9550

so i took the valve cover off and saw the problem immediately. one of the rockers was crazy loose. wasnt even sitting on the push rod correctly. so it was just flopping around in there. im pretty sure i torqued them all down properly. none of the others were loose on that side.
im going to take the other cover off and make sure they are all tight too while i have the intake off.

9550

do they make adapters for this? if not, not sure how i can force the air into the radiator to get a decent test

9550

on a side note, i picked up new valve cover gaskets. cork. have to double them up.
whats the best way?
spray adhesive?
thin film of that ultra black stuff?
last time i used a thin film of the ultra black between the gaskets
i think i learned that from here. but if spray adhesive is better, i can do that instead.

9550

regarding the rockers:
when i installed them, i simply torqued them down.
i have the valve covers open again and have been reading a bit and when i installed them, i didnt do any type of lash check, have no idea if i should have shimmed any of them.

so, i want to do it right this time.

my question is, typically do you find you need to add shims, or is it rare that shims are needed?
i want to order the shims ahead of time so i have them for next week. theyre only $10 and free shipping so not even sure why im asking. i have wasted more than $10 in my life.


also, do i need to some special process like start on cylinder 1 at tdc and turn crank etc etc. or can i just do them all at same time regardless of crank position? what i read seemed to indicate i could just do them all at once and not worry about turning crank to position the rockers in any particular positon


lastly, if anybody can link me to the ultimate rocker install guide, that would be cool

thanks!

Boss_Hotrod

hmmm, sounds like the noise mine was making before I took it apart last week. Mine wasnt as loud but it was a popping sound like that. After I tore it down today I found a lifter that was collapsed. I have link bar lifters in my motor since its a SHP block. I also had smoking out the exhaust and a washed piston and head in cylinder #5. Ive been a fighting a lean condition on the left bank which is what led me to pulling head to check lifters and head gasket, already exhausted other possibilities.

bluebeastsrt

They do make pressure test fittings. You should be able to rig something for free though. Or just stick your hand over the opening and blast the compressed air in between the radiator and your hand.

9550

hey all
update time:
it got cold out back when i resolved the push rod situation. i put the covers back on, replaced the thermostat, and thats about it until yesterday.

put the upper intake on, and the mass air, filter, etc. yesterday and fired her up and she started right up. i let her warm up to see if i still had the over heat problem, and yep, still there. i shut it down before it got too hot, but it was obviously not cooling.

next week i will do the pressure test suggested previously, and it really seems like it is the problem if what i understand about the water pump is correct: the water pump will pump as long as the belt is spinning it, yes? its mechanical, and theres no apparent leaks, so it should be pumping, right? and as long as all my hoses are connected properly, theres nothing else that could be causing the problem other than a blocked radiator, yes?

more info: while the car was warming up, i saw air bubbles coming up from the bottom of the coolant reserve tank. so it looks like the radiator level was rising and pushing air into the reservoir, right?

maybe i should just go ahead and order a new radiator now and install it next week...

thanks in advance for any help/suggestions/info on this you may add