Needle bearings in oil?
 

So i changed the oil in my 02 Z28 today and found 4 needle bearings on the magnetic drain plug. Then i did some reading on here and found where alot of information on the rocker arm fulcrums falling thru. So, I pulled off the rocker arms and inspected them and found nothing. Then i disassembled one of the rockers and the bearing size is muc smaller than what i found in the oil pan. What I have is a little larger in diameter and a little longer in length also. Any ideas here? is there some sort of cam thrust plate that also has a needle bearing set up? Any ideas? please?

only other thing with needle bearings would be lifters

Rocker arms? No needles in the lifters- Running on all cylinders? Any tapping or knocking?

And they would be smaller yet.

In my sleep I began thinking about the lifters, but you say they have no needles? I figured they'd have to as they are roller type. As far as any noises, I just bought the car last Monday and there was a very light tap sound coming from the motor but it was ever so faint that I really didnt think anything about it. I'm gonna run the sevice history at work today and ask a few techs and see if I can get any other ideas. Thanks for the help thus far. Any other ideas?

Pictures? I know you say you checked a rocker, but there is no alternative source for needle bearings in your engine. If it were a lifter roller problem, you wouldn't have 4 roller bearings in the pan and a running engine ;)

Well, asked the pros at work today and the consensus is to drive it till i "hear something". I pulled the GM warranty service history and 50k ago back in 04 both banks of lifters were replaced due to "noise". Not a lot of info there, but there has been 3 or 4 updates and new part numbers on the lifter design between 02 and 04 and the possibility is that the lifters were failing back then and replaced with the newest part number but the old lifter needles finally worked themselves bown to the drain plug. Not very assuring, but i did pull the rocker apart and those needles are completly different and i pulled from the parts dept and looked at the new lifter and it also is completly different. I really don't know what else to do other than start looking into a cam and head set up for the "near" future.....I'd like to at least get this car paid for before dipping into the engine. Hopefully, but time will tell....

Attachment 34018

camera phone picture, sorry its not the best, but gives a idea. obviously, the 4 that are the same are what I found in the oil pan drain plug and the one single odd ball is what I tore out of a lifter.

Wow, odd. Those 4 look exactly like every rocker arm needle bearing I've ever seen. The smaller one sure adds some confusion to the issue, especially since you said you removed it from a rocker. I still want to say that is a rocker problem though...

He said he removed the smaller one from a lifter, it wasn't in the pan :p


Those are definitely rocker bearings.

Sorry, i am trying to be a clear as possible to get the right info. The 4 "bigger" needles are what was found in my oil pan attached to the drain plug. The 1 smaller bearing is what was in a rocker arm i took apart that was on the car. I pulled a lifter from parts and visually looked at it and determined that the rollers in the new lifter is londer and thinner than my needles found in the pan.

Well, I replaced the rocker i took apart and put it all back together and it seems to run fine...still with no noises. From here I guess I will drive it till I can hear something and change the oil in another 500 miles and see if anything else turns up.

Get us a pic of the rockers currently in your motor. I'm thinking that you have aftermarket rockers and the needles in the pan are from the old stock rockers that were replaced.

That would be a fantastic idea except the motor is back together. All I can say is that i bought a new rocker to replace the one i took apart and it is the same as the other 15 in my motor.

Unless GM had a rocker arm change and somehow magically they were put into my car without anyones knowledge. I know the history of this car from about 20k and on and theres nothing in the warranty history about this (rocker arm replacement) during the first 20k miles.

X 2.

Those look like aftermarket aluminum rocker arm needle bearings to me as well.

the rockers I have in are GM part number 10214644. Thats what i bought and put in for the one I tore apart and also matched in design.