I need to know how to check if my pushrods are adjusted right on a 97 fxst custom with the crane cam box and cams

The stock pushrods are not adjustable. Screamin' Eagle pushrods from Harley are adjustable. To check the cam tensioners, you have to remove the cam cover on the right side of the motor to see the tensioners. You will need a flashlight to see the tensioner on the back side of the cam plate. If the plastic on the tensioners show excesssive wear, replace them. They typically need replacement after about 30,000 miles, but I've replaced them at 20,000 to 60,000+. I just put new ones in my Fatboy at 32,000. Have you recently changed from conventional oil to synthetic? This can give you a bit more valvetrain noise, due to the thinnner synthetic oil.

Replacing the gasket on the cam cover of your Fat Boy is not a job for the faint hearted. It''s quite complicated because of the fact that you must get the pressure off the cam to get the cam cover back on once you get it off. You must also be very careful as to not change the camshaft timing with either the pinion gear or the breather gear.

If your Fat Boy has stock pushrods in it, you'll have to take the fuel tanks off, the air filter, and then take the rocker box covers off. Rotate the engine until you get one cylinder to top dead center on the compression stroke with both valves closed. Pull the push rod tube expanders out collapsing the pushrod tube and take the 5/16" bolt at the right end of the rocker arm shaft out. Slide the rocker arm shaft out and remove the rocker arm and the pushrod. Do this on boht the intake and exhaust pushrods. Notice that the pushrods are color coded meaning that they go in a particular location. Do not get them mixed up. Do the same thing to the other cylinder. The purple colored pushrod goes to the rear exhaust, the blue coded pushrod goes to the rear intake, the yellow coded pushrod goes to the front intake, and the green coded pushrod goes to front exhaust.

Now, that you have all the pushrods out of the engine, take the bolts out of the tappet guides and remove them. Keep the tappets in their original bores, do not mix them up. Check the roller bearings on end of the tappets for any up and down play. If you find a worn tappet, it should be replaced. You can replace the gasket on the cam cover without removing the tappet guides but you must remove the pushrods to get the pressure off the cam. If you remove the tappet guides, you will need a pair of "alignment pins" to align the tappet guides with the camshaft upon reinstalling them. Torque the bolts to 100 inch pounds.

Now, remove the cover that covers the ignition timing unit in the nosecone. Mark the timing plate inside the cavity so that you can reposition it in exactly the same place when you go to put it all back together. Remove the timing plate and the timing "cup" behind it. Take all the bolts out of the timing cover. The cover is mounted on two large dowel pins. You can pry the oil pump side of the cam cover off just a bit with a large screwdriver. Then, use a thin putty knife to work the other side loose. YOU MUST HOLD THE CAM IN POSITION BY PUSHING INWARD ON IT AS YOU REMOVE THE CAM COVER. DO NOT ALLOW THE CAM TO COME FAR ENOUGH TO LET IT GET OUT OF TIMING WITH EITHER THE PINION GEAR OR THE BREATHER GEAR. IT MUST BE TIMED CORRECTLY. The bolts that hold the cam cover on are different lengths, remember where they go.

When you go to reinstall the cam cover, make sure you get all the bolts in the correct holes. Reinstall the tappet blocks if you took them out. Reinstall the pushrods, pushrod tubes, and rocker arms in the last cylinder that you removed them from. Torque the 5/16" bolt to 13-15 foot pounds. Wait for the tappets to bleed down and you can turn them with your fingers. Turn the engine until the other cylinder is at top dead center on the compression stroke. Reinstall the pushrods, pushrod tubes, and rocker arms on that cylinder. Again wait until the pushrods will spin with your fingers before rotating the engine.

Reinstall the timing cup and the timing plate in the timer cavity in the cam cover. Make sure you get the marks you put on the plate and the cover aligned precisely. Reinstall the rocker boxes with new gaskets. Torque the bolts to 80-100 inch pounds. Reinstall the fuel tanks.

You dont have pushrods and lifters in that vehicle. That is an overhead cam model engine and the pushrods are done away with as the rocker arms run directly on the cam. You would have to remove the valve covers to inspect anything in there. You may also want to inspect your timing chain if you suspect something is amiss.

Yes you will need the following:

Cam
Lifters
Assembly lube
Water pump gasket
Intake gasket
Timing cover gasket

Lifter removal tool
Puller for harmonic balancer
Cam installation tool/removal tool


I also would recommend replacing the timing chain and timing gears since you are going to have to take the timing chain off anyhow.

You will also need the associated tools to do the job, plenty off rachets, box wrenches and such.

If you are doing mechanical lifters you will also a feeler gauge to measure the valve clearance and make adjustments.

I cant think of anything else off the top of my head.

If you are doing a cam with more lift then I would recommend replacing your valve springs as well, it is easy and it will assure you do not incur valve float. You will have to take the rockers off when you install the new lifters because you have to remove the pushrods. I also recommend you replace the pushrods while you are at it, they are cheap. You will need a valve spring compressor and new valve springs and locks, they are pretty cheap.

As long as they are adjustable it's not too bad. Remember to change pushrods one at a time. First you have to pull the upper chrome covers off. These have a little (kind of) handle. They are halfed, but they look one piece. Pull down & out. 1: Once chrome covers are off, turn motor slightly until the valve your working on is closed & lifter is on lowest part of base circle on cam at BTC. in other words, while turning motor slightly in BOTH directions, lifter should be all the way down, and stay down. this assures that your not on or near the up ramp of the cam lobe. 2: Then you can remove pushrod by loosening lash adjustment (on bottom) until pushrod comes out. 3: Put new pushrod through partial chrome tube exactly as removed from old pushrod. 4: Set valve lash or pre-load, and then, one at a time, repeat procedure from step 1.

you will have to loosen the pushrods if you have adjustable pushrods, if not then you will have to remove the rocker boxes first. if you dont release all the pressure from the pushrods you will crack the engine case when you go to remove the cam cover.