I have a 1970 F100 302 with C4 that sat for about 20 years. Everything is 100% original. I just replaced all the intake seals. Blue smoke at startup is all gone and the truck runs fine, but most of my push rods no longer spin any more. They all used to spin before I replaced the intake seals.

No matter how I tighten my rocker arm nuts, I cannot get the most of the push rods to spin again. Ive tried torquing them to 17-23 ft lbs. I have tried removing the lash and then going another 3/4 turn. Nothing seems to work. While replacing the intake seals, I removed each push rod one at a time to remove all of the sludge on them and to clean the oil passage way through the inside of the rods.

I am wondering if some of the sludge broke off and fell down through the hole onto the lifter and now they dont spin anymore? Is there a way to clean up the lifters to get them spinning the push rods again? Can I just pour some sort of solvent down there to disolve any sludge that may have fallen onto the lifters? I already have a bottle of MMO poured into the crankcase. Should I pour some down the push rod hole?

 

marvel mystery oil is excellent but I have also used straight kerosene poured directly over the valves and then spin (no start) the engine by hand or with the starter to get things lubed up and working again

 

Would you recommend I pour the MMO and or kerosene directly down the hole onto the lifters or is that not a good idea?

 

Yes..... directly on top and then by hand start turning the pushrods.... if they still won;t turn then rotate the engine by hand and if that fails it's time to pull the rockers and see what's going on

 

If the pushrods aren't spinning that usually means the lifters aren't spinning. I would figure this out before I ran the engine because if even one lifter doesn't spin you will kill your cam and possibly the engine. If that hasn't happened already. Unless you happen to have a roller motor in which case the pushrods never spin.

 

But why would the lifters stop spinning? All I did was remove, clean, and then re-install the push rods? Only thing I an think of is that the lifter actually is spinning but I dont have the rocker nut properly torqued? Either too tight or too loose?

 

Are you certain that is the original engine and cylinder heads? Ford used several different rocker arm arrangements over the years. A 1970 302 should have positive stop studs and cast rail rockers. If that is what you have there is nothing you can do except tighten the nut until the ball fulcrum hits the shoulder, then torque it down. The only way to adjust the preload on the lifters is with longer or shorter pushrods.

 

I am positive it is the original engine and cylinder heads. I will try to get a picture of the stop studs and the rockers and post so that I am certain of what I have.

 

I attached some pics. The rocker arm nuts are a 9/16" socket. It is a 1970 302 and I am pretty sure the heads have never been modified. But I am not sure of how to properly torque the rocker arm nuts to get the push rods spinning again like they were before I replaced the valve seals. Can anyone tell me if these are adjustable or non-adjustable rockers?

 

I attached some pics. The rocker arm nuts are a 9/16" socket. It is a 1970 302 and I am pretty sure the heads have never been modified. But I am not sure of how to properly torque the rocker arm nuts to get the push rods spinning again like they were before I replaced the valve seals. Can anyone tell me if these are adjustable or non-adjustable rockers?

 

Those adjuster nuts look like they are way too far down. If your engine is a 1970 the build date matters Ford made a change in late 1969 from adjustable rockers to non-adjustable rockers. If your rocker studs looked like these (4) TRW 47007 Engine Rocker Arm Stud - 5/16"-24 X 2.745" 87674041331 | eBay
They are the late non-adjustable positive stop type.
If they looked like these, they are the early adjustable type. (x8) Engine Rocker Arm Studs- TRW 47004 | eBay
If you have the early type of adjustable rockers, you need to get a shop manual or at least a Haynes manual because it is WAY too much typing to explain how to adjust those.
In either case if you have screwed those lock nuts up and down a bunch you need to buy some new ones. Also, if they are the adjustable type and you have screwed the nuts all the way down you need to put a straight edge across the top of the studs to make sure you haven't pulled one out.

 

Those are stock nonadjustable rockers.
If there was no machine work done on the heads just torque them down and don't worry about it.

 

When I torque to the 17-23 ft lb range, the pushrods dont seem to want to spin. Only when I loosened them up a bit will they spin.
If I tighten until slight drag on the rod and then 1/2 to 3/4 turn further, then they seem to spin fine. That is what was making me think that they are adjustable.
Here is a better picture of the studs. I believe these are the shoulderless positive stops which means non-adjustable right????

g they are not adjustable.

 

We can't measure with our eyeballs. If you look at the links, I posted you will see the 47007 stud which is non-adjustable has a definite shoulder on it. Meaning the threaded portion is much smaller the stud. Just measure your stud. The adjustable type are nearly the same diameter at the threads and the stud.