I took off the valve covers and inspected today. Nothing looks abnormal, there were just small puddles of oil in there, which I think is normal. So it must be deeper. I put them back on because I will be moving the car to a more appropriate place to work on it, then I will start the tearing down for further inspection
I got the intake mani off. only problem is, i dont really think i see anything wrong. i dont see any pushrods bent from just looking. what should i be looking for? the only things i can see that might be a problem (but I don't know if they are). The lifters might be aftermarket? They are really shiny with black tops. The cam is brown (look like burn marks) on the sides, the bottom of the teardrop parts still looked rounded. And the last thing, is the cast part of the block that holds the lifters in it, on most of them, is really jagged looking on the bottom part. Any further advice on what to look for or any tests that need to be done would be appreciated. Maybe the rocker assembly will need to be removed.
Yeah they do. The cast part that holds them looks a little more jagged on mine though. Is it possible that the odd noise and smoke was created by old gas that has water contamination? Otherwise I was told that the only real way to see if a pushrod is bent is to take it out. Which would mean I have to take off the rocker assembly. Which I don't know how to do.
Ok, I will be taking off the rocker assembly tomorrow then and removing the pushrods and lifters for pictures and inspection. Does everything have to go back in the exact same spot it came from or can the pushrods/lifters be put in any spot? Anything else to be weary of?
The jagged edge that You are talking about it entirely normal.... like he says, take the 4 bolts out and the rocker arm assembly will pop off, re install them on the same side when it is time.... wiggle each push rod from side to side vigorously and when it pops off the top of the hyd. lifter , take it out and lay it on a absolutely flat surface and roll it back and forth,, if it stays true centered, it is good, if it wobbles as it rolls , replace it...
You need to replace only the ones that are bent... the lifters have about 1/4'' of travel built into them.... that is why it is imperitive that any bent ones be replaced.... a bent one will bend further as the lifter pumps up....
YES! Im pretty sure i found the problem!:grin: Take a look at the pic (sorry bad quality) The pushrod to the right is the normal one for reference, i took off the passenger side rockers, all pushrods looked like this, rounded ends with little circular indent in the end. Once i took the driver one off i noticed the others in the picture immediatly. They are poking out where the rounded part is supposed to be, one the not so severe one on cylinder 1, the crazy one on cylinder 5 and also another (not pictured) on cylinder 5 is very close to being like this because the circular indent has worn off and it is beginning to peak. So is this the problem (what causes it btw?)? I sure hope so. If so is the solution to simply replace these ones with universal ones the right size?
Those are worn out alright , now what does the socket in the rocker arm look like and the tip that contacts the valve.....check all the push rods to see if any are bent....
None are bent Just checked where the pushrods and rocker arm make contact, its not good on the one that made contact with the one all the way to the left in the picture. The rest look rounded with holes in the middle while that one looks very tore up, and the arm that was in contact with the other worn out one no longer has the hole in the middle and is looking pretty rounded out. Im assuming this means replacement time? Just tell me what I gotta do doc
None are bent Just checked where the pushrods and rocker arm make contact, its not good on the one that made contact with the one all the way to the left in the picture. The rest look rounded with holes in the middle while that one looks very tore up, and the arm that was in contact with the other worn out one no longer has the hole in the middle and is looking pretty rounded out. Im assuming this means replacement time? Just tell me what I gotta do doc
Yep, replace any that you have any doubts about .... and also I am wondering why.... high mileage ???? lack of oil..... rocker arm shafts plugged up with sludge.... I really wish that you and I lived close,,,, I would break those rocker arm assemblies down and clean them out with a rifle cleaning brush.... and solvent... mineral spirits.... if there is a loss of oil to the rocker arms it trashes out the rocker arm assemblies , push rods ect... the lifters will be ok but everything else wears very fast... There are small welch plugs in the ends of the rocker shafts that can be removed and then you can run a brush thru and clean them out.... then when they are cleaned up re assemble and reinstall them .... if the engine is oiling right you will get plenty of oil up to the rocker arms when it is running....
Ok so im gonna get those shafts and clean them up top notch with engine cleaner. In the mean time im gonna order some new pushrods and see if anyone on here has some rocker arms. Anything to be careful of while doing the rocker assemblies? Those springs are intimidating and I dont want to mess anything up.
OOOOK, lets start from square 1.... remove the shaft assembly from the engine.... note that the rocker arms are directional,,, left right , left right,, ect... with the tips pointing to the inside.... make a diagram... note the rocker arm stands are directional too... make a diagram.... note that t he bolts that go down thru the rocker arm stands are special bolts with shoulders that allow for oil to come up around them... and into the shafts thru the holes.... dont mix them up with any other kind of bolts... now, start by soaking the whole assembly in simple green cleaner over night , [completely submerged] and then washing the crud off with hot soapy water and a stiff bristle brush.... then remove the cotter pin and wave washers from the ends of the shafts.... then take a drill and drill a small hole in the plug that is in the ends of the shaft on both ends... next take a large sheet metal screw and run it in the hole that you drilled and pull the plug out with some large pliers... do that on both ends... remove the end rocker arms and lay them in order... then take a small hammer and tap the first stand off the shaft... be carefull not to beat the machined surfaces up... when the first stand comes off the 2 nd rocker arm will come off and the spring that holds it in place... lay them in order... continue untill you get to the 3 rd stand ,,, you dont remove it... remove the 4th stand and the back plug from the inside of the shaft.... keep everything in order... then take the shaft and stick it down in some mineral spirits in a container and run a rifle cleaning brush up and down inside of the shaft untill you are satisfied that it is clean... then run the appropriate size drill bit thru the oil holes in the shaft to clean them good.... inspect the rocker arms for wear, and damage.... and replace and repair as neccessary.... when every thing is done , re assemble after lubing every thing with engine oil... in reverse order of disassembly.... you can get the small welch plugs from a Dorman dealer at any auto supply.... just drive them in , no sealer is required....
I did say that the engine would tell you what cleaning up what you find under the valve covers was! You got Doc directing you so you are in good hands and I'll just sit back, read and see what I can learn along with you. So far do you think I was right about it being fun and educational to tackle this yourself?
Absolutely man! I'm so happy I decided to do this whole engine process. Actually getting into deeper stuff than I did with my riviera is making me feel a lot more confident I'm not scared of doing things myself like I was before. I feel like all these things I looked at as super intricate before, are now just something I simply need to get an understanding of by doing it hands on with some guidance. I will be following docs steps tomorrow. And if no one says anything about rocker arms by fri, ill just buy some from ta when I get my check.
I suggest reading the TA vs Tom T's thread about rockers. If you have or want pretty valve covers like these, TA's will not fit under them.
