|
Haven't heard much from Brent, don't suppose that new internet worm is making the cobra problem look trivial?
|
It could be worse
Brent,
One of the girls sent me this while I was going through all my troubles with my engine. I didn't solve anything but I thought it was kind of cool: http://www.qnet.com/~pontius/smile/s...p_1%5B1%5D.htm > > Bye and have a nice day! > |
Brent, you really deserve better than this. Maybe God is testing you. Yeah, that's it, God has a divine mission and He needs a really patient man. Just think, future generations might use the phrase, "He has the patience of Brent".
....or maybe it's just the big crap cake thing. Rich |
More bad luck? Hard to believe. What you need is a well-sorted car with a history of reliability. The process of getting your car to this point has been really challenging. Your friends are with you though. Stay strong.
I once saw a large oval air cleaner that actually sat on top of the plug wire where it snapped into the distributor cap. Eventually it rubbed the wire enough that the spark began diverting to the air cleaner base rather than travelling to the plug. Sometimes really hokey stuff can happen on these cars. You may find the solution is simple. Good luck. |
Brent...............
We're still standing by the phone! ;) DV...It will get better! |
Broken pushrod on #4 cyl. Pushrod cup broken just like the last engine, although this pushrod got mangled hitting the underside of the rocker arm I would presume. Only one common component (different builder).....Harland sharp roller rockers. Bought end stands and spacers thinking that could have been part of the problem with the last engine (plenty of other issues with that build), but I guess not.
Engine builder is working with me to determine the problem and solution. |
Brent-
Just a guess here, but I would sure check the pushrod to intake manifold clearance! Pat |
Brent,
If you would, describe your valve train, roller cam? roller rockers? hydraulic roller tappets? chrome moly push rods? (I guess not, they don't bend, its the engine that ends up bending...) :JEKYLHYDE |
Have you checked your valve rocker geometry?Are the adjustment screws really backed up so the ball end is close to the arm?Are the rocker shaft stands the right height (too tall) so the cup on the pushrod isn't getting too close to the arm on full lift?A change in height will reguire a change in pushrod length.Stiil no big problem.Customs are available from an outfit in Oregon.
|
Pat, clearances for the manifold seem pretty good. The holes have been drilled/ground pretty large, but I'll check.
Dave, Solid cam/lifters, with only about .540 lift., Harland Sharp roller rockers, hardened shafts, Precision billet supports & end stands, Precision billet spacers (all rockers were centered above the valve tip), stock type 427 pushrods. Michael, I don't know what a proper geometry is. The ball is far out (shorter/stock length push rod), but the stands are stock height I think. |
Brent,
There are hardened push rods (about $40 a set), and then there are chrome moly push rods (about $160 a set). You need the chrome moly push rods |
Hey Brent,
I had a similar problem where I kept breaking push rods and it turned out to be a tolerance problem with the intake manifold. I also noticed scratches on the under side of the rocker. When everything was put back together the adjustment tip on the rockers broke. Also all the needle berings in the lifter were gone and on one lifter the side wall was cracked. Be careful my builder left the bad lifter in. I've got a story better than yours. ... Make sure the builder checks the lifters and the rocker adjustment stud. John |
Brent,
MOST pushrods only fail from geometry mis-alignment. This HAS to be checked before anything! JEGS, www.jegs.com has what you need to check the proper length. [img] http://www.jegs.com/photos/270997212.jpg[/img] Part number is 270-99726 I'm guessing at your motor, so double check my part numbers! Once you KNOW the proper length, then maybe a new set. Good luck... DV |
Finding a good FE builder is hard to do. Good luck. Let us know if we can help.
David:) :) :) |
DV-
Brent needs the cup and ball style pushrod checker I believe. I have had no luck finding one for sale - had to make my own. Pat |
I trust the builder, and he specifically indicated that the geometry was good before I left the shop with the engine. They are very thorough (and do LOTS of FE's), so I'm not jumping to conclusions yet.
At minimum, I will be getting top line pushrods, and I'll be going with a different rocker setup just to be sure. Hoping nothing else is screwed up. By the way fellas, thanks for the support and help. If you have ideas, don't hesitate to lay it on me. DV & David, thank you for offers of help. I hope it doesn't end up being a problem I need your help for, but I appreciate your offers all the same! |
What I was getting at is ,When the cam lobe lifts to the extreme- does the cup of the pushrod get close to the under side of the rocker arm itself?
also when assembleing you cant have enough hands and eyes. Pushrods do getout of place and the tightening begins and damage happens. Pushrods get droped and damage goes unnoticed.Like that rod may have had a fractured cup at the time of assembly and it broke completely later while being driven. |
Had a similar problem.
When I switched from adjustable rockers to CompCams roller rockers, I had to change pushrods (shorten them) to keep them from hitting the bottom of the rocker arms. George Anderson at Gessford sent me 3 or 4 pushrods until I found the right size. I got them from "Smith Brothers" or something similar to that name - They are in Oregon I believe. A few thoughts.. If the pushrod cup is too wide or the pushrod is too long, it will put a "smile" indentation under the bottom of the rockers. This can either cause the rod break the rocker arm, bend or jump off the adjuster. If they are too short, the adjust ball comes out too far and can break off. Beyond that, faulty lifter? Rod hole alignment in the manifold? Rocker arm seized? Good luck! Hope it is minor! |
I'll have to check the clearances this weekend. Getting the sucker towed home from my work parking garage tonight.
Things I plan to do: 1. Check clearance between cup and rocker at various points of rocker travel. 2. Leak down test (hoping intake valve didn't get buggered up). 3. Probably order a set of Precision Oil Pumps rocker arms which I got the shaft, spacers, and supports from. They use a ball-ball pushrod which will help if there were clearance problems. 4. Order top line push rods. 5. Pulling manifold to look for any debris. During this process, speaking with my builder who I presume will be taking care of me (although hopefully the above stuff I'll just be able to get done myself and get back on the road soon unless other bad things happened). If you've got more suggestions, bring them on. |
Brent,
You do not need any more advice, there is plenty here. You need Jamo to provide the clearest observation of all events and their relative significance to you. Then, as you laugh a little, call "1 800 $uck this engine" and order a plain Jane 351. Just my $0.02 |
| All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:05 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
The representations expressed are the representations and opinions of the clubcobra.com forum members and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the site owners, moderators, Shelby American, any other replica manufacturer, Ford Motor Company. This website has been planned and developed by clubcobra.com and its forum members and should not be construed as being endorsed by Ford Motor Company, or Shelby American or any other manufacturer unless expressly noted by that entity. "Cobra" and the Cobra logo are registered trademarks for Ford Motor Co., Inc. clubcobra.com forum members agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyrighted material is owned by you. Although we do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). Thank you for visiting clubcobra.com. For full policy documentation refer to the following link: