Your experience is needed!, 1.7 rocker arms Options

[BarberDave]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

I am thinking of going to the swivel foot rocker arms on my 1.7!

I already know ,from a post here a vew days ago ,most of the advantage of that

swap.

My Ques. is : " Do they really make the valve train noise that much less" ?

If that is true i will do it just for that reason!

Those who have swivel foot rockers please Ans.


Dave (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

[Mark Henry]

I'd say no, but it's hard to tell because of the CrM (steel) push rods.
I've never used them on a stock engine and/or Al push rods.

[type11969]

I have them on my 1.8 t4 in my Beetle, AL pushrods, and people have come up to me before and commented that they have never heard such a quiet flat four . . . keep in mind though that I have no idea how well they maintained their cars!

On the engine I just put together for my bus, swivels with steel push rods, ehh, probably not significant. Some day I might make the switch to ALs.

[McMark]

Not really, but it's subjective.

[r_towle]

The benefit is that they do not mangle the top of the valve.
They would not be quieter.

Rich

[orange914]

i experianced i much quiter engine... with chromoly pushrods too. it was a very complete rebuild so maybe other factors are involved. but in my opinion the "thrasher" top end sound is so much better. the wear factor alone is good reason to switch

mike

[craig downs]

They are nice and quiet when cold with zero lash but get noisy when warmed up. The real advantage is the no wear on the top of the stem. I would think they would be easier on the guides as well.

[wertygrog]

who sells these adjusters at a reasonable price? I've seen what looks like ball-feet adjusters for sale, but never the 911 ones affordably...

[BarberDave]

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Alright i am convinced I will do it. Next Ques.

1. What push rods , Alum. or Steel, and why ?

2. I have seen engines with Alu. ( i think) spacers on the shaft in place of the stock springs to space the rockers. What is the advantage of these?

Anything more that I may have forgott? As long as i am in there!!!!!

Engine has under 4,000 miles since rebuild . Dave (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

[McMark]

All of Jake's motors (AFAIK) use ChoMoly steel pushrods.

I use those in all of my motors for customers, but I have used these aluminum pushrods on a personal motor and didn't have any problems.

Steel effectively doesn't expand with engine heat so your valvetrain starts off quiet (zero lash means no clack-clack) and as the engine expands with heat, the lash increases and the clack-clack gets louder.

Aluminum is the opposite. It starts off with a gap which gets smaller as the engine warms up.

But that being said, I never noticed a significant difference in the noise.

[type11969]

Steel - set the gap to zero lash, opens up when the engine gets warm due to different expansion rates

AL - set to desired last when cold, stays that way when the engine gets warm due to similar expansion rates

AL are probably lighter which is nice if you are turning higher rpms, but are also probably more expensive. Otherwise not much difference.

Solid rocker spacers fix the spacing between the rockers, more reliable than the spring which is old, can break, and can induce slop again esp at higher rpms.

You will have to clearance the spacers to give enough side play and you will have to clearance your rockers for the swivel feet

I don't think you can get the swivels for much less than $9ea, at least not that I have seen.

[McMark]

Be aware that there are 'generic' swivel foot adjusters. Don't be fooled. Get the real deal.

[craig downs]

The chromoly pushrods Jake sells are thin wall and very light. You want to use cut to length rods so you can get the valve geometry right, because the stock pushrods would be to short.