Roller rockers issues
 

Ok, I have this issue where my rockers keep coming loose. I constantly have to tighten them down, and I don't care how tight I make the set screw they keep coming loose. How do you guys avoid this from happening?

Poly locks?

How much preload are you using?

I use 3/4 preload and then really tighten down the poly lock.

Tighten down the set screw as tight as you can get, then turn the polylock AND set screw TOGETHER 1/16th of a turn.

LOL, a 1/16?

Something wrong with 1/16?

Just seemed crazy to try for with a box wrench is all. I found it amusing.

You can't go much past 1/16th of a turn when you turn the two together without meeting heavy resistance. I've found that 1/16th of a turn (or 22.5 degrees, if you will) is a happy medium between locking the polylock and set screw in place without affecting any additional lifter preload.

Yea, I always use the wrench to make sure I don't change the preload and then really crank down with the allen key tool for the poly.

I like to score the threads. I use an old rocker nut with the top smashed with a sledge. that way it'll maul the threads just enough that it'll make a lot of friction but not so much as to damage the stud or the lock.

spina74 - You also want to make sure the stud itself isn't loose

never had rocker issues, and I'm on my 5th cam swap doing it that way. only engine issue I've ever had was a rod bearing in an engine that got personal with a few trees. I'm not quite done with my current engine so at the moment 0, to answer your question.

how do you think factory nuts stay in place, at least on a gen1 small block? the nuts have pressed sections that bite the threads. I just installed a set of full rollers on mine. the tracks the factory nuts leave on the stud provide a good resistance to the poly lock. just waiting for a few parts so i can get it in the car. I lost the f***ing motor mount bracket.

Not to be off topic, but really dude?

You are physically damaging the threads so they stay?
Ever hear of loctite or similar? All the benefits of ruined a stud's threads, without all the ruining!

With the proper preload, and then tightening of the poly lock, there really is not even a need for loctite let alone thread ruining.

Ha, thread ruining... :rofl:

i do half a turn then I lock down the set screw, I do my rockers while the engine is running, i dont know if that makes much of a difference with the tightening process.

I dunno, but I always find that doing it cyl by cyl, valve by valve works best. Slow, but accurate.

that's how an OE rocker nut works. its not pinched to the point that they destroy the stud, just enough to grab the thread. you install poly locks on studs that recently had fresh OEM nuts on them there is going to be some bite to it. the engine i have now, the last set of rockers were OE with new nuts. the stud thread had minor scoring from the fresh nuts. made the poly locks stay nice and firm in place