Technical Update: Does this look bent?

I have been nursing the 327 this year in my avatar so I could make it thru the show season. It has blow by, it smokes out the oil filler. I've done a compression test, numbers weren't great (23psi on this cylinder) and it has had a tick. I haven't noticed any loss in power at all. So I pulled the valve cover off and was wanting to see if I had a lifter that needed adjusted. Started the car, it ran for 3 or 4 minutes and died and it will not start at all now. (Maybe unrelated). I noticed this valve is off. Thoughts? And if it needs the heads redone, I'm thinking of replacing the motor as I've not been happy with it anyway.

 

Can you wiggle the valve retainer sideways? It looks like that valve is not in line with all the others, like the guide is completely gone.

 

No movement.

 

I have to go with what Jim said as well. Bring the piston all the way up on that cly. and pull valve spring off valve and take a closer look.

 

I turned the motor over and as you see on the upstroke of the valve it's not as noticeable.

 

I would at least pull the pushrod an check straightness, check bumping over if valve is move'n around like squirrel said

 

So that's why it won't run with the valve cover off?

 

Does that valve spring look funny at the head surface in the first picture?

 

Looks like the adjusting nut is really down there.

 

That was my thinking too. they look like they are way too tight

 

23 psi is basically a dead cylinder. Is that an intake valve that you're talking about? Are you getting any popping in the intake? Smoke out of the exhaust? The compression has to be going somewhere, either around the rings or around the valve and guide.

 

I just noticed this, the washer on the rocker arm is busted? How? Something else cause this, what's my next move?

 

^^^^^ Valve float

 

There's Definitely a snafu there!

 

This speaks volumes.

 

Exhaust valve. No noticable smoke and seems to run fine. It's off but feels more like timing than anything else

 

I had three engines that I ran until they just wouldn’t start anymore, it turned out that they just didn’t have enough compression left to function. Sounds like you are there my friend. My SBF had the valves sunk an 1/8” into the head casting thanks to our modern fuels. You just need to bite the bullet and either rebuild the poor old thing or replace it.

 

If I can get it going for just another month or so it would be great but I did make it this far. Looking at a Blueprint motor

 

just buy a new rocker arm at the parts store, it will have a new pivot ball. Put it on, adjust the valve, see how it does.

 

I'll try that, thank you.

 

HAHA!

 

Push rod is straight, I rolled it across our quartz counter top, shhh, don't tell my wife.

 

So I'm waiting on a rocker arm now as I live on a remote island called Southern Indiana. Not covid related its always been this way since we moved here.

 

Can't see how the push rod could have been bent and pushing the rocker to one side,....with guide plates ;-)

 

Possible in valley, Below guide plate...
But apparently not an issue here... And the plot thickens..

 

Seems the rocker moved through the lift of the cam by looking at the pics.
As noted the broken ball is probably issue. But take a bent wire, run it through a hole, it will lean/move to a different spot as it goes higher and lower.
I think that’s why the suggestions to look at the push rod were warranted.

 

Of course everything should be looked at when it's apart. But once he loosens the lock nut it would be apparent where the trouble lies. Top of the rocker where it belongs, with the guide plate ...Bottom, not so much so.
I would guess someone along the line , trying to eliminate a clickedy -clack, ran the lifter plunger down to where it was acting like a solid but with no lash ... Rocker at an extreme angle , stress on the ball...crack!
Now we have to figure out what's wrong with that one lifter...or cam lobe. ;-)

 

I've had the car for 4 yrs, valve cover has never been pulled. Motor was rebuilt (whatever that's worth) before I acquired it and I'd guess it has less than 1000 miles on it. I got the rocker off, I don't see anything other than the broken washer. But I can't see that being the only issue but a symptom of something else.

 

Rocker stud coming out of the head or the cam is going bad.