?? How does a pushrod come out from the rocker arm??

[wagnergear]

Hi, I bought a '69 200, that was "rebuilt" 10 years ago but used for only 500 miles then pulled for a V-8. I started to clean it up, I pulled off the valve cover and a pushrod was outside of one of the rocker arms. It turned over freely. How does this happen? And how can I fit this. Thanks for your help.

 

[JackFish]

Better check it for straightness. Remove it and roll it on a flat surface, like a mirror.

 

[fordconvert]

Valve got stuck at some point, hopefully the rod jammed and was still holding the lifter in.

 

[Anonymous]

The rocker arm might be worn to where it needs to be replaced. The arm that holds the rod might have stuck when it went up and the rod fell to the side then it might have popped back down or stayed up. Pull the rod up and out. Put next to a straight edge ruller and check for straightness or on a flat surface. You can remove the arm and check to see how much area is inside where the rod fits and the hole is open or if there is any damage. See how easy the arm moves on the shaft if it is smooth and easy to move. check the spring or springs to make sure it isn't broken. I think it has to be one of these items listed that is the problem. At the salvage yard you probably could find another rocker arm or whole head if needed. There is also roller rockers from JEGS Automotive you could install. There is a lot of fixes you can do, it is all up to you. Champion2211

 

[Asa]

what everyone said is a possible reason
however, i have a slightly different theory

the rocker arm assembly on my 200 would slowly work loose, starting at the #1 cylinder, i repeatedly had to remove the valve cover and retorque the bolts until i finally put some loctite in there and got it to stay put

depending on which cylinder it is, it's possible that this might be the issue

 

[wagnergear]

Thanks for the ideas. I will check thing out and post again. Thanks

 

[rbohm]

8) one other possibility is that when the rocker arms were installed, one push rod didnt get put in the right place and was always hanging loose. it happens more often than you might think. since the engine would be down on power, it might be the reason the six was swapped out for a V8.

 

[gearhead138]

could a collapsed lifter cause this to happen?

 

[Asa]

it sounds plausible

 

[Anonymous]

All sounds like a probable cause. You just have to go in and check it all out to see really what the problem is. If you find something don't stop there, go through it all just to make sure there isn't two or more things wrong. Good luck.

 

[PaulS]

A flattened (worn) cam lobe can also cause the pushrod to come out.