I HOPE I'm getting there.

 

OK here's my #1 problem.... This is cylinder #5 which is the same cylinder that broke the rocker arm before. So there has to be something wrong with the valve or? I can't see it being spring bind since none of the other springs are being an issue.




Here is my compression test. Top numbers are dry & bottom numbers are wet. I was really happy until I hit #5 and then #6.



Engine is going to have to come back out so I'll get it all figured out. Not sure yet what I should do once I have it back out other than disassemble it and inspect everything.

 

Well, the bad valve will account for #5, 6 is a mystery........

Think I would check stem to guide clearance on the one that broke, again..... possible it is getting hot, and binding.

 

I seem to remember talk about issues with EQ heads before but I'm not finding a lot in my searches. I thought it had something to do with the valve guides or how they did them? At this point I'm thinking I'll take the heads to the machine shop and have them go thru them. Do I have them install bronze guides or? And while they are apart is there any reason to have new valve springs installed?
Do I need dual springs? Since this isn't a race engine how much do I need to do?

Would the loose rocker & push rod have anything to do with low oil pressure?

And yes I don't know what is happening in #6. And I would have sworn when I did the compression test a few weeks ago my numbers were all pretty up around 185.

 

Unless a lifter popped out of its bore, looseness of a pushrod or rocker arm shouldn't cause your oil pressure loss.

Glad you caught the broken retainer issue before it broke completely and dropped it's valve - then things would get really ugly fast!

Having a good machine shop check those heads out is a great move. As for the dual springs, it all depends upon the camshaft that's in the motor and what springs it calls for.

 

It's a torquer cam not a high lift HP cam.

I'm going to pull the heads first and take them to the machine shop. Let them go through them first and then go from there.

Dang I was hoping this would be my oil pressure issue. So I still need to check the bearing clearances out.

 

I deal in absolutes, so if it were my motor, I'd want to know what cam is in the motor, along with it's lift and duration.. Having those heads checked out along with checking the bearing clearances is a great 1st step. When you pull the heads, be sure to check the piston tops of #5 & #6 to ensure the valves didn't hit the pistons for some-odd reason. Lastly, those 1.65 & 1.70 rocker arms provide added valve lift over the stock arms..

 

I've got the cam card but I can't tell you the specs off the top of my head. And there wasn't any specific types of springs in the instructions with the cam. It came from HiPoTek. And I borescoped #5 piston to see if there had been any contact.

 

One of the issues with EQ heads are the rocker pedestals are not machined the same. I read a post somewhere that a guy had issues and found none of the pedestals where the same height. Since the valve didn't hit the piston the spring bottoming out could be the cause. When you get the heads to the machine shop have them check the pedestal height just to be sure. You may want to do a leak down test on 5&6 before you remove the head.
This also could add to a spring bottoming out.

 

For the springs, what you are concerned with is seat pressure, installed height, and max lift. Any one of them being out of spec can cause issues. Your cam card *should* have recommendations for that. Single vs. dual in your case is just a matter of personal choice. I would expect that your cam doesn't really want incredible seat pressures, and likely isn't high lift either. Rockers will change advertised lift numbers though, so, keep that in mind. I would be concerned that the spring pockets, and rocker mount pads are all of uniform height..... Having a machine shop THOROUGHLY go thru your heads is a good plan.