almost always contacts  the inside of  the upper pushrod cover. The Velva Touch tapered                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

    push rods allow more clearance to help with this issue.

8. Setup of the new lifters and adjustment is as follows:

        a. Start with the front lifters and front cylinder. Place your finger on the top

            of each hydraulic tappet, turn the engine over slowly until the exhaust

            lifter tappet rises and returns to it’s lowest point, continue until the

            intake tappet also rises and falls to it’s lowest point. Now both the front

            intake and exhaust tappets are on the heel of the cam and can be set together.

        b. Install all of the front pushrod seals; top, middle and bottom
           (customer supplied except Evo kits)

        c. The longest push rod is installed the front exhaust position, the other 3 push
            rods are of equal length. Adjust the pushrods for minimum length;

        d. Insert the pushrod in the rocker arm;

        e. Slide on the collapsed pushrod cover and hold up;

        f. Slide the base of the pushrod over the tappet, and;

        g. Adjust the pushrod using a ¼ inch open end wrench to hold the adjuster

            ( up under the locknut works best ), then;

        h. Rotate the pushrod with the thumb and forefinger until the pushrod is

            screwed out enough to be seated in the tappet with no up and down movement.

9. If the engine is to used mostly for touring and street use:

        a. Turn the adjuster out with a ½ inch open end wrench an additional 1 ½ turns

            or nine (9) wrench flats only;

        b. Hold the adjuster with the ¼ inch wrench and spin the lock nut up;

        c. Tighten the locknut with two ½ inch open end wrenches while holding

            the adjuster with the ¼ inch wrench.

        d. Adjust both the intake and exhaust this way cold, then;

        e. Expand the pushrod sleeve and install the retainer. This adjustment

            provides the quietest possible setting for Panhead and Shovelhead

            engines.

10. CAUTION !! Before rotating the engine to install the rear cylinder pushrods

        allow the lifters to bleed down, (The pushrods will turn by hand when ready)

        failure to this could bend a valve.

11. Position the rear cylinder lifter block tappets on the heel of the cam using the

        method in step 8, then adjust the pushrods as described in step 9, EXCEPT,

        turn the adjusters out one (1) full turn, or six (6) wrench flats! Expand the

        sleeves and install retainers.

12. If the engine RPMs above 6500-6700 are anticipated, as in the case of an all

        out street fighter the lifters must be adjusted finger tight cold as in

        step eight (8);

            a. Then turn the adjusters out seven (7) wrench flats for the front

                cylinder tappets;

            b. Let the lifter tappets bleed down;

            c. Position the rear cylinder tappets on the heel of the cam;

            d. Adjust the pushrods four (4) wrench flats for the rear cylinder lifters;

            e. Expand the pushrod sleeves and install the retainers.

            f. For drag race engines, set at zero (0) valve lash hot!!
   
                 

                           NOTES

1. If the valve action sounds noisy, check the following:

        a. Oil pressure when hot must be within Harley Davidson™ specifications.

            Specifically: Minimum of six (6) PSI at idle and 12-35 PSI at 2,500 RPM.

        b. For best overall performance use 20W-50W multi-grade motorcycle or

            air-cooled engine oil and the engine should have 25-35 PSI at 2,500 RPM.

2. If the engine oil pressure is within these limits and the tappet(s) is (are) still clicking:

        a. Allow the engine to cool, and;

        b. Re-adjust the offending tappet(s)

3. Buy yourself a mechanics stethoscope.

        a. Place the tip on the points cover, engine idling and hot. If you hear an

            audible click here, listen closely then;

        b. Move the tip to a place on the lifter blocks next to each lifter bore.

        c. Compare the sound to the points cover sounds.

        d. Next place the tip of the stethoscope on the front exhaust flange then

            the rear exhaust flange.

        e. Compare the sounds.

        f. Next place the tip on the face of the rocker box area of the intake pushrod

            tubes.

        g. Compare these sounds to the others.

4. In an engine that has the proper:

        a. End play in the rocker arms (0.012-0.014 inch);

        b. Proper fitment between the valve stem and valve guide;

        c. Has the correct endplay at the cam shaft (0.004-0.006 inch), and

        d. Has the proper fitment between cam gear and pinion gear, then;

        e. It is normal to hear only the sound of the rollers turning in the tappets,

            hot or cold.

5. When you compare the sounds in Note 3, and you hear a clicking sound at the points

    cover and it is the loudest here, it indicates that the fitment between the cam gear

    and the pinion gear is loose. (This is the most common problem)

6. If you pick up about the same sound at the lifter base as in the points cover it is normal.

7. If the sound is loudest at the exhaust flange the exhaust valve guides are loose.

8. If the sound is loudest at the intake flange the intake valve guides are loose.

9. Once the Velva Touch™ lifters are installed and properly set they need no further

        adjustment and are best left alone, unless the top end or some other problem

        requires a tear down necessitating re-adjustment.     
                                                                                                                       
10. The flat head screw that keeps the tappets from falling out of the lifter block is

      by Blue Loctite™ and hand tightened only. Screw can be removed or left

      in place it serves no other purpose other than keeping tappets in place.

11. The tappets can be exchanged between lifter blocks, but it is best not to do so.

12. The pistons inside are select fit and must never be interchanged with each other.

13. Once a year remove and clean the screen that filters the oil supplied to the lifters.

14. The tappet bodies are hardened tool steel, pistons are chrome plated, ends are tool steel, heat-treated.
 
       The pushrods are lightweight 4130 Chrome-moly steel and  machined tapered for maximum strength.

15. Always install the longest pushrod in the front exhaust position.