The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Push Rod Mystery

I went for a drive today (1953 3100 w/216), heard a rattling noise, turned around and went back home. I thought I had a really big problem. Pulled of the value cover off and the pushrod for the intake value (Cylinder #1) looked about 1/2" shorter than the rest and of the push rods. At first, I thought it was bent, so I took it out, but it was straight. It seemed like it had slipped to the side and came off the lifter. I put it back it adjusted the valves, and it seems fine now.

The nut on the rocker arm was tight and the adjuster was down far enough that you couldn't just put the push rod back in with backing it off. The intake valve isn't stuck.

Any idea what happened?

Thanks
Sam

Do you suspect that the Rocker Arm may have some heavy wear on it? It may be worth the time to pull the shaft assembly apart and take a look.

The intake valve probably stuck just enough to let the pushrod jump out of place, and the piston slapped it shut again. Get the piston about halfway down the cylinder and work the rocker arm up and down with a pry bar- - - - -you might discover a sticky spot near the full open point of the valve.
Jerry

Thanks!

I will check both of these out, I didn't realize there was even enough space in there for it to just sit in there


Sam

Just curious if the valve stuck would it be due to old gas ,dirty oil or fluke.what would be the fix for the sticky spot ?Marvel mystery oil to work the sticky spot loose maybe .I will be bringing my engine back to life soon and preparing for stuff like this if something happens .

The most common cause of sticking valves is varnish from stale gasoline. Gas sits in a tank for months (or years) and the lightweight components evaporate. The residue forms varnish, which gets dissolved when fresh gas is added to the tank. That stuff doesn't go away, however- - - -it ends up in the valve guides. After the first few startups of a "wakeup" engine and a cool-down, the next start sticks valves, bends pushrods, breaks rocker arms, etc. NEVER- - - -EVER wake up an engine from long term storage by adding fresh gas to the onboard tank- - - -use fresh gas from an auxiliary tank like an outboard motor tank, etc. Steam clean, or replace the vehicle tank before you use it to run the engine.
Jerry