Hey guys,

I have a Vortech Z-28 355 with (looks like) CC Magnum stamped roller rocker arms.

1. There are colored discolorations around the bottoms of the rocker arms, like you might see on a stainless header from heat or if you torch metal or burn a drill bit. Otherwise everything looks OK.

Could this be factory heat treating? Or is it from oil starvation or overheating? Is it safe to keep using them.

2. Second part of question: Without tearing the motor apart, is there ANYTHING that can be done to increase Oil circulation? The car sat for 2 years, maybe there is some gunk in the passages....My Mechanic was not happy with the oil circulation of this motor...it takes 5 min. at idle to get up to the valves!

(I have around 15 psi Oil Pressure at idle and 35-45 at 3000 rpm. )

Any help by you gurus would be most appriciated.
Ram

 

I have one that is getting NO oil!

 

Certainly sounds like you're heating up the pivot ball of the rocker from lack of oil circulation. It "blues" the metal. You might be Ok with using them again, but job one is to fix the oil circulation problems. Might be gummed up inside the lifters- they're the smallest passages the oil has to flow through to get to the rockers.

You might not be running out of lubrication (running dry- metal on metal), but the oil also carries the heat away from the rocker fulcrum and that could be a part of why you're discoloring the metal.

You're not running real high spring pressures with stamped rockers are you?

 

Damon, thanks for your thinking on this......do you (or anyone out there) have any ideas or experience about the "easiest way" to clear out possible gummed up lifter oil passages?

Run some additives or flush the bottom end out with something?

Drop the oil pan and squirt stuff up in there? Can you even get to them?

Unfortunately, my mechanic JUST put in high pressure springs on these blued rockers...The previous springs were probably just stock.

Just last week we put in Comp Cams 987s I believe... I think 315 lbs seat pressure or so at whatever measurement the do that at. They can spin up to 8,000 rpm on whatever cam they are using on another LS-1 owned by one of the mechanics.

Bad move on those blued Comp Cams Magnum stamped roller rockers? A little Better than stock...

From now on I DO WARM IT UP for about 5 minutes before driving with little bumps to 2,000 rpm to get it flowing....I guess that is good?

I am worried! Thanks for any help guys....

Ram

 

i would pour some seafoam down the valve cover and run that per the instructions on the cam. first replace your oil filter with a new cheapy one and run the car while revving the motor/ etc for 20 minutes to an hour, then drain the oil and change the filter and take her out for another hour then change it again and see if this helps. in all our outboard engines on boats this seafoam product has worked wonders in cleaning up gunked up engines. I also use it on all my trucks/cars as well.

 

I have run those rockers with the slightly milder Comp 986 springs without problems. I didn't have a problem with oil circulation/metal discoloration, though. On the worry meter I'd put it at about a 4 on a scale of 1-10.

Those rockers are definitely better than stock. Not the best you can buy, but they beat stock pieces in both strength and accuracy.

 

expndbl3, I picked up the seafoam and cheap filters last night...Thanks!

Damon, thanks again...Yeah, I called Shannon at CC tech and he said to also make sure the pushrod/rocker geometry is dead on because if the little holes don't line up perfectly it will barely squirt oil. We'll check that later...

Thanks guys, Ram

 

xpndbl3

Seafoam: interesting: After running and occasionally revving it for an hour I changed oil and filters - my oil pressure was 10 psi higher from idle to 3,000 rpm! (Warmed up the engine first) Wow!

There was noticeable gunk in my filter - a bit of thick grainy textured stuff. So it does seem to clean really well!

But suddenly it started dropping back down to 35 psi when revved over 4,000 rpm. It RISES to nearly 50psi at 3000 rpm then drops to 35 psi as you go over 4000 rpm. Is that normal? Idle dropped to the usual 15psi as well. Darn!

Maybe some more gunk released into the filter or the oil finally warmed up.

I am using cheap COASTAL 10-40 from Autozone to clean it out with.... What do you suggest to fill it back up with? Something that flows really well through the oil passages?

I am using hi flow K&N filters to see if that helps psi as well. I'll run it and change to good oil later tonight and see how it goes.

Moderators, sorry if this is in the wrong forum, it's kinda hard to tell on this one and I don't want to waste advanced time. Sure appriciate the help.

Ram

 

glad it helped clean some stuff out for you. You can also pour that stuff down the intake to clean out the combustion chambers as well. Pour 1/3 of can down intake while varying throttle to keep motor running then close throttle and pour it down the intake until the motor floods out. Wait 30 minutes and start it back up and rev it up and watch all the crap pour out the exhaust.

 

Yep, I'll do that to my wife's 110K navigator next! Probably flush out a ton of crap.

Fully warmed up - highway cruising stayed over 40 psi and idle stayed over 25Versus 30-35 and 10-15 before (hot).

Cold, it's got 40 instead of 20 at idle now! That is easing my worries a great deal.

Wonder if I can see how well it's squirting through the oil filler neck at startup with a flashlight and a mirror...I'll try to check it out tonight.
I just need to be sure the geometry is OK and the holes line up, I would think the engine builder would have gotten it right.

Ram