thanks for your responce melsg5.so,does that mean i need to replace the valves and lifters?i was thinking about do that anyway.just looking for a temperary fix at the moment.i did do a light adjustment on them when i had the head redone last fall.anyway,i suppose i'll just go ahead and replace the valves,lifters and rocker arm just so it'll run a bit better.again,thanks for your help and information.