hey guys, need some expert advice....bought a 57 f100 with a 312 in it for cheap the other day and trying to get it running....swapped out fuel pumps and with a shot of ether it started right up...only one problem...it popped like crazy so I shut it down, figured it was a stuck valve...so I took the valve cover off and noticed there wasn't a push rod coming up to the rocker...I feared the worst...I was able to shove my magnet down in and fish the pushrod up out, and amazingly it wasn't bent!! so here's my question, is there anything from keeping these push rods from falling down in the block? ive heard these are flat tappet cams so the lifter wouldn't have collapsed after sitting...valve doesn't seem stuck (I was able to manipulate it with a BFH) could the valve have just been so far out of adjustment (but that doesn't really make sense)? or did it eat a lifter or lobe? Im really puzzled

 

Hard to guess but if the engine sat for a long period the valve may have been stuck in the open position enough to allow the push rod to drop out when the cam and lifter turned. I would put it back in and try it. Pull the coil wire and crank it over and see if the cam and lifter are lifting it.

I don't think you can drop the push rod into the valley..

 

Make sure all the old fuel is cleaned out and fresh fuel installed. Stale fuel will burn, but that's what causes stuff to stick and bend. Marvel mystery oil in the fuel and the oil is your friend here.

I would also make sure the valves are adjusted properly. Here's a good way to get them adjusted properly.

Let's Talk Valve Lash

Y-Block enthusiast, let’s talk valve lash. As y-blocks have no hydraulic lifters, it is necessary to adjust the tappets quit often. Unfortunately, the use of a feeler gauge is satisfactory only if the rocker faces are in good condition. If the rocker faces have wear pockets, from contacting the valve stem, the use of a feeler gauge will provide results which are little better than calculated guessing, as the gap will always be greater than the thickness of the feeler gauge due to said condition.


About fifty years ago when solid lifters were most common, a tool was developed for adjusting valve lash, utilizing a dial indicator, called a P&G Valve Gapper. These tools were supplied with specific adapters for different makes of engines, including y-block Fords, by P&G manufacturing co. of Portland, Or., but to the best of my knowledge they no longer exist. Can anyone expand on the existence of this company or a source of this tool, or parts thereof? I have found a few at swap meets but not in the last decade. This is the finest tool ever developed for adjusting solid lifter equipped overhead tappets as anyone who owns one would testify.


For those of you without the luxury of such a precision tool, may I suggest a very satisfactory method alternative to feeler gauges anyone can perform without special tools.


The tappet adjust screw is 20 threads per inch thus 1 full turn represents .050” of linear travel. It works just like a micrometer. Multiply 1 turn of travel times existing rocker ratio. Example, .050” X 1.54 = .077”. As you can deduct, one full turn of the adjust screw used in a 1.54 ratio rocker will represent .077” of tappet clearance. Now divide one turn of tappet clearance i.e, .077” by 60 as in the 60 minuets of a clock face. This number is .001283” = 1 minute of clock face rotation. Thus 15 minuets of rotation will =.0192” Very close to .019” which is the specification for valve tappet clearance on 292 and 312 engines. 15 minutes clock rotation = 90 degrees rotation, an increment most auto enthusiast can easily estimate quit closely.


Get into the engine, with the lifter all the down obtain some tappet clearance then carefully rotate the adjust screw clockwise to obtain .000’ valve lash. Just touching but not depressing the valve. Now rotate the adjust screw counterclockwise 90 degrees. The resulting clearance should be very, very close to .019” regardless of rocker arm face wear.


If adjusting 1.43 ratio rockers rotate the adjust screw 16 min. of rotation ccw. To obtain .01906” clearance. Very, very ,very close.


In order to determine the ratio of said rocker, observe the # on the side. 1.54 rockers are marked ECG 6564-B2 or –B1. I am led to believe any rocker with a B1 or B2 suffix will be a 1.54 ratio rocker and all those without suffixes will be 1.43 ratio.


Walt Nuckels 12/31/00

 

The valve could be out of adjustment. There are two styles of adjuster. One uses a jam nut, the other is an interference fit. The interference fit style get loose after so long and no longer hold the adjustment. If the screw backs off while running, the pushrod could pop out.

 

Ok finally had a minute to fool with this thing again(been bustin a** on my 59)..so, I wanted to let yall know what I found...I hate it when a question gets asked, an answer given, and no follow up is ever seen...#7 cylinder was the culprit here, with the exhaust valve pushrod down in the lifter valley...the valve musta been stuck from sitting and when I cranked it over, down goes Frazier...so after makin sure the valve was no longer stuck, I placed it back in and checked all other pushrods...low and behold #7 intake was bent big time...being a cheapskate, I pulled one out of a 292 that I have in a parts truck( looked to be the same length, however, much beefier) I'm sure someone will tell me if they're not the same...anyway, after dropping it in and going thru all the valves to check lash ( I used the put each cylinder on TDC method) I started it up and it runs like a top...massive oil leaks from the valve covers and fuel pouring out of the brittle carb gaskets but what do you expect out of a Ford? Haha

 

Stuck valves are pretty common in any engines that sit for a LONG time. Just lube up the guides and run it more often. running it will prevent stuck valves in the future!