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all intake rockers popped off

yubh8tn

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Joined
Aug 21, 2019
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223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Hey guys, about a week ago my car died about 10 minutes after bringing it to redline. I pushed it home and tried to figure out what happened

I popped the valve cover off to see if it had to do with the valves, even though my timing belt was fine, and I found all my intake rockers had fallen off. I think I collapsed all of my lifters? So I ordered new lifters and a new rocker, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

but my question is how did it only effect the intake side and how did all of them pop off? what would cause this? not enough oil or oil pressure to the lash adjusters?

also, one of the rocker's bearings broke and the ball bearings are nowhere to be found. How do I go about finding all the bearings before trying to start the engine again?
 
Last edited:

fuel

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Feb 23, 2009
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2,165
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
did you check that the cam timing is still correct? maybe the t-belt was loose due to worn/damaged auto tensioner and the t-belt slipped a few teeth?
 

yubh8tn

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Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
No, but I will check when I get a chance. I didn't consider timing but that would explain why all of them exploded.

If it did slip a few teeth - then I'm royally toasted, right? I'll do a leakdown test.
 

yubh8tn

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Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
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coeur d alene, idaho
yes, cams are stock as well as the rest of the engine's internals. thats why im confused

my other concern is the loose ball bearings. what should i do to get them out? my plan right now is to dump a quart into the valve cover, change my oil and filter, and count the amount of bearings to make sure i got them all
 
Last edited:

gvr4ever

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Aug 6, 2002
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6,190
Location
central Indiana
Just looked at your profile. If your car is at 280K miles, it's possible your valve springs are worn and out of spec. Has the head ever been rebuilt? Do the valve springs have 280K on them?

As far as the loose bearings, I'd imagine they are in the top end some place, but if everything is original, it's probably time for a head rebuild.
 

transparentdsm

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Jul 27, 2011
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3,690
Location
Cherry Hill, NJ
Be ready to drop the pan to find those bearings, pull the head and rebuild it. If your not looking for more power, oddessa cylinder heads in Florida is who I use for stock rebuilds, unless you have a good machine shop in your area that you trust.

To be honest I'd consider doing a full engine rebuild at that mileage and depending what the bottom of the pan looks like. A piston and rod combo from MAP is relatively inexpensive and if you have a good machine shop the head and block work and assembly of the bottom end shouldn't be more then 800 or so and the long block assembly is something you should do yourself for learning experience.


I also have a long block sitting on a stand, might be able to work a deal out
 

yubh8tn

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Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
yeah, the engine was rebuilt about 100k miles ago and timing was done 17k ago. i dont have the paperwork so i don't know what they did for sure. I'm gonna check timing and compression when I get home. Hopefully they're both fine

As for the bearings, do you think they could be down in the oil pan? They're pretty small bearings but I don't know how big the oil passageways are. I just replaced the pan the other day and I didn't see anything concerning. Looked pretty good actually.

Also - how much do you want for that long block? I'm thinking about buying and building a second one for the day this one kicks the bucket.
 
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transparentdsm

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Jul 27, 2011
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Cherry Hill, NJ
Quoting yubh8tn:


Also - how much do you want for that long block? I'm thinking about buying and building a second one for the day this one kicks the bucket.



Do you just want a core block and head to build or a full long block with timing on it.
 

yubh8tn

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Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Sorry, I haven't actually done a compression test yet. I edited the post right after sending it. I'm going to install the new rocker and new lifters tonight and then check.

As for the long block - I'm not sure yet. Once I figure out what I'm doing I'll let you know. Probably just cores, though
 
Last edited:

Ian M

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Jan 11, 2002
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2,348
Location
Martinsburg,WV
The rockers jumping out is what happens when the valves get bent from piston contact. When these motors break or slip a TB,you'll find that.

Check your timing marks before you do anything else.
 
Last edited:

yubh8tn

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Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
yeah you guys are 100% right. my timing must have skipped, and the intake valves are bent. I'll do a valve job and then put a new engine in.

Shane, how much for that long block?
 
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