Cascade Crew

Danked · Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 5:45 pm Post subject: Car Problem =(

I have a 1991 camaro, throttle body injected 3.1L v6.. ugh.. anyways, i was cruisin up the freeway about 2 weeks ago, and i noticed a ticking noise coming from under the hood, so i went back home, opened the hood, and found that i do have a problem! i pulled some over the motor apart, down to the valves, i think i have a broken push rod. but im not very skilled in engine rebuilding stuff. so if anyone has any tips on what i should do. please let me know. Thanks.

Xophertony · Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 11:57 pm Post subject:

there was never a throttle body 3.1. you have legit Fuel Injection. MPFI to be more precise.

you mentioned not knowing much about engines, depending on how much is not much these questions might sound a little baisic, perhaps even insulting, if so i appologize.

was the "ticking" all you noticed? your pushrods move your valves. if you "broke" (as in two or more pieces) a pushrod you would have a valve not opening. this would cause a dead cylander. on a V6 you would notice a BIG difference in the way the engine sounded, felt, and the power it produced. if all you hear is a ticking it is probably a valve out of adjustment, a fuel injector (they can be loud), or perhaps somthing i have not thought of.

if you have a broken push rod then you will need to replace the head with the broken pushrod in it, or have the rod itself replaced.

another member "Quasitraction" and i are in the act of parting out his 2.8L carburated Camaro. somone will have to confirm this but i believe the heads are the same. one of his heads is bad as well Rolling Eyes

but if you need the driver side one we got you covered Wink

. where abouts in washington are you? we have a pretty good network of support. i don't mind making a bit of a drive to help out a fellow NW fbody enthusiest.

Danked · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 2:17 am Post subject:

My car is in toppenish. I really have no idea what it is, i know that it COULD be a pushrod, a lifter, a valve, or many other things. I have another ride, and all the gas money i need. I could possibly even give some cash for this head if thats what i needed. But i don't really want to buy / receive something if thats not what it is. Thanks for the reply, maybe i should do some more research before tearing everything back apart again. Well, it's more of a "knocking" than ticking. Yes i do feel a power difference. When it was knocking, and i was almost home, i stuck the pedal to the floor, and it spead up remarkably slower than before, so i had a feeling something was broke. I pulled the whole intake system apart, fuel lines, and the drivers side valve cover. I used a ratchet and socket, and tightened the nut on the top of each of the valves a little tiny bit, just to not over tighten, but to feel to see if maybe one was a bit loose. When i got to the top one, i turned it a tiny little bit, and it spun, so thats why i thought a push rod is broke. It doesnt knock when the valve cover is off. Thats where the idea came to me it could be a pushrod, since if the valve cover is off, its not hitting it. Today i had it started, and put my ears down to that valve cover and i swear i hear it coming from there. Well anyways, thanks for the help, and if this maybe made something a bit more clear, please feel free to leave more posts so that i may learn or maybe we can work something out on a new head if necessary. Thanks.

aaron_sK · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 5:34 am Post subject:

Uhhh... not a good idea to just tighten rocker arm bolts. The rod should be able to just barely move a bit.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 9:41 am Post subject:

2.8 and 3.1 heads are different.

If you have a bent pushrod just replace it.

You tighten down the rocker arm until the pushrod just barely turns, then 1/4 turn more.

Danked · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject:

if the heads are different on a 2.8 and a 3.1 why do the valve covers fit? i pulled some valve covers off a 2.8 and they fit my 3.1.

Nathan J · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 9:39 pm Post subject:

there might be some diff in the head, a head from a 283 sbc will bolt on a 350 but it ant going to be right and the valve cover will swap over hehe =]

aaron_sK · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject:

There's a lot more to a head than the dimensions of the valve cover. Different bolt patterns, different compression, ports, valves, all kinds of things.

All that said, you don't have a problem with your head. Unless you completely blew a valve seat or something, then you can just take it to a machine shop. However this will probably end up being a simple problem.

My Dad had no end of trouble with rocker clearance on his old Impala. Have you tried actually adjusting the rocker arm bolts like Twilight suggested? That can cause a lot of tapping noises.

