Rocker arm turned blue???????????????
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, IN USA
Rocker arm turned blue???????????????
Okay problem #477.
Okay I took the vette for a drive and had a slight tap on the right side, just a bit different than the solid lifters. Pulled the valve cover and found one of the Comp Cams roller tip rockers was 1/2 blue from heat. The half from the push rod side not the valve side. Pulled the rocker and the only odd thing I had found was the edge of the rocker had slightly cut into the edge of the Kool Nut and the first 1/4 of the stud thread had come off but was still inside the nut.
What in the world can cause this?
Friction from the kool nut?
:confused:
Okay I took the vette for a drive and had a slight tap on the right side, just a bit different than the solid lifters. Pulled the valve cover and found one of the Comp Cams roller tip rockers was 1/2 blue from heat. The half from the push rod side not the valve side. Pulled the rocker and the only odd thing I had found was the edge of the rocker had slightly cut into the edge of the Kool Nut and the first 1/4 of the stud thread had come off but was still inside the nut.
What in the world can cause this?
Friction from the kool nut?
:confused:
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, IN USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
Do I need to replace that rocker and if so where do I buy just one instead of a new set?
Will Comp cams sell them individually?
If I can use it I guess I better do a complete inspection of it and its components. I have no others giving me trouble or pretty colors. :jester
Will Comp cams sell them individually?
If I can use it I guess I better do a complete inspection of it and its components. I have no others giving me trouble or pretty colors. :jester
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, IN USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
I just pulled the nut out and discovered 1/4 inch of the rocker stud broke off inside it. Now I have to think, is the stud broke because off the heat or is the heat from the stud being broke.
All else looks good the pushrod is straight with just a bit of heat tarnish on the end. The Kool nut cam out unscaved. The rocker is blue and the pivot ball is tarnished from the heat.
Whenever the weather is nice something breaks. :yesnod:
All else looks good the pushrod is straight with just a bit of heat tarnish on the end. The Kool nut cam out unscaved. The rocker is blue and the pivot ball is tarnished from the heat.
Whenever the weather is nice something breaks. :yesnod:
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 383
From: Plano TX
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
I had this happen when I was running 20W-50 oil. The oil was so thick it took too long to reach cyl #1's rocker arms. I had to replace the rocker arm, nut and pushrod. Switched to 10W-30 and had no more problems.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,908
Likes: 0
From: Manassas, VA, USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
Did you check your pushrods before installation to make sure they weren't clogged? If one had a piece of dirt or metal chip in it, that could prevent oil from flowing, and "starve" that rocker arm.
As a general rule, run a pipe cleaner or piece of thin wire (my preference) through pushrods just before installing to make sure nothing is blocking the oil pathway.
As a general rule, run a pipe cleaner or piece of thin wire (my preference) through pushrods just before installing to make sure nothing is blocking the oil pathway.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, IN USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (lyonsh)
Yes all were clean and new. I think the stud cracked causong a small woble in the rocker causing it to generate heat. I found the glue on th rocker rubbed off with a wheel and the only real damage was the stud.
I have a swet of generic replacements but I beleive I am going to order ARP studs and replace them all to be safe.
I have a swet of generic replacements but I beleive I am going to order ARP studs and replace them all to be safe.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Racer
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 485
Likes: 0
From: MESA, AZ, USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
After you've got it all back together leave the valve covers off. Make sure you pre-lub the new rocker. Start the engine and make sure there's oil coming out of the push rod end of all the rockers. No oil, STOP, and find out why. My guess - you lost oil to that rocker due to lifter failure, or maybe push rod problems. The stud failed because it was being torqued back and forth by a rocker that was trying to "weld" itself to the ball.
Just my 2 cents.
Andy
Just my 2 cents.
Andy
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,429
Likes: 14
From: CA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
I had this problem with my other solid cam motor. Most of the aftermarket cam manafactures include performance type solid lifters in the kit. The oil hole on these type of lifters is smaller than the standard TRW replacement to restrict oil to the top. Combine that with zwede's thick oil suggestion & you may have troubles.
Go to a local parts house & look for the stock lifters for the lt-1 & compare them to the Comp Cams ones.
I have a set of TRW's at home still in the box- I'll try to get you a good part #
Go to a local parts house & look for the stock lifters for the lt-1 & compare them to the Comp Cams ones.
I have a set of TRW's at home still in the box- I'll try to get you a good part #
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, IN USA
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (71coupe)
I checked the oiling and it is fine, now I have oil done the side of the fender and engine. I still beleive it was the rocker stud failure due to me adjusting the lifter too tight and not replacing the studs when I rebuilt the motor and running the car to 6000 a few runs, these are the original 71 studs. I replaced the stud and the car runs fine now. I will be replacing all of the studs as soon as I receive new ones.
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Naperville IL
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (BLT-71)
I have the same rocker arms and also have the condition where the whole under side of the ball seat on the rocker arm is blue on 14 of 16 rocker arms. Oil pressure is 35 psi at idle when engine is 180 degrees. When I checked oiling, at 900 rpm, oil is flowing out on the rocker arms but it does not shoot out of the rocker arm hole. Bump the idle speed to 1500 rpm and it will shoot out about 2". When you checked the oiling, what did it look like when motor was idling? Did it change when you increased idle speed? Was only 1 of your rocker arms blue?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 1
Re: Rocker arm turned blue??????????????? (crankarm7098)
In flat tappet solid lifters there are 2 styles available.One is an edge orifice style the other and prefered for the street is the piddle valve style.
When one has a Rat motor with oiling problems on the driver side bank the cap or plug in the oil journal directly behind the upper timing gear on the driver side has not had a hole drilled through it to release the locked air from oil change ect.The weight of the oil has nothing to do with this.The factory discovered the problem years back and the fix was a # 40 drill bit hole right through the plug.Oil pressure is not affected
When one has a Rat motor with oiling problems on the driver side bank the cap or plug in the oil journal directly behind the upper timing gear on the driver side has not had a hole drilled through it to release the locked air from oil change ect.The weight of the oil has nothing to do with this.The factory discovered the problem years back and the fix was a # 40 drill bit hole right through the plug.Oil pressure is not affected
