Valve adjustment issues., Weird... Options

[Bob L.]

I have been cleaning a new to me engine to put in my '73. It's a '76 2.0 D-jet- stock valve train. After re-installing the rocker arms I went around and adjusted the valves using Cap'n Krusties' Rocking method and it seemed to be going fine. After getting all valves done I decided to check them all again. This is where it gets weird. While checking one rocker/valve I notice that another one seems to be looser than it was when I set it. I understand how it could get tighter as the cam rotates and closes the valve.
According to the rocking method the Rocker being adjusted is on the backside of the cam (opposite the lobe) and therefor as loose as it should get.

So, why Can I measure a greater gap when It should only be able to get smaller? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
Apparently I'm not the only one who has run into this.

Also, I get different gap readings when using the piston at TDC method. Some are the same, some loose or tight.

This is my first time working on the rockers/valves, FWIW.
Let the learning begin(continue)!

[timothy_nd28]

I had the same exact issue with my previous engine. After tearing apart that engine, I found a worn cam with flats everywhere. After installing a new cam, all that weirdness went away. I would think a descent temp repair for the meantime, installing hydraulic lifters, till you can tear down your engine?
I found it extremely helpful watching the Jake Raby bug me not movie. The video is free on the pirate bay site.

[aircooledtechguy]

I would think a descent temp repair for the meantime, installing hydraulic lifters, till you can tear down your engine?

Well meaning advice, but. . . doing so is a disaster in the making. Putting a fresh set of lifters onto a worn cam, is about the fastest way to remove those little, but necessary bumps that open the valves, at the same time introducing tons of metal into your motor. Adding hydraulic lifters to a worn-out solid lifter cam will only accelerate the cam's destruction. For your motor's sake, DO NOT DO THAT

It's easy to pull a push rod tube, slide a lifter out and inspect the cam. If you pull the motor, you can also remove the oil pump so you can inspect the cam gear rivets which can get loose and cause the cam gear to move side-to-side and cause all kinds of cam/lifter/valve adjustment issues.