OK, this one is a little strange. I'm in the middle of a 2 week, 1100 mile trip and at the 1/2 way point the car is starting to run a little off. The engine is a 350 Chevrolet from john barrett. There is a small noise, like a loose rocker arm, so I pulled off the v/c and found 2 very small springs, each about an inch or so long but a very small diam., about as thick as a pencil lead, sitting up on the top of the head. I have no idea where these came from or how they got here, anyone got a idea? The motor has standard pushrods and hyd. lifters. 1 plug on the #7 (same side I found the springs on) was a little wet but all the others looked fine. I'm at a hotel so there is a very limited amount of tools with me. I don't have the facilities to pull the intake until I get home.
Failed PCV valve? Maybe if it was only one spring. Sounds like whatever it is got dropped in there durring ***embly. The wet plug probably means loss of spark and missfire. Any rockers loose? Weird.
it may be the spring that holds tension on the valve stem seal.i have seen seals that have a small spring wrapped around the seal to hold it tight to the stem.if that is what it is,that would cause oil to p*** down the valve stem into the combustion chamber. -danny
The parts cannot get into the combustion chamber from under the valve cover and if they got into the oil pan your pickup screen and oil filter should prevent it from getting into your bearings. The spring probably came off of a broken pcv or valve stem seal.
Well as you know that ain't good! No clue what the springs might be? Any loose rockers? No change in oil pressure? Missing on the wet plug bad? I'd say all you can do is check the fundamentals and drive on, either to your final destination or head on home?
No pics. The company that built the motor has been no help since I got the thing. A carb spring would have gone down the intake and there is no way the spring would have found itself in with the valvetrain. The PC seal on the valve sounds like the most likely answer. There is no way for me to pull the valve spring off and check it until I get home. Oil pressure is good, the temps seem OK so I guess I'll keep an eye on the oil consumption and see if I make it.
Is the spring an open or closed coil? Ie: is it like a small suspension spring or is it wound tightly so the coils are all touching? If there all touching I would say Hot Rod Pro has it. Doc.
Valve Stem Seal. Remove the springs and run it home. Check for to much lift. 2 springs in stead of 1. Hmmmm.
X2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If they also put valve stem seals on the exhaust valves that's probably where the second one came from, both seals from the one cyl that's wet.
The little silver ring around this valve stem seal is actually a spring that is tied together on one end making a ring. If the small spring came off I doubt you would see any problems. If anything it might use a little oil on that cylinder.
That looks like the culprit, thanks for the pic Glen. Seems to be idling a little rough, probably from the oil creeping into that cyl., but is running fine when driving. I'm gonna pull the other v/c off in the morning and verify its clean. Then its about 500 miles home. To all who helped, thank you.
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