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From 4wDakota
Difficulty Level - Easy
The job is a fairly easy bolt in swap but because we are dealing with the internals of an engine special care must be taken.
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REQUIRED TOOLS
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MATERIALS
(Check manual for types, amounts and applicability)
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TIME
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7/16" sockets (short and deep)
1/2" socket (short or deep)
3/8" socket wrench and various length extensions
3/16" allen socket
Torque wrench adjustable to 21 ft lbs.
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Engine cleaner
Zip ties
Oil and filter (optional)
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3 hours + 1 hour for prep and cleanup
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In the search for a little more power and torque out of a magnum engine we often look to the valvetrain. The magnum engines utilize a roller cam and lifters. The stock rockers are simple stamped steel pieces that are a 1.6 ratio and do not have roller tips, thus adding friction which costs you horsepower. The solution to this is to swap out the factory stamped rockers for roller tip rockers from manufacturers such as Crower, Crane, Comp Cam, Mopar Performance, or Harland Sharp. Typically the rule of thumb is to run 1.6 ratio rockers with a performance cam. In this case, we chose to keep the stock cam in our 360 and step up to 1.7 ratio rockers to add a little more low end while simplifying the installation. This does 3 things to boost power; reduces friction, adds higher lift to the valve, and adds more duration, making the engine see a bigger cam than what is really in there.
The roller rockers we chose were Harland Sharp (HS) nonadjustable 1.7 ratio rockers (part # 70037). Harland Sharp offers an entire line of rockers for the magnum engines as seen below.
Dodge V8 & V6 "Magnum"
PART # RATIO APPLICATION
S70036 1.6:1 5/16 Bolt 318 (5.2L), 360 (5.9L)
S70036A 1.6:1 5/16 Bolt 318 (5.2L), 360 (5.9L) adjustable
S70037 1.7:1 5/16 Bolt 318 (5.2L), 360 (5.9L)
S70037A 1.7:1 5/16 Bolt 318 (5.2L), 360 (5.9L) adjustable
S70046 1.6:1 5/16 Bolt V-6 Magnum (stock replacement)
S70047 1.7:1 5/16 Bolt V-6 Magnum (stock replacement)
· Adjustable & Non-adjustable stock replacement
· Bolt-on application
· Fits under stock valve covers
· Needle bearing full roller fulcrum assembly reduces friction and wear to enhance engine performance
· For use in mild-performance applications
· Adjustable up grades available (call for details)
· Must install 3/8 studs with adjustable rockers
Courtesy of Hardland Sharp
Roller rockers can be purchased in either adjustable on non-adjustable. While there is always a debate as to which is better we chose to go with the non-adjustable style. The big disadvantage to the non-adjustable rockers is that they are made specifically as stock replacements. Whereas adjustable rockers can be dialed in for exact valve lash, changes due to machined heads, cam changes; nonadjustable rockers are machined for a direct replacement and to simply bolt into stock magnum engines. The biggest advantage is easy of installation with a bonus being that they fit under the stock valve covers and oil baffles. For our application, we don’t plan on putting in a performance cam for a while so we want the higher ratio. Later we may swap cams and at that time we can bolt in some 1.6 ratio rockers. The cost of these rockers was $300 and they were purchased from Southeast R/T. They are very nice pieces machined by the folks at Harland Sharp.
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1) Start by cleaning out the engine compartment. Because we will have the valve covers off we need to be sure that no dirt, sand, or other debris is allowed to get inside of the engine. This is particularly important around the intake manifold and around the injectors where dirt can sit just waiting to fall down into the heads once the valve covers are off.
2) Once everything is clean and dry disconnect the battery, pull off the air intake, and remove the vacuum hoses that connect to the PCV valves on the valve covers. You will also need to pull the plug wires and plug wire holders away from the valve covers. The wiring harnesses for the fuel injectors have small tabs that slip over the bolts along the top edge of the valve covers. Carefully pull up on the harness and unhook the tab from the stud to gain access to the nut underneath. Make sure you label all hoses and wires with masking tape and a marker to install them later. Once you are finished you should be able to get to all the bolts that hold the valve covers in place.
