it starts the chatter.

 

Mine will still tick slightly at odd times for a few moments, but I am well on the conservative side of adjustment. I could tighten it some, but I think (hope) it is just the lifters settling in after taking the pressure off them and popping them up and down when spinning the engine to get zero lash. Really took 550 km before I really noticed them getting quieter and since then, it seems to improve more each day. (outside starting it now....)

Might even be a touch quieter than stock right now, if I strain, I believe I can hear the roller tips sliding making their sewing machine sound (expected), but no tick/clank from a misadjusted lifter. Been about 10 hours since it was last run and the engine cover is off, should be quieter when I slap it back on.

 

Been 4 days of cold starts, hot starts, etc. and it is quieter than stock, not even the slightest hint of ticking. If anyone has been afraid to go with the Crane's because of the trouble with my install, my experience with them is positive (overall), just be prepared for a little extra work getting it just right.

 

Soooo true I almost gave up to . I found what finally worked for me was finding zero lash doing the 1.5 turns and then using a .020 spacer and placing that between the rocker and the valve spring. It has been one week for me now and no problems (knock on wood).

 

Any updates?
MIKE

 

Mine have been working awesome since I used the method of finding zero lash and using a .020 spacer.

 

I heard a very faint ticking once about 3 weeks ago after a hot start (just off long enough for the block to start heat soaking and making the oil about as thin as it will ever get), lasted about 15 seconds, other than that, zero annoying noises (except for that pesky squealing sound from the tires when you do much more than idle off from a dead stop.) I am running 1.5 turns of preload and no shims. Since I threw out those insane directions on finding zero lash and did it the old fashioned way, I have not touched them at all.

 

You guys have turned me away from Crane....Yella Terra or Harland Sharp all the way now!