How much should there be? I broke off a valve tip because the rocker arm was hitting the retainer and stressing the valve. Yes the valve dropped into the cylinder. The valve bent and stuck in the guide and there wasnt any othe damage..Whew. Greg

First you should check the rocker scrub pattern on the valve tip it should be centered on the valve tip. If not pushrod lenghs need to be adjusted. If your rocker hit the retainer the pushrod may be to short. Clearance between rocker and retainer should be about the Dia. of a paper clip wire or better. Some retainers (usally aluminum) have really thick turned up edges and cause clearance problems. Titianium and steel dont. I seldom use aluminum retainers.

A quick fix is to change your keepers to a -.050. This will increase retainer clearance. Make sure to re check spring height and to remove .050 in shims. .040 should be plenty of clearance. roll the motor over and check clearance at various points.