Bent and Broken Pushrods... NEED HELP!!!
Bent and Broken Pushrods... NEED HELP!!! Car was missing for awhile, so I stopped driving it until I could figure out what was wrong..
So I pull the valve covers, and the rockers are so damn tight I broke two craftsman sockets trying to losen them. So I buy an impact socket and finally break them loose.
I pull ALL the pushrods from the passenger side of the motor and this is what I see... (Don't forget to count...)
I'd like some advice on what to do next... The 3rd pushrod on the passenger side broke and I'm assuming it's inside the motor somewhere... Someone please help me out here!
Do I need to buy a new motor?
So I pull the valve covers, and the rockers are so damn tight I broke two craftsman sockets trying to losen them. So I buy an impact socket and finally break them loose.
I pull ALL the pushrods from the passenger side of the motor and this is what I see... (Don't forget to count...)
I'd like some advice on what to do next... The 3rd pushrod on the passenger side broke and I'm assuming it's inside the motor somewhere... Someone please help me out here!
Do I need to buy a new motor?
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Vevay,IN
If you have a pushrod inside the motor it has to come apart. Those look like stock pushrods. Can you see the broke pushrod with a flashlight? What is all of your modifications? How high were the rpms when you did this? How long did you drive it missing like this? Why were the rockers so tight you were breaking sockets? All this info and probably more is or will be needed.
Good God almighty, that is the most disturbing thing i've ever seen. Was there an audible knock coming from the engine? I'd get one of those little pen magnets and see if you can't fish out the other pushrod. Wow, I don't know what other advice to give man. Sorry to see that 
The only thing I can think of is when the belt broke and the car overheated about a mile from my apartment... I limped it back home... I guess it could have got so hot that the push rods bent...
And the missing pushrod is most likely broke and inside the motor somewhere...
My friend Eric and I replaced the valve springs awhile back trying to solve the "dip" I had in my dyno graph... Come to find out that the problem was a wobbly ASP underdrive pulley (cause of the belt breaking), put a stock one back on and it ran fine...
Installed headers and ran for about a week open header and it ran ok, just rich... Car started to develope a miss... Thought it was a couple fouled spark plugs... Replaced all the plugs and wires and still had a loud valvetrain noise and a miss...
Finally got to checking the pushrods and that is what I found...
As soon as I found out I had a problem, I parked it.. And started driving my other car...
And the missing pushrod is most likely broke and inside the motor somewhere...
My friend Eric and I replaced the valve springs awhile back trying to solve the "dip" I had in my dyno graph... Come to find out that the problem was a wobbly ASP underdrive pulley (cause of the belt breaking), put a stock one back on and it ran fine...
Installed headers and ran for about a week open header and it ran ok, just rich... Car started to develope a miss... Thought it was a couple fouled spark plugs... Replaced all the plugs and wires and still had a loud valvetrain noise and a miss...
Finally got to checking the pushrods and that is what I found...
As soon as I found out I had a problem, I parked it.. And started driving my other car...
I bought the car used so it had some things already done to it...
The mods I have are:
Engine:
* Pacesetter coated longtube Headers
* Pacesetter Offroad Y-pipe
* LS1 Motorsports Air Lid
* Holley powershot filter
* Hooker catback exhaust w/Cutout
* Magnaflow polished exhaust tips
* Free Ram Air
* TB bypass
* descreened MAF
* Comp 918 Valve Springs
* LPE LS6 Cam
* Midwest 3400 Stall
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
* BMR Boxed lower control arms
* BMR strut tower brace
* BMR Boxed Subframe connectors
* BMR Panhard Bar
* 18x9.5 Chrome Z06 wheels
* Kumho 712s 275/35/18
The mods I have are:
Engine:
* Pacesetter coated longtube Headers
* Pacesetter Offroad Y-pipe
* LS1 Motorsports Air Lid
* Holley powershot filter
* Hooker catback exhaust w/Cutout
* Magnaflow polished exhaust tips
* Free Ram Air
* TB bypass
* descreened MAF
* Comp 918 Valve Springs
* LPE LS6 Cam
* Midwest 3400 Stall
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
* BMR Boxed lower control arms
* BMR strut tower brace
* BMR Boxed Subframe connectors
* BMR Panhard Bar
* 18x9.5 Chrome Z06 wheels
* Kumho 712s 275/35/18
Originally Posted by aux_fast_cam
If you have a pushrod inside the motor it has to come apart. Those look like stock pushrods. Can you see the broke pushrod with a flashlight? What is all of your modifications? How high were the rpms when you did this? How long did you drive it missing like this? Why were the rockers so tight you were breaking sockets? All this info and probably more is or will be needed.
I don't think I ever over revved it... It's Auto and has a rev limiter...
I didn't drive it long after it started having problems...
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Staging Lane
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Vevay,IN
Are those stock pushrods and if they are I don't think i would be running them with 918 springs. You also need to check the driver's side and see if any or how many are bent. Then try to look inside the top of the motor to find that missing pushrod. If the car was drove hot,btw NEVER let aluminum engine run hot, make sure there is not coolant in oil or vice versa. to check for blown head gasket. I've never been big fan of underdrive pulley had mustang with mods and wanted to get hot after I put ford racing pulleys on it went back to stock ford pulleys no more heating issues--I've never heard of heat bending pushrods.
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Originally Posted by aux_fast_cam
Are those stock pushrods and if they are I don't think i would be running them with 918 springs.
Ididn't even think about that...yeah the 918's could be too stiff for the stock pushrods...
Get a pen magnet and see if the other pushrod is down inside by the lifters. You might be able to go by a machine shop or somewhere and pickup a boroscope. Its a fiberoptic light that you can stick into tight places and look through a little monocular thing. It has a light on the end and you can focus it for whatever you're looking at. It should fit in the pushrod holes easily.
I'd just try sticking a pen magnet inside the hole where the pushrod is missing from and seeing if you cant fish it out.
If its in 2 pieces and it isnt chewed up too bad, you might have lucked out.
Pull out the driverside pushrods too and get back to us on what they look like, also on if you can locate the missing pushrod.
I'd just try sticking a pen magnet inside the hole where the pushrod is missing from and seeing if you cant fish it out.
If its in 2 pieces and it isnt chewed up too bad, you might have lucked out.
Pull out the driverside pushrods too and get back to us on what they look like, also on if you can locate the missing pushrod.
And I thought the banana shaped pushrod that came out of my engine was bad (looks like the 3 rod from the right in your pic), but yours take the cake. Fish it out with a pen magnet. I don't see how you could have bent those pushrods like that in an auto. Were you jumping off the limiter for an extended period of time?
Originally Posted by Krab
And I thought the banana shaped pushrod that came out of my engine was bad (looks like the 3 rod from the right in your pic), but yours take the cake. Fish it out with a pen magnet. I don't see how you could have bent those pushrods like that in an auto. Were you jumping off the limiter for an extended period of time?
Originally Posted by orangeapeel
Are those the stock PR's? I have mushroomed 2 of the craftsman ones doing rockers.