Installed the new lifters and got everything buttoned back up. Not much drama. Started the engine up and let it reach operating temp and adjusted the valves with the engine running. Nice and quiet, the tick seems to be gone. Then just as I finished the last valve, I noticed a small puddle of coolant under the car. Crap, thermostat gasket leaking. I installed one of these because I have had good luck with them in the past.
Guess I’ll go with what the service manual calls for just a 1/16 bead of RTV, no gasket. Once repaired, I’m going to adjust the valves one more time.
Hey Grumpy, in this link I noticed and interesting initial timing recommendation.
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/corp-0312-l98-tuned-port-intake/repair.html
On photo 25 of 27 they talk about setting the initial timing to 0-2 degrees. That doesn’t sound right does it? Doing this would reduce your max timing as the ECU is doing it’s calculations off of 6* initial as a base. Whats your thoughts?
“Once all was completed, we fired the engine and set the timing. Since we marked the distributor, it was close to right-on, but we used a timing light to make it perfect. GM recommends 6 degrees if initial timing for '85-'88 cars, but Chris sets them to 0-2 degrees. He says they run smoother and have better low-end torque. The '89 and newer L98s were designed to run with more timing. We also drained the oil and installed a new filter and oil.”