[FWDLK] Off my rockers?

[Dan Morton <morton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

OK, so my mechanic is traveling in Europe (purportedly on funds derived from
servicing vehicles such as my own 8^)  He's back in a couple weeks, at which
time I'll have him drop the trans and replace the rear seal (per my earlier
post, below).  But then I'm thinking:  I should probably clean up the sludge
on the passenger side, the way I did on the driver's side, in case any globs
migrate to the crankcase after I clean -- he'll have the pan off, and will
clean the pickup while he's at it.  And then I'm thinking:  Since I wasn't
overly impressed with the flow of oil coming from the rocker arms, maybe I
should pull them and clean them up too.  So here's my question(s):

1) Are there any risks in pulling the rocker assemblies?  Obviously, the
valves will have to be adjusted; but, apart from that?

2) If I need any springs (the ones that separate the intake and exhaust
rockers), does anyone have a good source?

        adTHANKSvance,
        Dan
        '59 Sport Fury

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Forward Look Mopar Discussion List
>[mailto:L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Dan Morton
>Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2003 9:30 PM
>To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [FWDLK] As goes Main (seal), so goes Faulkner
>
>
>I was aware of a slight leak from the rear main, but it wasn't until I took
>Faulkner for a spin on the highway that I became aware of just how big a
>problem I had.  I ended up with a small pool of oil on the garage floor
>after my drive.
>
>I had posted previously to this group about the problem, and what I needed
>to do to replace the main seal.  However, a mechanic friend of mine
>suggested I should first check under the valve covers before I did
>anything. He claimed that sludge buildup can prevent the release of
>crankcase pressure from blowby, and you can lose oil out the rear main.
>Today I put that theory to the test.
>
>I remove the driver's side cover, and fershur there was sludge.  Not as bad
>as I had feared, but both oil ports at opposite sides of the head were
>completely blocked.  I cleaned out as much sludge as I could, and then
>worked a 14 gauge copper wire down each port, twisting and pulling a little
>bit more sludge out each time.  I used the same trick on each of the rocker
>ports...
>
>Pleased with myself, I started the engine and waited for it to warm up, so
I
>could adjust the valves.  As I watched the dance of the push rods, a glint
>from a growing pool of oil on the ground caught my eye.  I killed the
>engine, but watched as the pool grew and grew.  Eventually, it drained the
>crankcase, at least to the level of the bottom of the seal.
>
>It's apparent that, despite my wishful thinking, I indeed need to replace
>the rear seal.  It's gone.  My question is:  Could there possibly be a
>relation between clearing the oil ports, and the sudden surge of oil?  My
>inclination is to say it was coincidental, and the condition was just
>worsening... What do you think?
>
>At any rate, if I can get the 318 to stop leaking, I'll drive it for a
while
>before a rebuild.  But there's a replacement rear seal in Faulkner's
future...
>
>        Dan
>        '59 Sport Fury

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