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I have a 1963 F100. It has a 292. I was driving it as usual, when I heard the valves start slapping and I lost power. I pulled over, towed it home. Pulled the valve covers and two pushrods were no where to be found. I haven't taken anything apart yet. I'm not leaking oil. Where could they be.
Oh boy.
They hopefully ended up in the lifter valley but they could be down in the oil pan too.
See if you can see them down the push rod hole. Try a magnetic stick to see if you can raise them. Next you'll have to worry about the lifters are they still in the lifter bores or did they pop out.
I think you'll find you need to pull the manifoild to see.
Best check the camshaft timming to as you need to find out why the push rods poped out. You could have jumped the cam timming and had a piston hit the valve thus bend the push rods.
They're definitely in the valley pan. They bent and curled enough to slide right down in there. Pull the intake and the valley cover and you'll see them laying there. I'd check the rocker assy shaft for scoring or binding and also wear on the rockers themselves. Do what was said in the previous post.
Pushrods can't make it into the oil pan in a "Y" Block. they have to be in the tappet valley under that tin cover with 2 bolts, below the Intake manifold. If they are the tublar type thay may have shattered from fatigue and dropped in pieces.
"Y" blocks use solid, "Mushroom Tappets" opposed to the later Barrel Type "Lifters" [like a hydraulic lifter for example]. The only way you can "drop a "Y" Block tappet is break/ remove Camshaft as tappets come out from bottom, after cam is out of the way. It's one reason manual tells you to turn engine bottom up to build or assemble it.
The valley pan is the tappet valley as you call it. I don't think anyone was referring to the push rods dropping into the oil pan. That would be a act of magic!
Yeah, act of magic is right! Either that or Mass Internal Engine Destruction!
44Dwarf alluded to P-Rods possibly making their way to crank case/ oil pan right after starting with "Oh boy,". . . . .
I totally agree it's NOT POSSIBLE at all in a in a "Y" Block.
I will admit to having pieces of my push rods in there though. If you recall '57, 312 cid, with Paxton Blower (300 hp version) used a B7A 9250 C Camshaft, ECZ-C Heads & tubular push rods. In fact same push rods were in F100 version of 312 w/ those good breating ECZ-C heads. Roller chains too!
Anyway, I had couple of those P-Rods shatter where hard steel ends are welded on. That debris made it to oilpan easily.
I only point this out to refresh a few memories about FoMoCos' ancient, OHV V8 engine attempt. . . . their "WHY? Block" engine.
Statement about "lifters" popping up/out is what prompted my reply. FEs, Windsors, Clevelands, 351M/400 & 385s pop a lifter or two now & then. "Y" blocks are unable to because of mushroom tappets, & how they install. . . . Just wanted to clarify the point.
FBP
Last edited by FORDBOYpete; Nov 15, 2003 at 08:07 AM.
Well I know they can go to the pan in other engines. I've never owned a running ford Y block. It can and does from time to time happen on chevys after there bent and slip down the oil return slots.
But anyway check the valve timing.
Wow Mushroom lifters haven't seen a set of those in a long while.
Last ones I did where in a "Kent" 1.6 Formula Ford motor.
Yeah, I know the Bowties injest just about anything internal, as a matter of fact the also "spit out" a lot of parts too. . . .
The BB-BT is the only engine I really know of where pistons can actually swap cylinders! Had a guys' 403 one time it broke a rod. When the piston dropped enough, crank counter weight must 've come around & stuffed what was left of piston in a cylinder in the opposite bank,breaking that rod also. He had him a "Block Party" after that deal, huh?
i had a 292 in a 64 and it would drop pushrods all the time. I had a couple of weak adjuster nuts. they would loosen and the pushrod would drop down. I fished them out pretty regularly for about 2 weeks and then i found some better rocker shafts. If thats your problem its an easy fix but be careful when you install the shafts as they are easy to break if you dont bring them down a little at a time. (I found out the hard way)
Are you sure the "valves slapping" wasn't the rockers falling off and the pushrods hammering into the valve cover before disapearing into the lifter valley?
I've had this happen on my 289 in my truck. Two roller rocker lock nuts came loose (at the same time "Ironic") and the rockers fell off there studs. The pushrods slid down into the lifter valley under the intake. There was a few dents in the cheap tin valve covers where the pushrods got launched a few times. Unfortunately the pushrods were bent, but the lifters and rockers were fine and didn't cause any serious damage to any other components.
I've came accross bolts backing out or snapping off before. You'll probably just need a new intake gasket, new pushrods, maybe a bolt or two. Then just torque those rockers back down. With the rockers off their pedastils, the valve springs should hold the valves up seated and away from the pistons and they should be fine..
Good luck!!
Last edited by Merculous; Feb 10, 2004 at 12:59 AM.
292s have shaft mounted rockers so he doesnt have to worry about the nut backing off the stud. He only has to worry about the shaft mount bolts backing out of the head (unlikely) and the adjuster nuts backing off. I would check the top of the lifter stem for wear as that might cause the lifter to slip out of position.