Cascade Crew

[chevymad]

This last week Deb and I went on a vacation, mostly in Bend but visited Rod and Jen in Kfalls and a jaunt into california as well. We took my truck because it was planned to be a camping trip. Didnt turn out that way, but oh well. Anyway, I've gone through so many valve springs that I brought a spare just in case. Drove all the way down there, all the way back. Put almost exactly 1000miles on the truck. As I passed the Welcome to Skamokawa sign.. pop pop pop.. Yup.. broke another one. This time on #7 cylinder. Was able to limp on home. I mean, how lucky is that?

So now i'm on a mission to fix this problem, and get rid of the constant clatter this thing has when its warmed up. Drives me insane. Nothing appears to be interfering anywhere. Plenty of valve guide clearance, supposed to be plenty of spring clearance according to the specs. Springs are very stiff though. 350lbs open on the exhaust side, and they're only 1.25 daimeter springs. 0.525 lift with the 1.6 roller rockers i'm using. I think going 1.6s was a huge mistake. So my plan for now is to install some stock 1.5s on the exhaust and see if its quieter. Hopefully that will keep the springs from breaking as well.

I figured on pulling the stock rockers off my 87 lg4.. So I open up the valve cover, roller motor.. should have the self aligning rockers I need right? nope. Regular old flat rockers. damn. So I dig through my parts bin. What do you know.. all things come around. I've got a set of self aligning ones that came off the heads I got from Schultz... same ones that are actually on this motor! Still in great shape even.

So here I am reuniting the rockers with their heads.. bumping the starter to turn the motor so I can adjust valves.. When I look down and wtf? theres antifreeze trailing out from under the truck. I'm thinking oh god.. did I knock a hole in the radiator when I dropped the ratchet?

Grabbed the flashlight.. Look underneath.. umm the water pump just let go. Yes.. didnt even start the truck, and the water pump lets go just bumping it over.

I think we were very lucky to get home without a disaster on this trip. Now if these were all old parts, it could kind of be expected. But none of this stuff is over a few years old.

I guess I'll be driving the 2nd gen to work for a couple days.

[iansane]

You went and bought a lottery ticket?

I take it you're replacing the pump before doing the rest of the diag?

[chevymad]

After swapping rockers I started the truck up. The water pump now literally pours out coolant and flings it with the fan. So ya.. I can't warm it up and really test it out yet.

[chevymad]

So I start the truck this morning.. And its missing. Went ahead to work and back. Took the valve covers off, broke yet another exhaust spring. This is with the stock 1.5 rockers on the exhausts too. This spring broke differently then all the others, thats why I thought it was only a miss. It broke only the upper coil off. I missed which spring broke at first and started the truck up without the valve covers on. Paul had questions about how much oil was getting on my springs for cooling. These rockers direct the oil right down onto the springs. Lots of flow even at idle, and its all pouring on the retainer and running over them. So I guess these springs are either worn out allready or were junk to begin with.

I had posted my questions over on the velle board and a couple of guys there say I should be changing springs every couple years at least. Sure seems like alot of work for what I consider a mild cam. Anyway, I'm going to try another brand of spring. I got the 87 out of the barn and put the truck in there until I've got new springs to put on it.

[83Z28BlackBetty]

Dude talk about luck! Another few miles on that trip and you would have been screwed!
How old are those springs and what brand are they? so they say that with a larger than stock can you should be changing springs every few years?! Thats crazy talk!