pushrods, 3 or 4 turns

Energy One

Racer

Member
So I am going to change my cam and have been doing alot a reading on the forum regarding pushrod adjustment. It appears the general concensus is 3 turns from zero lash. Do you guys agree? The S&S manual calls for four. Just curious. It may be a personnal preference. Any feedback would be appreciated.
 

Germanbiker

Active Member
Just wondering about the same ;) , having my 585 laying around here.

Did you guys measure all the specs that S&S recommends - eg. lenght and diameter of the cam? Did you change the shim??

Did anybody use anything like this - Assembly Lubricant ‹ Spectro Oils ???
Is there a real need for it??

I just do not want to damage anything
Jochen
 

BadBrad

2005 Pitbull
If you are changing out the cam, you'll have to remove the tappet block to get a measurement on the cam space to make sure you install the proper shim. YOu can get a pack of assorted shims for just a few bucks. I think the tolerance is .015 but my memory sucks. S&S says 4 turns. They built the motor. I go with 4 full turns. No issues.
 

ALDog

Active Member
I just changed mine over the weekend and went with 3 turns. I will say the top end of my motor is not quieter than it has ever been. I didn't change my shims as I did what others suggested and measured the length of the cams to be the same so decided to leave it as is. That is my $0.02 worth :D
 

MARV

Well-Known Member
the more turns, the less tappet piston travel, which is better in a high rev motor.

less chance of "float"

in my opinion
 

chacha

Chaff Your EHC!!
Calendar Participant
I've used 3, 3.5 and 4. Four seemed best across the RPM range.
 

Little-Boo

Well-Known Member
Troop Supporter
Watch this video, it will tell you what you need to know about adjusting your push rods. Even though the manual calls for 4 turns I think that 20 flats will do the trick. You can go the 4 turns so that the valves won't float on you at high RPM (like Marv said)

I use hydro solid and I had been adjusting them to 0 latch only then I found out that I had to adjust mine to be at the bottom of the lifter, which is what the instructions called for. Mine were very noisy at 0 but still worked. I now adjust mine to 9 flats and I am at the bottom of the lifter where I need to be with hydro-solids. In your case you can go the 20 flats and keep the noise down or 24 flats and have top end performance. That is my 2 cents worth on this.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KvamRqCis]Cam Replacement on a Harley Davidson Twin Cam, including Pushrod Removal[/ame]




Carlos :whoop:
 

nine lives

Active Member
Been through this with the stock cam, found three turns had least amount of noise. Two weeks ago put the S&S 600 cam in, went three turns, very good, no noise.
 
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