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I thought pushrods were supposed to be straight??

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Old 08-26-2011, 09:57 PM
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Default I thought pushrods were supposed to be straight??

Well I had been chasing down a miss in the 00 blue Z and after plugs and wires i pulled the valve cover on the drivers side and found a loose rocker arm.

Low and behold I pulled out this:


I haven't pulled the passenger side yet so there may be more bent push rods.

Hopefully there isn't more internal damage but I have a feeling the pistons and valves kissed each other a few times. Oh well, another good excuse to mod.

Last edited by Tall Guy; 01-12-2014 at 01:54 PM.
Old 08-26-2011, 10:01 PM
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Congratulations,, that is probably the worst bent pushrod I have ever seen..
Old 08-26-2011, 10:05 PM
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Thanks! But unfortunately it wasn't my doing... LOL, I bought the car with the miss.
Old 08-26-2011, 11:36 PM
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Damn. When did you buy it? I wouldnt call that a miss lol. Looks like it will prob need rebuilt after seeing how bent that damn thing is.
Old 08-26-2011, 11:45 PM
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wow, that's bad. My engine detonated a week after i got it, so i know how you feel.
Old 08-26-2011, 11:53 PM
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if it is an automatic, then i would think you have possible internal damage, if it is a 6 speed, then he probobly downshifted to high and did this, i did the same thing, this is what mine looked like



Old 08-26-2011, 11:57 PM
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it is a very common problem, especially with the stock Hurst shifter and stock pushrods for the driver to shift form 3rd to 2nd, while trying to hit 4th. this causes the motor to hit redline in 2nd while trying to slow down the car. it then brakes the weakest link, the pushrods. if he had hardened pushrods he could have hurt the tranny. i would say pull the other valve cover, and change all the pushrods. torque them all to 22 ftlbs and be on your way. get some hardened ones, not stock replacements.
Old 08-27-2011, 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by trans_am7935
if he had hardened pushrods he could have hurt the tranny.
So how would hardened pushrods hurt the trans? Lol
Old 08-27-2011, 12:46 AM
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Originally Posted by z99ls1
Damn. When did you buy it? I wouldnt call that a miss lol. Looks like it will prob need rebuilt after seeing how bent that damn thing is.
I bought it about a month ago. My brother found it in his search but he wanted a t-top car so he passed but i jumped on it.

Originally Posted by trans_am7935
it is a very common problem, especially with the stock Hurst shifter and stock pushrods for the driver to shift form 3rd to 2nd, while trying to hit 4th. this causes the motor to hit redline in 2nd while trying to slow down the car. it then brakes the weakest link, the pushrods. if he had hardened pushrods he could have hurt the tranny. i would say pull the other valve cover, and change all the pushrods. torque them all to 22 ftlbs and be on your way. get some hardened ones, not stock replacements.
Dang those rods are toast! Mines a 6 speed car. It actually ran pretty decent, I wouldn't have guessed a bent push rod this bad the way it ran. I knew it had a dead hole but figured it was a wire or coil, etc but not really this. Oh well, i'll replace the pushrods and see how it goes. I planned on a new performance long block eventually anyway so I won't be to bummed if the motors gone **** up.
Old 08-27-2011, 12:51 AM
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Goodluck. Hopefully just the pushrods are bent from a missed gear like mentioned above^^^ and you can replace them and be good for awhile. how many miles you got on the motor? I would definetly change the oil asap to get any scraped metal out of there before it gets in the bearings and everything else.
Old 08-27-2011, 06:54 AM
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Originally Posted by raven154
So how would hardened pushrods hurt the trans? Lol
LMAO!! I was thinking the same thing!
Old 08-27-2011, 09:05 AM
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Originally Posted by sidearmbandit
LMAO!! I was thinking the same thing!

He is saying that if the pushrods were no longer the weak link, then the tranny would be next to break.
Old 08-27-2011, 09:34 AM
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Old 08-27-2011, 10:04 AM
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Originally Posted by RezinTexas
He is saying that if the pushrods were no longer the weak link, then the tranny would be next to break.
Exactly my point! How are pushrods gonna save the trans? If you go in to second instead of fourth, the pushrods won't save anything exept maybe the rest of the valve train or a few pistons if you rev it high enough. What exactly would a person break in the transmission if they downshifted on accident with hardened pushrods? Seriously?
Old 08-27-2011, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by trans_am7935
get some hardened ones, not stock replacements.
that's great advice. that way next time this happens he can bend a valve instead.

i wouldn't suggest using hardened pushrods with the stock cam, there is really no need, plus odds are he will need a dif length with an aftermarket cam. so then he'd be buying them twice.
Old 08-27-2011, 10:33 AM
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These pictures are crazy! How are you guys fishing out these pushrods that look like spaghetti
Old 08-27-2011, 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by raven154
Exactly my point! How are pushrods gonna save the trans? If you go in to second instead of fourth, the pushrods won't save anything exept maybe the rest of the valve train or a few pistons if you rev it high enough. What exactly would a person break in the transmission if they downshifted on accident with hardened pushrods? Seriously?
instead of the pushrods taking the initial hit from the motor over reving then the motor holds and transfers the torque hit through the main shaft, hurting your main shaft and bearings. the main shaft my be able to take the sudden jolt but the bearings cant.

think of it this way, you are going 90+mph in 3rd and shift to 4th, but accidentally hit second. 2nd gear is made to go to maybe 80mph...maybe, then you have 10mph that the engine can not compensate for. the motor will immediately got to 6200 rpms (redline) and stay there, and force the car to go from 90 to 80 instantly, locking up the rear end and putting a tremendous amount of force on the bearings that are trying to slow down the car so the motor can function. that is why the tranny is then the weak link. easiest way to prevent this from happening, get an aftermarket shifter. i have a Pro 5.0 and love it.
Old 08-27-2011, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by WS.SIX
These pictures are crazy! How are you guys fishing out these pushrods that look like spaghetti
i got mine out with a magnet pen
Old 08-27-2011, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by WS.SIX
These pictures are crazy! How are you guys fishing out these pushrods that look like spaghetti
I just wiggled this one out no real problems getting it.

As far as my pushrod deal, I am probably going to stay stock to get it running for now. I have plans for a long block from LPE here soon. I still need to check the passenger side for any other suprises.
Old 08-27-2011, 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by trans_am7935
instead of the pushrods taking the initial hit from the motor over reving then the motor holds and transfers the torque hit through the main shaft, hurting your main shaft and bearings. the main shaft my be able to take the sudden jolt but the bearings cant.

think of it this way, you are going 90+mph in 3rd and shift to 4th, but accidentally hit second. 2nd gear is made to go to maybe 80mph...maybe, then you have 10mph that the engine can not compensate for. the motor will immediately got to 6200 rpms (redline) and stay there, and force the car to go from 90 to 80 instantly, locking up the rear end and putting a tremendous amount of force on the bearings that are trying to slow down the car so the motor can function. that is why the tranny is then the weak link. easiest way to prevent this from happening, get an aftermarket shifter. i have a Pro 5.0 and love it.

You have no idea what you are talking about... The motor will easily go over 6200 rpm, because that is fuel dependant rev limit, the engine will still over rev. You arent locking **** up from 90-80 instantly, and the trans will hold it easily, the valvetrain probably not so much...

If you were racing, chances are you are at 6000 or so before you shifted, which means the motor will see ~8100rpm if the clutch doesnt slip and no speed what so ever is lost.


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