Last night I installed my Harland Sharp 1.7 rockers along with a 52mm throttle body on my 97 Ram. What I noticed right away was the truck runs a lot smoother. However, I did not notice a large increase in performance by an stretch of the imagination.

How long does it usually take for the PCM to relearn, or is this even an issue with these mods? I would say it will take a little while, maybe 100 - 200 miles for the PCM to relearn how the motor is running.

Any thoughts from people who have done these mods in the past?

 

Mine always takes about 200 miles before I feel like it is running nominally. Same was true after the 1.7 install. Give it some time.

 

I agree with Silver Dodge. Give it some time. I had my HS 1.7's installed several weeks ago andI'm nowstarting to feel a noticeable difference in performance especially in the low to mid range power band. I'm very happy with the HS 1.7 RR's.

 

Is it beneficial for me to disconnect the battery to force the PCM to reset or just let it do it on its own?

 

Yes definetly do a manual reset. Disconnect the battery, turn the key and hold for 20-30 seconds, then reconnect the battery. It will run extra rich for the first few minutes, maybe longer. Then give it a couple hundred miles to get adjusted to all the inputs it is gettng from all the sensors that give it readings.

 

dontcha love how it just relearns. its soooo much easier than my old ford....

 

I am planning on installing my HS 1.7 rockers tomorrow morning, is there anything tricky or any tips that can make the install go smoother?

 

Here is a write-up. It's not perfect, but it is a good guide.
http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/rollerrocker.php

Your truck is frickin' nice. Makes me what a 6" lift instead of 3".

 

Thanks Silver!

Ialready havethat write-up on pavement sucks bookmarkedand read it about 30 times now making sure I fully understand the install process. I was just probing to see if anybody had any additional information to add.

 

It's pretty straight forward once you do the first one. You won't have any problems. Some tips I can give you would be:
-Make sure you have some engine assembly lube on hand, and use it one each one as you put them together.
-Clean your engine (valve cover area) really good before you start so you don't get dirt and stuff falling in when you remove the valve covers. I also used a vacuum to suck out any debris that fell in when I took the covers off.
-Change your oil soon after the install.
-After the install, before the valve covers were put back on, with the battery disconnected, I had someone crank the engine over until I saw oil coming up around the rockers. Then I finished installing the valve covers and started it up.
-Be careful messing with the push rods. It is actually possible to drop one down below the intake, which means you will have to remove the intake to retreive it.
-Reset the PCM after the install.
-Give it a few hundred miles before you judge the performance gains from them.
-You can PM me if you have any problems tomorrow, or I can give you my cell if you want, but I think you will find it is not to tough. Hardest part is holding the two rockers together on the shaft while you try to set them down into the spot correctly aligned. I found that you pretty much have to do it all one handed since it seemd harder to try to hold it with two hands and set it down (you'll see what I mean).
-I used a little telescoping mirror (like you can get at the checkout counter of most parts stores) to look underneath the rockers after I set each one down to make sure the push rod was correctly seated in the dimple.

Good luck.