C15 valve lashings...AGAIN?!?!

Ahhhh, no I did not back off the Jakes before adjusting. Seems like that may be where I screwed the pooch. My helper is gonna hate me! Took a lot of turns on the drive wheel the first time and now we get to do it all over again. Motor only has 435,000 on it, and it was a Peterbilt installed crate motor, not an overhauled or reman. I'll be looking for wear, but somehow doubt its worn at this point. I heard that the overhead should be adjusted every 100,000 and I've put 90,000 on it myself since buying the truck. God only knows whether the seller did it as prescribed by Cat.

 

I was just reading the steps I followed when I did the original adjustments... If I followed them, which I'm 99% sure I did, then I DID back the jakes off first. I just don't remember, seeing as how I've slept a time or two since then. According to the steps I have, backing jakes off happens as soon as the valve covers are removed.
1. Remove valve covers
2. Back Jake actuators completely off to zero contact.
3. Remove plug bolt on bell housing to access flywheel. Above that plug, there is another, smaller bolt; remove the smaller bolt and insert through the plug hole. Turn the motor CCW until the pin bolt falls into the timing hole on the flywheel....well, with no timing hole, I revert back to how I did them.
But, apparently I did back the Jakes off. I was at first following the steps, until somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 complete motor revolution's and the pin bolt did not find a hole, then visually watching through 3 complete turns of the flywheel and there is not a timing hole. Time to tear it apart and look for wear I suppose...

 

So, an update...tried everything from scratch AGAIN. Backed off the Jake's for sure this time, followed the same process of visual verification that each individual valve was off the cam lobe, adjusted intake to 0.015", exhaust to 0.030", set the Jake to 0.033", as prescribed for 304B Jake's and 550 hp. Started the motor, and yet again, sounds like someone with a hammer is trying to get out of the motor and the ticking noise like an exhaust leak is back, but only worse. At 1200 RPM, it clatters even worse than before and at 1450 the whole truck shakes like crazy.
So, I went back through each valve and left them "just loose enough" that the valve bridge can wiggle, but not lift up off the top of the valve. Using feeler gauges, that puts all the valves at 0.010-0.012". Started the motor and all the above mentioned problems are gone! Sounds like a smooth, well oiled machine and drives quiet (well, as quiet as a Cat C15 can be) with power from 1100 RPM all the way up to 1800. And my vibration I once thought was a bad Wheel is now gone as well. Guess Cat is gonna get a visit from this truck when I get back from the next trip. Miffed.

 

I checked the injectors using a digital depth gauge, all are within 0.001" from 3.07".These are the steps:
Back off Jake's.
Adjust valves, one at a time rolling the motor to visually verify each valve is off the cam love one at a time.
Started over at #1 cyl, reset Jake's the same way.
Start over on cyl 1, check injectors heights the same way.