Stock rocker arm issues.
05-23-2012, 06:40 PM
#1
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
Stock rocker arm issues.
Hi everyone, first time poster but I have been using the forums quite a bit lately and have hit a wall that google is no longer helping on.
So I have a 95 z28 that has been frustrating the hell out of me. I bought the car used and as far as I know its completely stock. About a month or two ago one of the rocker arms fell off on the passenger side, so using shbox's website I put the rocker arm back on the valve and adjusted it using method 3. About a week later another rocker arm came off on the driver side. So I adjusted it using method 3 as well. Well after going back and forth having to do this a few more times I decided to check all the push rods and replace the rocker nut. I replaced 10 of the push rods (because thats all the parts store had on hand) even though it only looked like one of the push rods might have been bent enough to replace. When I put the new rocker nuts on I adjusted them using method 1. After doing this the car would turn over but not fire up so I am assuming I over tightened the rocker nuts. After figuring this out I decided to try adjusting them using the engine running method which seemed to be a much more effective method for me. Car ran like a champ after this. The next day I fired the car up and that damned ticking noise came back. Valve covers came off and another rocker arm fell off so I re adjusted it and it ran okay except for now there is some kind of stuttering or missfire at low rpm's but it idles fine. A few of the rockers had some of the sa part of them chewed up so I replaced them yesterday and the car ran but still had the stutter and now today there is a tapping noise when the car is cold but goes away when it warms up, more than likely one of the rocker arms is going to fall off again. So I don't know what to do at this point. Is it possible that I collapsed some lifters when I put the new nuts on and that's whats causing them to fall off now or is something more serious to blame?
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone to share.
So I have a 95 z28 that has been frustrating the hell out of me. I bought the car used and as far as I know its completely stock. About a month or two ago one of the rocker arms fell off on the passenger side, so using shbox's website I put the rocker arm back on the valve and adjusted it using method 3. About a week later another rocker arm came off on the driver side. So I adjusted it using method 3 as well. Well after going back and forth having to do this a few more times I decided to check all the push rods and replace the rocker nut. I replaced 10 of the push rods (because thats all the parts store had on hand) even though it only looked like one of the push rods might have been bent enough to replace. When I put the new rocker nuts on I adjusted them using method 1. After doing this the car would turn over but not fire up so I am assuming I over tightened the rocker nuts. After figuring this out I decided to try adjusting them using the engine running method which seemed to be a much more effective method for me. Car ran like a champ after this. The next day I fired the car up and that damned ticking noise came back. Valve covers came off and another rocker arm fell off so I re adjusted it and it ran okay except for now there is some kind of stuttering or missfire at low rpm's but it idles fine. A few of the rockers had some of the sa part of them chewed up so I replaced them yesterday and the car ran but still had the stutter and now today there is a tapping noise when the car is cold but goes away when it warms up, more than likely one of the rocker arms is going to fall off again. So I don't know what to do at this point. Is it possible that I collapsed some lifters when I put the new nuts on and that's whats causing them to fall off now or is something more serious to blame?
Thanks in advance for any advice anyone to share.
05-24-2012, 05:26 AM
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 0
Re: Stock rocker arm issues.
Do the nuts (which are supposed to be locking) seem as though they are backing off?
My suggestion would be to take the heads off and have a good valve job done by a professional. Have them replace the studs with screw in's. Get all new rockers and push rods. Adjust them correctly and be done with the problem.
My suggestion would be to take the heads off and have a good valve job done by a professional. Have them replace the studs with screw in's. Get all new rockers and push rods. Adjust them correctly and be done with the problem.
05-24-2012, 08:47 AM
#4
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
Re: Stock rocker arm issues.
I just remembered something that might be part of the issue. So when I decided to start using the car again I did an oil change and added some lucas oil stop leak to it because of a little oil leak issue that the car has. is it possible that the increased viscosity of the oil after adding that stuff might be causing lifter issues?
The rocker studs in the car don't appear to be coming loose and the new rocker nuts I put on the car were a lot tougher to get tightened down then the originals so I think they are doing their job.
The rocker studs in the car don't appear to be coming loose and the new rocker nuts I put on the car were a lot tougher to get tightened down then the originals so I think they are doing their job.
05-25-2012, 09:05 AM
#6
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Westminster, CA
Posts: 349
Re: Stock rocker arm issues.
By "fall off" I am assuming they are still on the stud but have twisted off the top of the valve and pushrod? They only way for them to "fall off" is a failure of the stud, nut or rocker.
If they are actually falling off the nut must be coming loose? Your comment of "the new nuts were a lot tighter so I think they are doing their job"; where did you get these nuts? Stock is 3/8-24 and they are distorted so the lock in place.
If they are actually falling off the nut must be coming loose? Your comment of "the new nuts were a lot tighter so I think they are doing their job"; where did you get these nuts? Stock is 3/8-24 and they are distorted so the lock in place.
05-25-2012, 09:58 AM
#7
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
Re: Stock rocker arm issues.
Yes your assumption is correct. They would still be on the stud and the nut in place, but the rocker arm would no longer be on the valve. I had purchased the replacement nuts from O'Reilly's.
After the most recent time of adjusting the valves (Monday) the rocker arms appear to be staying in place. There is still the tapping going on until warmup though. The only thing that I did differently this time from the previous times of adjusting them while the car is running is that I did a full turn of preload rather than the 3/4 or 1/2 that I tried before. In the past when I was adjusting them to less than a full turn one would come off of the valve usually the next day.
After the most recent time of adjusting the valves (Monday) the rocker arms appear to be staying in place. There is still the tapping going on until warmup though. The only thing that I did differently this time from the previous times of adjusting them while the car is running is that I did a full turn of preload rather than the 3/4 or 1/2 that I tried before. In the past when I was adjusting them to less than a full turn one would come off of the valve usually the next day.
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