I dropped one of my push rods into my lifter galley. How do I get it out? Please tell me I don't have to take my engine apart.

 

if its magnetic, see if one of those extendable magnets will work

 

i cant even see the thing.

 

At Autozone or Oreily's, you can buy a neat little tool that is a magnet on the end of a telescoping arm, kind of like the antenna on an old boombox.

If that doesn't work, you can buy a tool called a grabber, which is just a long, slender tube open at one end, and at the other end is a button that you push and little claws reach out of the open end and grab onto parts in difficult areas. Let me tell you, it can be a saving grace!

If ALL else fails, buy the longest, thinnest pair of forceps you can find from a medical store.

 

A magnet should do the trick. It costs about 10 dollars.

 

it had fallen down out of reach so i had to take the lower intake off and then pull it out with the magnet.

i have all the rollers installed now and am wondering about how i know if i have set the right amount of preload. any suggestions?

 

my father use to just start the engine up and tighten them down while it ran. i wouldn't do this but I actually wanted to see what people said about this.

 

i have seen this done alot.. just a messy job...

 

^^

thats how ive always done it... works awesome every time

 

Your dealing with specific rockers based on where the crank is. Once the nut touches the push rod, stop and do the 1/2 or 3/4 turn (whatever the directions say). You're done with that one other than torqueing the allen screw.

Let me elaborate on "when it touches". I can spin the pushrod as I am turning the nut. Once I feel the rocker give some resistance to the pushrod, thats when it is time to do the final rotation.

Make sure the allen head is removed or backed out when you do it.

 

It does work well but yes it is extreemly messy

 

I tighted it down untill i could no longer turn the pushrod with my fingers and then backed it off slightly until i could barely turn the pushrod. I then gave it a full turn as the directions stated and then tightened the allen head (was there a torque setting for the allen head?) I rotated the crank back through all the pistons a second time and checked that the pushrod was not loose. Is it normal that you can slightly rotate the rocker back and forth when the valves are closed? I got it all put back together with only one extra screw!!! I started it up and it ran a little rough for a couple seconds and then started idling better than normal. There is a very faint steady clicking noise now that I can only hear when I have the hood open and I listen for it. Is this normal? I checked for clearance and the rockers are not hitting the valve covers. I took it for a test drive and it ran smooth and didn't feel like there were any problems, however, I am paranoid as this is my first time this deep into an engine. Please tell me this sounds normal.

 

it sounds good. The stopping point is when the two just touch. Sounds like you went a little too far then backed them off back to the correct spot.

PLEASE don't hesitate to call me also if you run in a problem. This is for anyone doing this themselves. (254) 289-9498- wayne. Thats my cell phone and is also the number on the site at www.underdog-performance.com. I've walked several guys through problems. Sundays, 11Pm, etc. It doesn't matter.

You can have some side to side schlop in it. What you don't want is up/down movement. A VERY VERY tiny amount is ok. If you did them while in the wrong crank rotation they are usually about to fall off and become visible when you are turning the motor and checking them.

 

so the clicking noise is normal? i want to take it for a real spin to see if I can notice the difference. i just dont want to watch a push rod make its way through the valve cover and hood. oh by the way... the 6 hours might work if you don't encounter 20 problems like i did or if you have done something like this before.

 

PM sent.

First time took me 5-6 hours. Had a good helper and we had to take the covers off 3 times. We also stripped one of the holes when tapping them. I never got a grasp on the nut in relation to the pushrod. Then it all "clicked" in my head. It felt good to get it done.

When I finally got it done someone within 60 miles bought a kit and I convinced him to make the drive so I could help install. The second one took about 2 hours. We were organized and the helper and I would work separately but independantly of each other. The valve cover only came off the one time. It was nice.