Engine question...

[anonymous-user]

Does anybody know if the 390 engine has solid lifters or normal hydraulic ones? if they have solid lifter's do you adjust the tappets or are they shimmed?

Cheers

Doug

[Number 7]

I would imagine very few left the factory with solid lifters (except maybe press cars). Adjustable pushrods is the means of setting the valve clearances.

7.

[TVR 3X]

My early 390 (about 17th produced and the first John Eales engine) came with hydraulic tappets (it still has them).

Russ Wood

[anonymous-user]

7

If you have to adjust the tappets then it must have solid lifters?

Doug

[2 sheds]

To my knowledge no 390's had solid lifters, a few of the 420SEACS did.

[wedg1e]

My '87 390SE has hydraulics.... no adjustment.

[Number 7]

Dobi said:

7 If you have to adjust the tappets then it must have solid lifters? Doug

Yes, as you can't manually adjust hydraulic lifters. Are you saying you have solid lifters? If so, that might suggest that other areas of the engine have been modified. Normally, solid lifters are fitted to race spec. engines to allow higher rev limits than the hydraulic versions (provided the rest of the engine is up to it of course) as the hydraulic versions start to pump up at around 6K revs. and act as a natural limiter, although I think Rhoads do a hi rev. hydraulic version.

7.

[rev-erend]

Why not just pop the rocker cover of the drivers side and take a look.

It's only 4 scoss head screws ..

If you see push rods with no adjuster then they are hydraulic - self adjusting.

Why this interest - have you got a noisy engine ?

[anonymous-user]

No I haven’t got one at the moment (sore point). Someone (quite reliable) said the 390s had solid lifters, I was checking this out whilst I look for a 390SE.

I get the feeling that they are like most RV8s and have hydraulic ones.

(Bit naffed of at the moment... sold a bloody good wedge to move to a chim, didn’t enjoy as much (not enough pre-cat noise!) and now finding it hard to get another good wedge)

Cheers.

Doug

[gsx600]

even my 4.5 BV chim engine has hydraulic one on, but may have been swappedo ut before I got the engine !

[grahamw48]

Dobi said:

No I haven’t got one at the moment (sore point). Someone (quite reliable) said the 390s had solid lifters, I was checking this out whilst I look for a 390SE. I get the feeling that they are like most RV8s and have hydraulic ones. (Bit naffed of at the moment... sold a bloody good wedge to move to a chim, didn’t enjoy as much (not enough pre-cat noise!) and now finding it hard to get another good wedge) Cheers. Doug

Just curious, but why a 390, when 400s are more numerous?

[anonymous-user]

Looking for both, 390s or 400s... I was curious about the 390 lump when I was told that they had solid lifters.

Doug

[2 sheds]

The 390's tend to have more exotic internals, cosworth forged pistons etc, as the 400s developed they had to be more cost effective to produce and rely on engine part availability, so they started using more down to earth internals.

[Boosted LS1]

2 sheds said:

The 390's tend to have more exotic internals, cosworth forged pistons etc, as the 400s developed they had to be more cost effective to produce and rely on engine part availability, so they started using more down to earth internals.

Like bog stock bottom ends from rover/land rover, well that's what I've seen thus far. Heads and inlet manifolds were nicely ported though

Boosted.