How can you tell if you have a bent push rod? I'm just curious, cause by accident I ****ed up and shifted back down to second at my shift light in third (has happened two other times at track about a month or two ago), and the car feels fine, raced a few times again after and it's still pullin hard, just wanna make sure nothing is wrong with it! I guess I just lost my concentration. Would I be able to feel it if I bent one, and what would it sound like? Cause I've read if you do something like that on the ls1, it could bend a push rod. Thanks for the help!

 

The most common result of a bent pushrod is a slight ticking which matches pace with the engine RPM's. In case you did bend them, I'd buy a couple from the GM parts counter. If you don't need them now, you might need them later...or just return them *shrug*

They're easy to check. In general, pull off the valve covers, remove rocker arms, remove pushrods. When you take them out make sure you orient both rockers & rods in a manner to put them back in the original location.

Once out, roll them on a known level surface, typically a sheet of glass. If they don't wobble, they're good. If one or more do wobble and/or are visibly bent, replace with a new rod

Clean it off, reapply a light film of new oil, and re-install in reverse order. There is a tightening order on the arms dealing with putting cylinder 1 at TDC, etc. I don't know the benefits of this, but I know quite a few people who say it isn't critical.

 

Is there a danger to the motor by driving with bent pushrods?

Does it hurt performance very much?

 

Just depends on how bad they're bent. I've seen photos where they've snapped, and others which are close to a boomerang shape. If the length isn't terribly shorter, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. But would replace it at the earliest convenience for peace of mind.

 

I'd absolutely check them! Even if a pushrod is slightly bent it can begin rubbing away at the guide hole on the head and enlarge the hole. I had that happen once and the hole grew to around the size of a dime in diameter and I ended up getting the head replaced due to the fact that the hole had worn pretty close to the edge of the head and there was a danger of cracking.

 

I dont think most people realize how you bend pushrods..

The valves float and then the pistons hit the valves. Pushrods bend and worse you notch pistons and bend valves.

they just dont magicly bend without something coming in contact with something..

i should know.. been there done that a few times with the stock setup. My car ran fine, and felt pretty good with 9 bent pushrods 2 bent valves and 5 notched pistons

 

I've botched the 3-(4)-2 shift a few times since I got the car, so I'm pretty sure I have bent push rods. I'm just not sure what else I screwed up.
How bad is it to have bent valves and notches on the piston and would it be mandatory I replace those items??? I don't really want to go to the dealer for this (claim I abuse the car?) and I'm hesitant to check because I haven't really worked on engines but it seems pretty straight forward - I just need to buy some torque wrenches...What do you guys think?
BTW, In my cars current state, it dynoed 330RWH and 340RWT so power is still there, I just wonder how much I've lost due to pushrods...

 

pistons you dont have to replace... i just filed down the rough edges..

Valves is a must..

youd be surprised how many head swaps ive seen and coe to find out they replaced pushrods but never checked the heads and such.. imagine the customers surprise to see the pistons notched and learn they had bent valves.

 

You'll know pretty easily if you have bent valves because they'll tick louder than a bent pushrod and the car most likely will have a stumble or miss. The general ideas behind our somewhat weak pushrods is that the pushrod will bend before the valves do but if you tap a piston there isn't much stopping the valve from bending.

 

Okay..

Explain to me how you would bend a pushrod if nothing hits anything?
You can do it if you have the rockers adjusted wrong (too tight etc)

But that isnt the case with the ls1. How can you bend a pushrod without hitting something, with the weak valvespring we have stock.

 

Who said ya could?

 

I read that wrong sorry...

i have had many people say they just bend, which is not true..

my bad

 

I'm just curious, is it possible that if i've botched the 3-4 shift a couple of times and went back to 2nd by accident that nothing happened if I got right back on the clutch the second I felt the wheels start to hop and heard the engine? Cause luckily, and thank god there's nothing wrong with my car, or at least I don't think there is, and I don't have the money right now to get the internals checked. But is it possible that nothing would happen, or is it an automatic thing that a push rod will bend and other **** break?

 

its possible.. but most likey something is hurt..

if you feel it happening you motor is already over revved... hard to say for sure... but most likely even if its minor something is hurt.

want some advice.. buy a B&M ripper

 

i have missed the 3-4 shift 2 times and havent had time until tomorrow to check the pushrods, can u guys give me an estimate on how much new valve cover gaskets will cost and new rods? And i know how to check pushrods/take a whole engine apart on a older engine but how tough is it to work with the LS1? More specifically how tough will it be to check for bent pushrods?