A Valve Train Surprise

[601HP]

You never know when the next gremlin will sneak up on you. Two days ago I removed the valve covers of my engine for a quick periodic inspection.

While checking rocker arm clearance, one jam nut on the rocker adjuster was a little resistant. I had to apply very slight pressure to get the wrench on and then wiggle it to remove it. Odd. Moments later I used a torque wrench with socket to finish the adjustment. I had to wiggle the socket to get in on the jam nut. Now I was curious. Grabbed a flashlight and did a close up inspection. I could barely see the reason for the wrench's resistance to go on.

The photo is of the suspicious jam nut that I forced onto a tapered punch so we can all see the surprise. I'm glad to have found this gremlin early.



David

[cobrakiwi]

Hi
Very good catch, time for a new set. I would replace them all.
Lotto ticket time for you I think?????

[ERA Chas]

Nice catch pal. I'd check the lash on all when you're replacing the jams.
Once I found a broken flat wound damper between the valve springs that way. Very hard to see unless you specifically look for damage such as this with a strong light or disassemble.
I was lucky.


-and stop bouncing off the rev limiter!

[601HP]

Originally Posted by cobrakiwi

Hi
Very good catch, time for a new set. I would replace them all.
Lotto ticket time for you I think?????

Yep. The broken one is an original nut that came with the Erson rocker set that's on the engine. As Erson is no longer, I called T&D and their set of 16 nuts will be on my front porch tomorrow.

Then back to trippin' the rev limiter.

David