Push Rod advice(pics)

[Lizardracing]

Doing weekly checks on my CT 406 with SFT Jones Cam and his EDM lifters.
While going through the filter oil filter I found chunks...not good. They were metal and sticks to a strong magnet. Nothing in the oil, no shimmer in the sunlight or anything else, no indicator of bearings and rings/cylinder walls. No oil pressure problems were noted last week either. Nothing to note about general performance and health other than 1 pop out the RS exhaust header on lap 5 caution of 25 laps total which was odd but it never happened again so I'm not really worried about it.
I pulled the valve covers and found 6 intake valve at 3/16 lash. Still no good so pulled the girdle and rockers and pushrods to find one in bad shape. They are the ball end type which was recommended then but I wont use them again. I set up a straight pushrod and a dial indicator to measure the lift and got .370 on the offending one plus .371 and .372 on two other on the same bank. The Cam card specs .377 gross lift. I assume I'm off a little because of the angularity of eyeballing a DI to get lift while on the car. All three the same is promising however. The rocker has no wear at all. Nothing at all. No marks or anything.

Would you tear it down and clean it all up or just put in some good pushrods with new oil, filter, etc?
Should I pull the pan and take a look in there? I should, I just don't want too really.

[Fordracer347]

This damage was on the rocker side correct?

I'd take an extremely close look at all the rocker cups and put a good set of pushrods in it and let it go another week then more close examinations.

[Lizardracing]

Thanks for the time looking at it.

Rocker arm end of the pushrod only.
Just one pushrod as well.
The other 15 PRs look good.
The offending rocker looks undamaged.
The valve stem looks undamaged as well.


I use a CCD lens from a office copier (20x zoom)
Like jewelers loup for inspection. I took that picture with my phone using it as a close up lens.

[pamotorman]

some pushrods only are hardened on one end and that hardened end should go next to the rockers.

[cgarb]

Intake gaskets are relatively cheap. If it were mine I would pull the intake so I could inspect the lifters for damage. Peace of mind for $18.99. If all the lifters are showing no wear and the lobes look good just replace the pushrods with quality parts and roll. As said before check the pushrod cup with a good pushrod in the rocker for fitment. Compare to a known good rocker. If all is good you lucked out. That pop very well could have been the ball coming off. Wedged somewhere a propped a valve open for a little bit. Look for the ball and a magnetic drain plug would be a good idea if you cant find it.

[Lizardracing]

I didn't know that some PR's were like that. I'll check the new set I just bought when they get here. Manley 1 piece.


I use FP 1206 gasket. It's about $20! I'll pull it I guess.

Thanks for the time responding.

[Zmechanic]

Is your filter bypass blocked? I'd be much more nervous if it isn't. If it is, there's a much better chance the nasty chunks got trapped in the filter before being pushed throughout the oiling system.

[Lizardracing]

FYI

Is is indeed blocked.

Using Wix 51060

[one finger john]

If the engine were mine I would do a complete tear down. Esp.oil pump. You only get one chance to get them right

[cgarb]

No way, not for just a few pushrods. Not saying further damage isn't possible but the pushrod incident didn't happen overnight so it was running that way for a little while. If it were going to toss a rod it probably would have already done it. Pull the intake, check the rest of the valve train. Wash out the heads and lifter galley with brakekleen let it all drain out the pan, new gaskets and oil and keep an eye on the oil pressure for a while. If it's normal forget about the whole thing and race.

[BigBlocksOnTop2]

With metal like that in the crank case the poor oil pump is vacuuming a lot of trash.

[pamotorman]

this is why you should epoxy magnets in the heads near the drain back holes

[Lizardracing]

No way, not for just a few pushrods. Not saying further damage isn't possible but the pushrod incident didn't happen overnight so it was running that way for a little while. If it were going to toss a rod it probably would have already done it. Pull the intake, check the rest of the valve train. Wash out the heads and lifter galley with brakekleen let it all drain out the pan, new gaskets and oil and keep an eye on the oil pressure for a while. If it's normal forget about the whole thing and race.

I like the magnet idea. I'll do that on the next refreshen.

The week before wasn't like that so it did kinda happen over night lol. It was just one push rod on cyl 5 intake. Not on cyl 6 intake like I said before. The others are still straight and look okay. I'm keeping the other 15 for spares and emergencies purposes. I swapped the PR's with one piece style made by Pro Engine I bought from my engine guy. Checked/Reset the lash on the all 16, refilled it with 7qts (gated champ pan) with BP 10W/30 and ran it for 10 min. I fished around inside the pan with a piece of vacuum hose and magnet stuck in the end through the fill plug. Nothing came out. If anything is still in the pan it's behind the gates and will stay there. I'm pretty sure anyway. There's nothing in the heads or lifter valleys I can find either using a magnet on a stick(telescoping style). I'm gonna put on my new shock package I just got and go have fun. I'll pull the filter after one night and cut it open, if something is there I'll pull the pan, check the a bearing or two, and change the pump while its opened up.

[dwilliams]

Buy an assortment of the "neodymium super-magnets" from eBay, or get used ones from scavenged computer hard drives. They're the ones that will give you blood blisters if flesh gets caught between them.

One at each head oil drainback, each block drainback, and a couple in the pan will do a good job. Some of the magnets are large and flat; you can break them into nickle-sized pieces if you want.

No need to epoxy them to iron or steel; the hard drive magnets are stout enough to hold a collection of tools stuck to the outside of the oil pan should you care to amuse yourself while changing the oil...

[Lizardracing]

I'll always seem to loose the stupid oil drain plug and/or drop it back in to the giant pan of nasty oil or it rolls under the bench and collects spider webs, chips from the lathe and mill or a squirral or something runs off with it. Having the option to stick it to the pan with the wrench sounds amazing.