After replacing valvespring the motor ran for about 30 seconds then a rocker popped off on the drivers side. Tried to adjust it today and once the pushrod is sitting in the lifter cup and the rocker is tightened all the way down they won't even touch each other.

Dead lifter?

 

have you figured why the rocker popped off? Are you tightening them down tooo much? sounds like they are too tight and one off the lifter came apart. You will probably will have to pull the intake to uncover the whole story.. good luck

 

1/4 turn preload. I guess the lifter went and thats why the rocker popped. Getting ready to start pulling the intake.

 

All you can do is open up and look. Only the recent (past 5 months or so) batches of comp Rs have the new improved retainer so if your lifter is older then that, its possibly that it collapsed.

 

do you know if there is any way that you can tell the new ones from the old ones?

 

Pulled the intake and the pushrod cup at the top of the lifter where the pushrod sits had popped out. Woulda been able to just eyeball that except it was the very back one.