Rocker spindle orientation which way? Am I an Idiot?

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850commando

850commando

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So after my recent short ride ended by dunstall fiberglass resin in my carbs i also found i consumed a lot of oil in a short time, compression was 120 cold, so not bad, plugs were black and stick in the cylinder came up oily black so ... pulled the exhaust pipe black soot and lots,
pulled the head,

i could have checked them while i still had the head on but i pulled the rocker spindles, three rocker flats were facing inward, and only one was facing outward, i believe from previous discussion that the rocker flat sides are to face outward, yet clymer says to face them in, and the norton workshap manual also has them facing inward. am i an idiot ? im sure lots of previous discussion wants the rocker flats side facing outward...

my guess is that they were placed this way when a new set of valve stem seals were installed.
 
850commando said:
i believe from previous discussion that the rocker flat sides are to face outward, yet clymer says to face them in, and the norton workshap manual also has them facing inward. am i an idiot ?
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You must have misunderstood the information in both the Clymer Commando and factory manuals as both say the flats should face outward so exhaust face forward and inlets to the rear.
 
LAB, so as you pointed out i may not be an idiot but I have had to reread those section multiple times to be sure i got it right.... think that makes me an idiot..
 
Factory manual:
"Engage a rocker spindle into the cylinder head with flat facing rearwards on the inlet side and forwards on the exhaust...."

...And, further on "Align the rocker spindle as shown in Fig. C7.
Flat on spindle faces away from the centre of the head, towards rocker cover."
Rocker spindle orientation which way? Am I an Idiot?


Clymer:
"On the exhaust rockers, the flat on the shaft (Figure 26) should face forward, and on the inlet rockers the flat should face to the rear."
Rocker spindle orientation which way? Am I an Idiot?


I can't see how either set of instructions could be misinterpreted to mean anything different or even dead opposite to that.
 
850commando said:
sure would have been nice if the manuals had printed that clearly eh?
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I've seen premature camshaft failure/wear due to a failed assembly process from the factory with rocker spindle shafts installed 180 degrees out of wack from bog stock first time disassembled engines...
 
KiwiShane said:
I've seen premature camshaft failure/wear due to a failed assembly process from the factory with rocker spindle shafts installed 180 degrees out of wack from bog stock first time disassembled engines...
Click to expand...

I don't understand that as rocker spindles fitted 180 degrees out (flats facing inward) over-oils the head and results in significantly reduced oil pressure.
With the rocker spindles correctly installed (flats facing outward) the flow to the head is less as is the amount of oil draining to the camshaft.
 
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L.A.B. said:
I don't understand that as rocker spindles fitted 180 degrees out (flats facing inward) over-oils the head and results in significantly reduced oil pressure.
With the rocker spindles correctly installed (flats facing outward) the flow to the head is less as is the amount of oil draining to the camshaft.
Click to expand...
From my understanding in correct installation of the rocker shaft reduces the flow of oil through the rocker to the cam and followers below ....the result long term will be severe damage to both camshaft and the cam followers
 
KiwiShane said:
From my understanding in correct installation of the rocker shaft reduces the flow of oil through the rocker to the cam and followers below ....the result long term will be severe damage to both camshaft and the cam followers
Click to expand...

It's correct installation with the flats outward to restrict flow as it's a high pressure feed, not incorrect.
www.accessnorton.com

Rocker Shaft Orientation

Hi all with regard to the correct orientation of the rocker spindles..(inlet spidle flats rearward, exhaust flats forward).. mine are correct BTW. I have read that the increased oil flow to the head reaches a point that the drain holes cannot cope....is this correct?? And is this event if All...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com
 
L.A.B. said:
Factory manual:
"Engage a rocker spindle into the cylinder head with flat facing rearwards on the inlet side and forwards on the exhaust...."

...And, further on "Align the rocker spindle as shown in Fig. C7.
"Flat on spindle faces away from the centre of the head, towards rocker cover."
Rocker spindle orientation which way? Am I an Idiot?


Clymer:
"On the exhaust rockers, the flat on the shaft (Figure 26) should face forward, and on the inlet rockers the flat should face to the rear."
Rocker spindle orientation which way? Am I an Idiot?


I can't see how either set of instructions could be misinterpreted to mean anything different or even dead opposite to that.
Click to expand...
as pointed out the Mick Hemmings explanation is concise and clear, adding forward and rearward is confusing, maybe normal out your way, not necessarily as clearly understood in some places in the commonwealth, hence my comment that 3 were in wrong... it was clear in my mind till i found the 3 in error. always better to ask than get it wrong and suffer the slings and arrows...
 
850commando said:
adding forward and rearward is confusing, maybe normal out your way, not necessarily as clearly understood in some places in the commonwealth, hence my comment that 3 were in wrong...
Click to expand...

Fair enough as I must admit I don't know how "forward" or "rearward" could be misunderstood anywhere especially as there's a diagram/pic included in each manual and the Clymer also being an American publication.

850commando said:
always better to ask than get it wrong and suffer the slings and arrows...
Click to expand...

Yes certainly.
 
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Seems to me that however it was written, someone wudda objected to how it was read.

IMHO, forward and rearward seems quite unequivocal.
 
KiwiShane said:
From my understanding in correct installation of the rocker shaft reduces the flow of oil through the rocker to the cam and followers below ....the result long term will be severe damage to both camshaft and the cam followers
Click to expand...
Incorrect orientation increases flow to the head as already stated, it also reduces the oil pressure including the big ends. Leave the rockers in the wrong orientation too long and you will need new big end shells.
 
Onder said:
There is nothing like a photograph or drawing.
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Worth a thousand words, right. Also, I believe that there could have been some installed backwards from the factory, since many workers back then didn't care, and were just there for a paycheck, knowing that they were on a sinking ship so to speak.
 
Could the incorrectly oriented spindles have auto-rotated due to poor engagement with the cover plate protrusions?
 
I have seen ( must be early spindles ) with oil hole on opposite side to flat, so do they face opposite way to commando?
 
Tornado said:
Could the incorrectly oriented spindles have auto-rotated due to poor engagement with the cover plate protrusions?
Click to expand...
I think Mick stated that he had to put shims behind the spindle on some, to stop them from spinning. If these go in too deep these do not engage the spindle plates. You need to check that.
 
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