push rod came out of rocker!!!

[mtn goat]

Well, I finally had some time to play with the jeep and I discovered where the awful noise was comming from...one push rod had come out of the rocker arm!?! upon further inspection several of the rockers seem to be really loose (like I can clank em around with my hand) whats going on here??? it seems the bolts holding the rockers down werent loose (didnt torque though) what do I do next?? btw the engine is a 258

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[porkchop]

Sounds to me like you collapsed a lifter and your cam is going bad. How many miles on the engine? Drain some of the oil and see if there are any metal flakes in it. This is one of many ways to tell if the cam is going out.

[ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: porkchop ]

[Bob Barry]

That happened to my 360; pushrod cup on the rocker wore all the way through. It's a sign of excessive wear on the cam, pushrods and rockers.

Looks like you'll need to replace some valvetrain parts. If those parts are worn, though, the rest of the engine is likely worn as well, so if you've ever been thinking of rebuilding your engine, this might be the time to move it to the top of the "to-do" list.

[andy d]

i seem to remember some thing about this. i would get ahold of someone on a cj-7 forum. it has to do with an early vs late model head. is the valvecvr plastic or metal?

[mtn goat]

To answer some questions, the valve cover was plastic (1982) but I replaced with a metal after market. the engine has about 100K on it so I may look into a rebuilt (if I can dig up the money) One thing I did notice is that there seemed to be a lot of sludge in and around the pushrod to lifter seat...no metal flakes in the oil however. Oh, there does not seem to be a lot a wear in the rod to rocker seats....Looks like I will pull the head and check the lifters for wear, how can I check the cam without a dial indicator??

[mtn goat]

To answer some questions, the valve cover was plastic (1982) but I replaced with a metal after market. the engine has about 100K on it so I may look into a rebuilt (if I can dig up the money) One thing I did notice is that there seemed to be a lot of sludge in and around the pushrod to lifter seat...no metal flakes in the oil however. Oh, there does not seem to be a lot a wear in the rod to rocker seats....Looks like I will pull the head and check the lifters for wear, how can I check the cam without a dial indicator??

[andy d]

ok, i know where iheard about this now. my bro-in law fixed the rocker arms onna a 80s chero. when they changed to a plastic v/cvr they modified the rockerarms too and they were crummy. i will talk to Rick this w/e and jog his memory. i would seek other advice if i were you tho. 100 k isnt a lot of miles for a 258 i wouldnt pull the head til i researched this more. a set of rockers and/or pushrods maybe all that is needed