20 replies to this topic

[Minigman]

Sorry to ambush the post a little with my own question;

If changing cam followers should you reuse the old push rods provided they are straight of course?

Edited by Minigman, 08 June 2020 - 09:00 PM.

[nicklouse]

Sorry to ambush the post a little with my own question;

If changing cam followers should you reuse the old push rods provided they are straight of course?

you can. see Mokes earlier comment.

[wile e coyote]

 

It's incredibly difficult to make a definitive diagnosis of the "clacking sound" being attributable to your lifters as I'd assume they're all the same age and state of wear..... on a rudimentary level if all the valve adjustments when back together are identical then I'd suspect lifters not the issue . Flaws can be anywhere in the valvetrain from camshaft up and apparent noises are not always where the issue is.....
Not quite sure why your'e replacing pushrods the're rarely problematic if straight, but relatively cheap so why not? Whilst you're getting head refurbed don't forget one of the most important parts - rocker gear wear here is a nailed on cause for rattling - and one of the easiest cheap fixes going - if the rocker pads are ok renew the rocker shaft...(personally speaking whilst at it I'd renew the timing chain & tensioner if at all suspect / aged too)

I'd just do that and put it back together, adjust, check the timing use an engine flush and then renew the oil....and see what happens - if your issue still exists then all you've lost is a bit of time and head gasket set and oil / coolant and you'll have to have the engine out & split to diagnose further...

Fingers crossed but OP it would perhaps help to help you if you expanded on issue a bit - was there a known problem with the head before deciding to refurb it ? How many miles had the engine done? Has it been serviced regularly (the latter can make a remarkable impact on the service life of the engine.....)

I’m replacing the push rods because they look a bit worn, and yes they are cheap to replace. My thinking is, if it’s taken apart and the part is accessible just replace it.

The entire rocker assembly is going to be replaced. No apparent issues with the head other than it being old and obviously needing a clean up. I sent it off to 7enterprises to have it reconditioned.

I imported the car from Scotland to the US. The previous owner claimed him and a friend rebuilt the engine. The mileage is unknown. Regular service on the car is unknown. According to log book it’s had five previous owners.

The car is a 1991 Mini Cooper 1275cc with HIF38 carb.

 

If you know the UK registration of the car you could have a squint at it's MOT (our required annual check of safety / roadworthiness)   history at....https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history. 

 

May not be most helpful given that it seems to be a worked on car  but may give you a clue as to what kind of mileage the engine has done - assuming it's the original ....

 

Number of owners can be misleading - my car has had 8 owners in it's 40 year life......2 of them have owned it twice - it's been in my family the whole time!!!

[duffdub]

The new push rods are not as good as the old ones. If the old ones are straight they are ok to use.

I too reuse the old ones.

They do wear a little on the lower end that goes in to the Cam Follower, they get a small 'pip' on them, which is best ground off.

I took old push rods to machine shop and they told me they weren’t comfortable grinding off the pips. Can I leave them as is or should I try a different shop?

[GraemeC]

They don’t need a machine shop, just a tickle on a bench grinder or with an angle grinder

[duffdub]

They don’t need a machine shop, just a tickle on a bench grinder or with an angle grinder

I’m not great at being precise, I’d probably mess them up somehow