Replacing just the rockers, and rods?

Has anyone ever just replaced the valve rockers, or the rockers and the rods? Mine seem worn enough to consider this. 289,000 miles. 87 Wagon XJ.

I recently replaced 2 pair of valve seals (which seemed to really help solve one old nagging problem) and I noticed some real slop in the rockers at TDC. IIRC there is no slop on new stuff on the 4.0 heads? How much slop is too much? Does it do anything other than just make noise?

I had recently replaced all my rockers because of what I considered excessive wear in the pivots. I installed Sealed Power rocker kits I got from NAPA. They all seemed to take up the lash between the rockers and the valve stems a bit; but the mistake I made was that I didn't inspect the rockers or check for oil flow to/from the rockers before I reinstalled the valve cover. After starting the engine I seemed to have more rocker chatter than before so I removed the oil filler cap and looked at the visable rocker with the engine running and there was very little oil flow at that rocker.

I removed the valve cover and examined the rockers. I found that the oil passage hole in the rockers, above the puch rod pockets, were too small compared to the original rockers and that the holes were drilled in the wrong place (too far off center). I reinstalled my original rockers and ran the engne with the valve cover off and saw that there was ample oil flow again.

Now for the battle to get a refund on the Sealed Power rockers.

Bottom line: Don't use Sealed Power rockers, or any other aftermarket rockers. Use OEM rockers even if they cost more.

My push rods were straight, clear and measured out to spec so I reused them.

Well lets add that question to the thread!!! Best source for these parts? Not sure OEM for a Renix is even available? I think the HO cam or HO OBD-II cam was different than Renix, so maybe the rockers/rods were too?

Ecomike said:

Well lets add that question to the thread!!! Best source for these parts? Not sure OEM for a Renix is even available? I think the HO cam or HO OBD-II cam was different than Renix, so maybe the rockers/rods were too?

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I checked an on-line MOPAR parts supplier and they have rockers and push rods for the 1987 4.0. I didn't check on the rocker pivots or bridges, which you'll need.

Rocker J3242393 $7.00 each MSRP

Push Rod 33002986 $5.25 each MSRP

Generally, if these parts are listed on the MOPAR web sites you can get them at the dealer. Ask for a senior citizen dicount. 10% off.

The rocker part number did change in 1994.

Edit: Try this site: http://www.wholesalemopar.com/parts_catalog-small.html?gclid=CK3WqZP3_KICFRJBDQod4Dr6oA

You will need pivots J3235090. Hopefully your bridges aren't bent because they don't list bridges J3236613. Keepers are 33003521

I paid 1.65 each for new rods

morgan320i said:

I paid 1.65 each for new rods

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Where?

Sidewinder CC said:

Hopefully your bridges aren't bent because they don't list bridges J3236613. Keepers are 33003521

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The bridges seem to be flexable, I had to straighten three of them by hand with pliers (pretty easy to do), which is how I discovered some rockers were getting worn enough to be loose.

What is a keeper?

Ecomike said:

The bridges seem to be flexable, I had to straighten three of them by hand with pliers (pretty easy to do), which is how I discovered some rockers were getting worn enough to be loose.

What is a keeper?

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The keepers are the two seperate conical pieces that hook around the groove in the valve stem to hold the valve spring retainers in place.

The parts catalog calls them valve spring retainer locks.

You won't need these if you don't remove the valve springs. If you get ambitious enough to change the valve guide seals you'll be removing these jewels to remove the valve springs. They have a habit of disappearing so a few extras are nice to have.

Sidewinder CC said:

The keepers are the two seperate conical pieces that hook around the groove in the valve stem to hold the valve spring retainers in place.

The parts catalog calls them valve spring retainer locks.

You won't need these if you don't remove the valve springs. If you get ambitious enough to change the valve guide seals you'll be removing these jewels to remove the valve springs. They have a habit of disappearing so a few extras are nice to have.

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The name caught me off guard for some odd reason. I replaced the valve seals on #1 and #2 two weeks ago (oil was leaking and fouling those two plugs), that is how I noticed the loose rockers. Thanks!

Oh, and I handled the "keepers" with a magnet!!!!! Worked great!!!:clap:

haha sorry i paid 2.50 but thats still cheaper
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...k=Search_pushrod_1179941_3783&keyword=pushrod

Mike, I would consider a new timing chain set as well if you haven't already. I have done just the push rods/rockers/fulcrums in one of my RENIX 4.0's and although it made it run better/quieter, the timing set had slap in in it so i had to do that as well.

I used Sealed Power and had no issues

I took the Sealed Power rockers back to my NAPA store and they agreed that the Sealed Power rockers oil hole was too small and that the oil hole wasn't drilled in the correct place. The holes were all drilled in different places with no consistancy.

The NAPA store exchanged the Sealed Power rocker kits for Eglin Rocker kits, RK-551-2, even up (no extra $). My man at NAPA has been trying to get ahold of Sealed Power QC but is just getting a runaround. He's going to send the POS Sealed Power rocker kits back to Sealed Power in the Eglin rocker kit boxes just to twist their tails.

This NAPA store is very good at carrying good parts, besides the NAPA brand. They stopped carrying Moog parts because of too many customer compaints and returns.

Below is a pic of the Eglin rocker, R-740. The oil holes in these rockers are dead nuts where they should be and the oil holes are the same as the OEM rockers. These rockers actually look better than the OEM rockers.

The difference in price of the Sealed Power rocker kits is just pennies cheaper than the Eglin rocker kits.

I saw an article on a web site that talked about 4.6 strokers. The article talked about using Eglin rockers, etc. in the build.

Here's a pic of the Eglin rocker. Check the location and size of the oil hole.

Edit: Here's the Eglin on line catalog link. http://catalog.elginind.com/app/engine_tech.asp?category=Rocker+Arm+Kits

Eglin or Elgin?

I guess a question I should also ask here, is how do I know where the slop is coming from (what is worn the most), the Cam lobe, the lifter, the rod, or rocker?

cruiser54 said:

Eglin or Elgin?

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Sorry, it's Elgin Industries.

Ecomike said:

I guess a question I should also ask here, is how do I know where the slop is coming from (what is worn the most), the Cam lobe, the lifter, the rod, or rocker?

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All of the above.

Of course, the rods and rockers are the easiest to replace. My rods were in spec as far as length goes but my rockers showed lots of wear in the pivot to rocker surfaces, and some wear on the rocker at the valve stem contact surface.

With my original rockers installed and the cylinder(s) at TDC compression, I could wiggle the rocker(s) from side to side quite a bit. They seemed awful loose. With the new Sealed Power rockers installed I could barely move them so I assume the new rocker(s) took up some lash. I don't have a newly rebuilt engine to compare the lash to, just a before and after comparison on my 135,000 mile engine.

I could wiggle the rocker(s) from side to side quite a bit.

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That is big part of what got my attention!!!

Ecomike said:

I guess a question I should also ask here, is how do I know where the slop is coming from (what is worn the most), the Cam lobe, the lifter, the rod, or rocker?

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SWAG at this point.

cruiser54 said:

SWAG at this point.

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LOL, I had to GOOGLE it.

I could install the rod and rocker parts on one cylinder and see if it made enough difference before bothering with the other 5

Go for it.