Hello Everyone!! Its been a few years since I have been on here since I sold the truck 4 years ago but I just bought it back. Just figured I would share a little issue I just had in day 3 of having my truck back and get some ideas on possible causes.

I was leaving the house Monday morning about to head to Clinton, Ok which is 200 miles out and right when I started it, It was Chuffing, Hammering like hell. Shut it off real quick, pulled the air filter off the turbo and started it again and it was popping through the intake. Pulled the Drivers side valve cover and turns out, I am missing an exhaust push rod on Cyl #6 I think? (it would be cylinder 5 on a GM 350). I took a bore scope down the hole and there she was, almost totally in the valley.

Well, I pulled the Turbo and Manifold today and found that the lifter was still intact and the Rod was in 2 pieces. It appears that the rod may have been bent for some time as you can see in the photos below, it shaved a lot of metal off the push rod before it ever broke.

I noticed when I picked the truck up last week, it seemed to have a little knock/popping/chuffing sound and I was thinking injectors. Drove it from OKC to Guymon 300 miles and it didn't get worse. I am guessing it had a bent exhaust pushrod and wasn't fully letting the exhaust gas out of the cylinder giving a slight knock sound I was hearing probably when the intake valve opens. Then when it finally broke, All that exhaust under high compression since piston would be about TDC for intake to open and was going through the intake valve and sounded like a mad man beating a metal door with a sledge hammer!!

Is this something you all see a lot and if so, what have you determined to be the most common root cause. I am guessing just a weak push rod. Intermediate Sticking Valve? Either? I have Oreilly's getting me all new Lifters and pushrods.

Engine Details - 1993 7.3 IDI NA originally and I put the Sidewinder turbo on about 10 years/100K miles ago. Engine has 240K miles on it. It runs max of barley 10 PSI Boost, and max 900 EGT and the guy that I sold it to and bought it back from never messed with the turbo or turned up the fuel. I never even turned up the fuel after installing the turbo.

 

looks like the push rod has been bent a long time and rubed: in half. who knows what bent it . a piece of carbon,water or turbo fin.

 

like that truck

 

did the truck sit for a long time? take the rocker off and tap on the valve with a rubber mallet and see if it moves

 

 

thanks she is a beast. does not look as nice as yours. keep us posted on your pushrod

 

Well, I was going to put the new push rod and lifter in today and decided to check all other pushrods while I was in there. Found another Bent exhaust push rod on the #8 Cylinder but not broken like the #6 one was. It was bent enough to touch the side of the cylinder head and you can see where its has been rubbing for awhile. Went to the parts store and decided to get all 16 pushrods and lifters as I actually only bought one pushrod and lifter for the repair. I don't want to take this apart again because that turbo is time consuming.

Do you all think changing the lifters is overkill or do you see them fail often? Both lifters for the bent push rods look fine and the rollers are perfect.

I accidently threw away the valley manifold gasket and forgot to take out the turbo drain gourmet!! Went dumpster diving for it and I guess the trash truck already picked it up during the week. I read on here a few years back about someone using a glad hand seal for the turbo drain. I think it will work. It actually snaps in real tight in the gourmet that comes with the new manifold gasket kit. All I had to do was make the hole in the center of the glad hand seal a little bigger using a box knife for the turbo drain tube. I used the Gray seal that has the little flaps in the center to prevent debris from getting in the glad hands.

 

Contact Conastaga Diesel and ask them to send you a new turbo drainback grommet. They sell them in kits, but I'm sure they could ship you a new grommet for a small fee. I used to know the McMaster part number but I can't find it for some reason. I found the hypermax turbo CDR valve cover grommet McMaster part number, but couldn't find the replacement valley pan grommet number. I replaced it the last time I rebuilt my engine, and if I find it, I'll send it to you.

Also, while looking for my part number, some guy claims that you can rig up a PCV valve grommet to work on these turbo drainback valley pan grommets. IDK. sounds kind of sketchy for hot oil to flow next to a PCV valve grommet, but if you interested in cleaning up a mess 5000 miles from now, here's the link:
Video:

 

i have read on here were guys take them apart to clean them. when they get weak they dont get enough lift. if they get stuck i dont think they will bend a push rod.guys with gasers run solid lifters all the time. something else bent your push rods.

 

 

Bent pushrod, stuck lifters and broken springs? By chance does this truck have an exhaust brake? I have only seen this type of damage when an exhaust brake is installed which is why you shouldn't put one on anything with hydraulic lifters.