Ford FE Guys or any others

[saltflataddict]

on a 352FE.. What causes play in a single push rod? I pulled it out and checked it, seems to be straight, put it back in and it still has way to much play in it. I also noticed the hole on the rocker that injects oil, is not pumping any out. I was told it may be a bad lifter, but how do I check that for sure. Is the only way to actually get in there and inspect the lifter. If it is would you guys replace all the lifters since I'm there, or how about would you rebuild the heads since they have never been rebuilt. Right now even $300 would break my bank, but thats what I have been quoted for doing the rebuild.. Any help would be appriciated.. Hope this made since, bare with me I am a novice at this.

[McGrath]

If the pushrod is Straight, its most likely the lifter. Personally, I would replace all of them instead of just one, but I know people that have done it. I think the Break-in procedure is still required even though you aren't replacing the cam.

As for the lack of oil, blow through the Pushrods and make sure they aren't stopped up. When I was in highschool I worked as a gopher for an old mechanic. Valvetrain and heads were what I did the most of and it is very common for old engines to have the Pushrods filled with sludge. Especially if they have a lot of miles using Penzzoil or Quaker State.

Best cure is to have them Tanked with the Heads, then make sure and have them Blown out with compressed air, and rinsed inside and out. You don't want any acid left in them when you put them back in the Motor. If you don't get the heads hot tanked, best buy new Pushrods because its pretty hard to get all the Crud out of them otherwise.

[saltflataddict]

Ok, like I said, please bare with me cause I dont know shit, but am willing to learn. "blow thru the push rods" I thought the push rod was the rod shaped rod moving up and down?? There are solid with no holes, do you mean the shaft where they sit?? I am going to try that tonight, I was told to clean it out because it maybe plugged up, but why cant i get rid of the play/knock?? That seems to be the way to get the oil flowing but not to actually loose the slop.

[McGrath]

Ok, I thought they were hollow to allow oil to pass through to the Rockers like a Chevy motor. I don't know how the Oil gets to the Rockers then.

Heres a link to an FE forum... http://www.network54.com/Forum/21142

[McGrath]

"would you rebuild the heads since they have never been rebuilt"

What do the Valves and Seats look like? If the Heads have never been off, it sure wouldn't hurt to at least have the Valves and Seats ground. What is the Shop including for your $300? Does that include knurling the guides? That seems kind of high to me for just a Valve Job, but maybe not in your area.

[Kilroy]

Definately rebuild the heads. Replace the lifters and push rods and have the rocker assembly rebuilt.

I did all that and still had a problem in my solid lifter motor with the valves not holding adjustment. It turned out that when the guy rebuilt the heads before me put the wrong grade bolts in to hold the rocker assembly down. They would stretch and the whole thing would move. CHeck that too.

You can get aluminum heads from edelbrock too, but check their casting. I had some fit problems with their performer intake on my motor.

It's cheap insurance to have the heads done but if you don't plan on rebuilding the motor (I would if you are even considering re-doing the heads) I'd leave it alone until you're ready to do it right and do the whole thing.

[saltflataddict]

Why is that Phil?? The part about waiting until I rebuild the whole motor.. Is it bad to just rebuild the heads?? If you were to wait would you just change all the lifters if thats whats wrong?? The engine runs strong still, I dont really want to mess with something that aint broke..

[roaddevil]

I just dug up a 390 and a BUNCH of FE parts. I have a brand new box of hi-po lifters in the stack. If you need them let me know... unless most everything is Ebay bound...
You should still have the number...
patrick

[saltflataddict]

thanks, Pat. I will dig up the #.. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do??

[FONZI]

Hooligan,
It is better to rebuild the motor as a whole because if u just rebuild the heads and put them on a bottom end that has been together for awhile, you can do damage to teh bottom end. Dosen't mean u will but it is possible. The 1st FE motor i ever touched was a 390 i yanked out of an old f-100. IT had a rod through the block and fresh heads on a un-re-built bottom end.


