So I'm chasing a valvetrain tick and decided to check my pushrods and relash all my rocker arms. I followed shbox's method of doing it with the engine off with either #1 or #6 TDC. All stock components.

I've gone over all the valves with #1 being TDC, but something doesn't seem right. Compared to the rocker arms I haven't touched, the ones that I've retightened don't wiggle left and right like the others, and the amount of threading i've used on the stud is less than the untouched arms too. I've only been tightening beyond zero lash an additional 3/4 of a turn.

Is it possible that with my 165k mile engine, the rocker arm nuts came loose and thats what allowed that freeplay in the arm? Or did I mess up setting zero lash? (I've been moving the pushrods up and down while tightening and then setting preload when I can't move them anymore).

Also, I didn't remove the studs in this process and retorque like I see on Alldata because I didn't think it was necessary. Should I have?

 

And after about an hour, the same rocker arms that seemed too tight can be wiggled left and right like the others. ...so, yes. Might just give it a shot as is.

 

I do way less than 3/4 of a turn. After you spin the engine over to do other rockers, the ones that were once tight will bleed a little oil out of the lifter since there is no oil pressure. Then that same rocker will wiggle and click now. I start at zero lash and then tighten an additional 1/16th of a turn. 3/4's of a turn will work just fine for 99% of us, but if you have a big hydraulic cam and spin it very high, you'd be better off with less preload.

 

Good to know. This was the first time messing with valvetrain, and I tend to get paranoid about certain little details like this. Took it for a drive and it turned out fine.