3) Using a 7/16" socket loosen all the bolts around the perimeter of the valve covers. You will need to use various lengths of extensions to reach some of the ones in the back and may need a universal joint extension to get around the A/C lines on the passenger side. Once you have loosened all the bolts, begin taking them all the way out, and label them or set them aside in the order they came out so that you can put them back in the same place. The valve covers are held on by bolts and studs.
*Note - The studs are used as a mounting point for the injector harness and spark plug wire holders so you will want to put them back where they were originally to hold those items in place.
*Note - On our truck, one of the rear bolts on the passenger side valve cover had a ground wire attached to it, make sure you set it off to the side and reinstall it later.
4) Once all of the bolts are out, check around the covers one last time for bolts you may have missed, dirt, or any items that may hamper you from removing the valve covers. Once everything is clear, carefully pull the covers off.
*Note - Keep track of the valve cover gasket. The factory ones are reusable so make sure not to get it caught on the stock rockers and tear it. In our case it stayed firmly attached to the heads.
*Note - It is helpful to have a friend around to pull wires and hoses out the way. In our case we had to also loosen the tie-down for the A/C line and hold it out of the way on the passenger side along with the heater hose that ran right above the valve cover.
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5) Now the fun part, pulling the stock parts out. To do this, use a 1/2" socket to unbolt the stock rockers from the head. Do one cylinder at a time and remove the intake and exhaust as a pair along with the pushrod guide plate.
*Note - This is where the installation varies from an adjustable rocker. For an adjustable rocker you must bring the piston to top dead center (TDC) and pull the rockers and install the new rockers to zero play at the push rod plus another 1/8 - 1/4 turn (depending on who you talk to) You must do this for each cylinder, bring it to TDC, change out the rockers, and adjust, then run the engine and readjust all of them again with each cylinder at TDC. For our HS rockers we are not concerned with getting the cylinder to TDC, we just unbolt the old ones and bolt in the new ones. The spacer included with the rockers is machined to the exact height necessary for proper valve adjustment.
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(click for larger image)
(click for larger image)
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6) Take a pair of rockers and insert the allen bolts and spacers. Also take a tube of assembly lube and coat the roller tip, pushrod cup, and pivot shaft of the rocker.
*Note - At this time we chose to install some aftermarket pushrods. We used a set of Comp Cam pushrods (Comp Cams Hi Tech Pushrod 5/16" x 6.900" Part #7933-1). These are an easy install, just pull the stock pushrods out, coat both ends of the new pushrods with assembly lube and slide them into place.
Carefully set the new rockers in place as a pair, making sure to hold the spacers in place with your fingers. Make sure the roller tip is centered on the valve and the pushrod is lined up with the cup end of the rocker. Now thread the allen bolt into the head. Turn each bolt about 3 turns and alternate between intake and exhaust so that the shaft that the pair of rockers are mounted on isn’t put in a bind. Bolt the rockers down until the spacer rests against the head and it has no play in it. Once the rocker is seated firmly on this spacer you rockers are at the correct height.
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(click for larger image)
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7) Next, torque the rockers to between 10 and 20 ft lbs. The final torque will be to 21 ft lbs which we will do later.
Because we aren’t worried about bringing each cylinder to TDC the cylinder that we are on may be at an intake or exhaust phase of the combustion cycle. As you tighten down the rocker you will notice it pushing down on the valve. We chose to get the rockers as snug as we could in the position that they were in. Because we were working on a Dakota and space in the front of the engine was limited we did not turn the crank to let the tension off the valve. If you have room, and you feel so inclined to do so, you can rotate the engine as you go so that the cylinder that you are working on has no load on the valves (TDC). Doing so will allow you to torque down the rockers fully. In our case we did not feel like pulling anything off the front of the engine to gain access to the crank pulley nor did I even have a socket large enough to fit the bolt in it. We simply bolted the rockers onto each cylinder as the engine was in its cycle. The only problem with doing this is that on a few cylinders the exhaust or intake valve will be fully opened. In this case, as you tighten down the rocker it will pivot to a point where the portion of the rocker around the allen head will contact your allen socket. As you can see in this picture, the middle rocker made contact with the bit which slightly scratched the edge.