FONZI

[Kilroy]

Well it isn't "bad" to rebuild the heads, but it's my experience that as soon as you fix one thing the next weakest link will go. You could end up chasing deamons more than driving it. Also if you rebuild the heads now, and a piston grenades later, you will have to rebuild the heads again.

If you just want to drive it tell it won't go no mo, I'd just find a useable lifter and see if that works.

I just remembered something. FE's have a significant ammount of leak down in the lifters. It may just be that. Do you hear it ticking or why did you pull the cover off?

[roaddevil]

If you build up the top strong and the bottom is week the weekest link in the chain is the one that will break.

You have a message.

[maud]

The FE motors have rocker tubes that torque down and have no adjustment. So you either have the wrong pushrod, or you have wear on one of the following; cam lobe, lifter, pushrod, rocker or top of valve stem. You could compare the pushrod in question with any of the others to see if they are the same length. also with the rocker tube off use a T-square or something and see if the valve stems are the same height when the are all the way down (lifter not on a cam lobe). If the valve stem isn't worn down on top and the pushrods are the same length, you have wear down below. You could turn the motor over and get the lifter on the base circle of the cam (pushrod all the way down) put on the rockers and tube and torque it down, (make sure the pushrod is in the center of the lifter where it is supposed to be) now use a feeler gage and measure the clearance between the rocker and the loose pushrod. Now take the rocker off than valve and have someone weld on the tip to build it up to take up the amount you measured with the feeler gage (be sure to grind or filr it smoothe after welding). I know this isn't the way any mechanic would like to do it, but if I didn't have any $$$ this is how I would do a temp fix on it. Also FE motors don't pump oil up the pushrods like a chebby, oil is channeled through the block, through a hole into the base of the head, then into the rocker shaft to oil the rockers. The hole in the rocker it to give oil to the top of the puhrod

[maud]

It is true that you could just have a collaspsed lifter (check valve is bad and won't let the oil stay in, which takes up valve lash, so you have way too much valve to rocker clearance). In this case you could replace the one lifter. You may be able to get a good light and look down at the suspected lifter, the seat where the pushrod sits into should be all the way up against the retaining ring (snap ring). If the lifter is collapsed you will be able to push down on the seat where the pushrod sits on top the lifter, because there wont be any oil in it. Hope some of this makes sense.

[saltflataddict]

Maud, thats makes alot of sense. for the most part. I will try all of the above suggestions..

[Humboldt Cat]

I'm sort of in the same boat, with my 390. Need to replace the lifters, but since that involves taking off the manifold, I'm gonna wait and convert it to 4 BBL in the process.
I've debated alot about the order I ought to be doing these things in. Hell, if money weren't the obstacle that it is, I'd probably switch the whole mill for a crate motor. Maybe. I dunno. As it is, I'm replacing lifters 'n pushrods along with the induction set up. Got stock non-adjustable valvetrain but sometimes on ebay you find the rare adjustable kind, that basically have an adjusting screw atop the iron rocker arms. Wouldn't mind getting that in the process.
After that job, cruise the Effie for awhile while rebuilding a different 390 on the side, later to be joined with the rebuilt heads on the current mill.
Decisions, Decisions.

[saltflataddict]

40Phil - I pulled the cover off, because I heard a loud knocking sound, a tap,tap,tap sort of sound. When I pulled of the cover I noticed that one of the holes on the rockers was not pumping any oil out, the same pushrod also had alot of "play" in it.

[skull63]

fe hydrulic lifters are are checked for clearance by having cam on base circle use special tool or channel locks(prying on rocker arm) to bleed off lifter and while holding in this position measure clearance between rocker and valve tip .clearance should be between .100 and .200 ,sounds like a lot but thats right .there are different length pushrods to adjust clearance .also dontmix up the rocker shaft bolts or you wont get any oil to rocker arms one bolt is hour glass shaped and goes in the hole with the oil passage (in head)this allowsoil past .

you can still get adjustable rocker assemblies from federal mogul, jegs or summit carries them.


hope this helps

skull