distantthunder

Alright, got into last night and this is what I found...

Most of all the rocker arm anti-rotation balls that are under the locking nut have been prematurely worn to different degrees (<1 Hour of run time) and the red lubricant that they provided and applied during the build was no where to be found. Push rods seem to be in good shape, not bent or damaged. I have found small fingernail tip sized pieces sitting in the little pockets on the top of the heads. These pieces are from the thin metal spiral bushing that goes in between the inner and the outer valve spring. All of the metal particulates I found were from the anti-rotation balls. It is obvious that the rockers got really hot during operation and developed carbon on the surface. The roller tips are also discolored from the heat. It appears they are not receiving proper lubrication during operation however, during the build, everything was primed and rotated. While the engine was running there was good oil pressure (> 40 PSI) and when I adjusted the valves, oil was coming up through the push rod on all rockers. Ignore the milky oil on top of the head, this is left over from the first start when the valves were hanging open, the oil in the sump is clean.











I plan on calling Comp Cams this morning to discuss a resolution and to see if they have an alternate to the stamped roller tip rocker arms that utilize poly locks. Hopefully they are willing to help me out here. I followed their instructions to the "T" and even called them during the build to confirm and clarify a few steps. I would like to go to a full roller rocker arm and I found a set of Crane on Craigslist for a good deal but they are 1.7 and not 1.72 ratio so I am not sure if they will work with that Camshaft that I have. Here is the ad, http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...606135760.html

TomZ

iTrader: (2)

Josh, those Crane rockers will work. Looks like you'll need to add some poly locks because he's missing a few.

As for what might have happened here... I'm thinking that the rocker arm to ball mating surface galled at the time of start up. You're not the only one to experience issues with this part from Comp.

I'm not sure that I understand the whole thing about the metal shavings. Those came from the spring dampeners? That's definitely not good! Are your springs binding?

I would post this entry in the General Tech forum to see what others have to say. You'll get more hits there. Sucks that you ran into this whole thing.

Mr Maine

I've had the same issue with those comp cam rockers and wouldn't use them again. My issue wasn't as bad as yours, but all were galled in quick order.

Regarding the metal filings, I'm confused too. Spiral bushing? You mean the spring damper? And "anti-rotation balls", are you talking the rocker pivot cups that are worn?

I would go with the crane gold rockers. You may need taller valve covers depending on what you have now.

distantthunder

Yes, the spiral bushing. My engine vocabulary needs some updating. The small metal pieces are from the bottom of the spiral bushing between the 2 springs. It is the last .5" of the spiral at the bottom. The anti-rotation ball should say pivot ball. Is there a big difference between the 1.72 and the 1.7 that would be noticeable. (Other than the .02 )

Mr Maine

Ok, just wanted to make sure what you were talking about. Could the springs be binding like TomZ said? That's definitely not right and may be a reason why the rockers galled so bad. Did you shim the springs too much?

Regarding the difference in ratio, you would not notice any difference.

Edit in:
Did you ever have the valve lash way too tight by chance? This could have put the springs into coil bind.

distantthunder

The machine shop that did the engine also did the heads and valve setup. Yes, 5 of the cylinders valves were too tight on start-up. But once I verified that it wasn't a spark issue, we adjusted all the valves with the engine running. Should i replace those dampers?

Knot 4 Me

My money is on this.

distantthunder

Looking at new parts today, I will probably replace the valve springs for good measure since the damper broke the end off. Tearing into this weekend to clean everything out. Thanks everyone for their input.

distantthunder

Haven't forgot about everyone, been a busy few weeks. Distant Thunder's engine is going back together this weekend and I am hoping my new Hardin Marine valve covers arrive tomorrow so we can drop her in on Sunday. Took the delivery of the Bayliner and now she will be moving on to her new home up on the Elk River on Sunday as I worked a trade deal with a gentleman that had a really awesome 1985 Cutlass. The Bayliner was awesome but not our style of boating. I will post some updates on Monday guys. Be safe out there!

TomZ

iTrader: (2)

Good luck Josh!

I've got mine apart replacing intake gaskets. Seven out of eight were sucking oil. She'll be back together in the morning. We still hit about 70 MPH without even pushing her.