For these rockers, simply take them down as much as you can, we were still able to get the spacer to seat against the head but if we’d torque it down the bit would have cut into the rocker.
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8) Now you have done it, well at least 1 cylinder. Now repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for each cylinder until you have done all 8 cylinders (or 6 for the 3.9L V6)
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9) If you have been rotating the engine as you go and bolting the rockers down to 21 ft. lbs then you can move to the next step. If you are like us, you have all the rockers in place and bolted down, but not at the proper torque. Disconnect the coil wire from the cap and rotor and set it aside away from any metal objects so it can not cause a spark or unplug the electrical connections from the coil. Now starting on either the passenger side or drivers side torque the rockers to 21 ft. lbs. Some of the valves will be opened and thus the rocker tilted in such a way that you can not get the allen bit in enough to tighten it. Next, either rotate the crank or turn the key to start the truck for a brief second to make the engine turn over. It is best to have a friend do this while you watch the rockers. Rotate the engine until you can access the allen bolt and torque down each rocker. You may have to do this a few times to get all the rockers torqued down. Now move on to the other side and do the same until you have torqued every rocker to 21 ft. lbs.
10) Now you are basically done. Look over all the rockers and make sure everything is sitting right. Pay extra attention to all of the pushrods and make sure they are seated in the end of the rockers. Make sure the pivot points of the rockers and roller tips on the valves are lubricated with assembly lube.
11) Carefully set the valve covers in place and make sure the gasket is seated correctly. Put all of the bolts and studs back into their correct locations and bolt them down. Be careful that no wires or hoses get caught under the valve covers. Also, make sure you connect any ground wires that were connected using the bolts for the valve cover. Once all the bolts are snug, tighten them to 12 ft lbs.
12) Clean up time. Put all vacuum lines into place. Attach the tabs on the harness for the fuel injectors to the studs on the valve cover. Reattach the sparkplug wire holders and rerun the sparkplug wires. Reconnect the coil and battery. Look over the entire engine compartment and make sure everything is reconnected. Make sure no wires or hoses are in contact with moving parts or parts that get hot such as headers. Finally, check the oil; it should be fine since you don’t lose any during the install but checking it won’t hurt.
13) Now the fun part, start up the engine. The rockers may make a little noise for the first few seconds. Let the engine idle or give it a little gas to get the oil flowing to the rockers. The rockers should quiet down after a few seconds. If there is persistent noise from the rockers, shut the engine down, let it cool off, and pull the valve covers to check to see if any rockers are loose.
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Now go out and enjoy the extra power. You may want to do an oil and filter change after the initial break in to remove any dirt that got into the engine while the valve covers were off. The initial impression was that the truck seams a little quicker to rev up. The truck has a different exhaust note at idle almost as if it has a cam (which the engine actually thinks it does because of the extra lift and duration). We will see how it performs after the break in period once we can get to the track.
A comment on Roller Rockers:
You may notice that we remove the stock guide plates and did not reinstall them or any aftermarket ones. You may also note that some other manufacturers offer kits with and without guide plates. Some companies recommend using guide plates if the engine is going to run over 5500 rpm while some simply offer it as an option for those who want the extra insurance. The reason for this is that at high rpm a normal stud mounted rocker may actually turn on its stud, effectively coming off the valve and pushrod. This can cause serious engine failure as the pushrod is then allowed to fly around in the head and possibly take out other parts of the valvetrain. The guide plate prevents this by holding the pushrod in place and only allowing it to move up and down as it follows the lobes of the cam. In our case, the Harland Sharp rockers are paired together (intake and exhaust) on a shaft. Because they are shaft mounted, they cannot turn on their stud and thus there is no need for guide plates.
Harland Sharp
Custom Speed Parts Mfg., Inc.
19769 Progress Drive Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Phone: (440) 238-3260 Fax: (440) 238-2204
www.harlandsharp.com
Southeast R/T
(813) 503-8069
www.southeastrt.com
Comp Cams, Inc.
3406 Democrat Rd.
Memphis, TN 38118
(901) 795-2400
www.compcams.com
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Last modified:
March 04, 2005 |
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