rocker arm came loose... how much damage? :(

About 5 mins into the 3rd drive of my car with the new engine, I started to hear what sounded like (with my unexperienced ears) an exhaust leak. It didn't surprise me much, since my headers-to-midpipe didn't line up perfect, and my catback is kinda ghetto (previous owner welded in not straight). A few minutes later I started to hear a loud metal clanking/popping that started out quiet and about 1 clank per 2-3 secs and gradually increased in sound level and time between lessened. I got it pulled over within a minute and never ran the engine over about 2000 rpm when this was happening.

Ends up the stud mounted Scorpion 1.6 #2 exhaust rocker had came loose and was hitting the VC top. The rocker was twisted on the stud but the tip was still 1/2 over the valve stem. The pushrod was still in the cup. The lock was way loose, and the nut was 1 turn from coming off. When I took it off, the rocker, valve, valve retainer, and stud showed no signs of damage or even signs of the rocker tip running off the edge of the valve stem. The pushrod cup and pushrod end showed no signs of the pushrod having came out and danced around on the rocker.

Looking down the pushrod hole of the head, you can see that the Trick Flow 6.300 pushrod is not over the FMS roller hyd. lifter at all and is off the side of the lifter. It is also wedged in there, I can't pull it out with my fingers. I tried rocking the motor back and forth about 15° each way to see if it would loosen. Nope. I know I just have to loosen the stock AFR 165 guideplate to get it out (hopefully).

My questions are:

1.) What did I damage?
2.) Should I replace the lifter and can you just get 1 or 2?
3.) Should I pull the lower intake?
4.) Does Summit sell individual Trick Flow 6.300 pushrods?
5.) Should I run different lifters?

Thanks,
Rick

Think I need to pull the lower intake to check on the lifter? I'd really like not to... (plus I finally got all the air out of my coolant.)

Is the pushrod reusable if not bent and if it shows no signs of damage? Should I not risk it and get a new one?


When I tightened down the rockers, I turned them 3/8 turn past zero lash, then tightened down the lock pretty good, then turned both of them the rest of the way to 1/2 turn. They were pretty tight. BUT - I could have forgot to tighten down that lock... Maybe I'll try a bit tighter.

1105 said:

I used allen key fittings for a wrench and torque them things down nice and tight after they are adjusted. I just couldnt get the leverage needed using a normal allen key.

Click to expand...

How much torque did you put on the locks?


When adjusting them, I ran across 4 that when I went to give them the 1/2 turn of preload, they had way less turning resistance than the others. The others had some resistance as I gave them the 1/2 turn. (Coiencendently or not, the first one I encountered like this was the one that came loose.) Before continueing, I went and did a bit of internet research and concluded that the lifter probably wasn't pumped up, and I was just easily compressing the lifter spring. So I went and adjusted it and continued on. I did stop in the middle of my routine and it was late at night, so I may just have forgot to lock it down. I will be sure to do rocker adjustments in the future when I can think clearly.

Rick

I took off the guide plate and the PR was still wedged in there. So I got the vise grips and I used a rubbery piece of plastic (part of a cap that came on my Fluidyne) and it came out without a lot of resistance. Both ends of it looked OK, and there were some rub marks on it where it was having to go up and down against the head. But they wern't deep enough to feel or to catch a nail on, so I should be OK. There was also a mark near the lifter end, probably where it was wedged against the lifter or something. Also couldn't feel anything.

It also may be just the slightest bit bent. I held it next to it's intake PR mate and when turned so it bows up, there might have been .001-.002 gap between the two at one end when the other was flat. I bet that's within production tolerances. Should I still replace it? Can I run it for a while, until I can get a replacement? (Summit says "should ship by 6-22") ARRRRRR...

Looking forward to getting it back together...

Thanks everyone,
Rick

10 million! damn, I can only afford to spend 7 million to fix it... I guess I'll have to sell the car...

Rick