Danked · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 1:00 am Post subject:

i dont know what most of this stuff is, so what i think im gonna end up doing is buying a high performance cam cause i know that if i do it'll be a bit quicker on take off or something, install it, and im sure tearing the motor down that far ill find what the problem is and just fix it from there, if not, then i might as well part the damn thing out or sell it on ebay for like $500 (its not for sale yet)

i dont know what a pushrod is or a rocker arm, i just thought that the pushrod was broke because a friend suggested it could be. i really have no idea at all. well thanks for ur guys' help.

aaron_sK · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 5:39 am Post subject:

Alright, here's my suggestion, and I'm being as honest as possible.

Go on eBay, or down to NAPA, or wherever you can find Haynes manuals (not Chilton). Buy the 82-92 Chevy Camaro manual (under $20). Go to the V6 engine repair section and it will explain what a rocker arm is, and how to tighten them.

There is no "tearing the motor down that far" needed, even if you have completely snapped several pushrods. If you want more punch off the line, there are a lot of easier ways to get it than a cam anyhow.

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 3:05 pm Post subject:

Where is Toppenish? South of Yakima or something right?

Does anyone live near this guy to lend a hand? There are a lot of things that need to be checked out before you get ready to give up on the whole engine. I'm not going to suggest upgrading engines/cams is a bad thing but it would be nice to know if you 'have' to.

-Schultzy

aaron_sK · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 3:15 pm Post subject:

Yup.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Toppenish,+WA

I've got nothing againts the cam upgrgade, but on a basically stock V6, you're going to notice very little performance gains.

And even if you did pull all the pushrods, you'd still have to pull the lifters up, remove the water pump, timing cover, timing chain, electric fans, and possibly the radiator to replace the cam. All in all, not worth it IMO.

I'd say start with the basics. Detonation and exhaust leak. Once you rule that out, check the rocker arms. After that, check cylinder compression. Then you can start digging into the engine. (fun part) Wink

Twilightoptics · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 5:33 pm Post subject:

OMFG Toppenish?

I drove through once and it was like a third world nation man. There were 10 year old kids selling fireworks from a stand in their front lawn. Crap all over the roads. Very VERY ghetto!

I was afraid I was going to get mugged or dead just driving through.

aaron_sK · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject:

Pfft. Try Tacoma.

rjmcgee · The Hammer Joined: 08 Jan 2004 Posts: 2328

Sorry man but if you don't know what the rocker arms are them don't go tearing into it for a cam swap. Do like said above and get a manual, read it, and adjust the rockers.

Danked · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 10:02 pm Post subject:

i have a manual for it, i just dont know what part i should do. where do i start? tearing it apart again and tightening that loose nut on top of the valve spring? i just dont want to get it put back together again and that not be the problem..

Xophertony · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 11:12 pm Post subject:

to adjust the rocker arms all you need to do is pull the valve covers. it should take you less then an hour. if i lived up in that area i would be happy to lend a hand. i have never adjusted rockers on a chevy before. did it on my old zuke once.....

aaron_sK · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 11:38 pm Post subject:

Twilightoptics already explained it, and your manual will have a complete explanation.

Basically, you pull off the valve covers, and spin each pushrod with your fingers while tightenming the rocker arm itself. Tighten it till you can barely turn the rod, then tighten it a bit more (some engines are more/less, look it up in the manual, but I'm almost sure 1/4 turn is right).

Don't overtighten them or you'll wear out parts.

If that doesn't fix it, I'd try the timing and the exhaust next.

Quasi-Traction · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 12:47 am Post subject:

I'd do it the other way around...

Check timing/spark delivery and exhaust for leaks FIRST. Then see if its valvetrain where the noise is coming from.

Its easier to fix/adjust those things first then to remove the valve covers only to find the problem is something simple.

Tisk tisk

Were all ASSUMING its in the valvetrain...and you know what happens when you make assumptions, right?

Danked · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 1:32 am Post subject:

the timing, spark delivery, and exhaust is all fine. i had performance exhaust installed, my timing is fine, and i dont know what the valve train is. i cant find it in the manual either =(