A Simple Fix After All

So I finally had a chance to pop the valve covers this morning.

Passenger side cover came off with two flat washers, one spring washer and a wire clip sitting in it.

The rocker arm for the intake valve of cylinder 2 was just dangling on the rod, as these retaining washers and clip were no longer there.

Put things back together, checked valve clearances again for good measure, and then fired it up. Back to normal.

Whew!

I wonder why this clip popped off. All I can think of is I must have somehow partially dislodged it when I was setting the valves on #2, which did need to be adjusted.

Common problem, especialy if you take it over 4,000rpm.... Save your kopecs and spring for a solid shaft conversion.... End of problem.

Get rid of the stock rocker shafts and go to after market ones. They are normaly refered to as "solid" rocker shafts and use bolts in the place where those clips are. This is a cheap fix that will not leave you stranded again. PS: don't forget lock tight for the bolts....

Paul, if those washers were in the valve cover along with the clip, it must have been the exhaust valve on number 2 which is exactly what happend to me right after the Carlisle trip. In fact my retaining clip broke, not fell off. If it had happened in the middle of Route 66, my trip would have become a nightmare right there. If it happend to you once, I'd say it may happen again....perhaps at a very bad time. Those aftermarket kits are cheap...like about $50 and will end the chance of it happening again. No clips involved, bolts at each end hold things together forever and quite simple to install. One small step to a better car.

And maybe a set of 1.25:1 rockers while you're at changing to the good solid shaft and let your engine breath a little more freely taking advantage of those two neat carburators flow.

Whoops! Sorry, I see in your other thread that you've already got the rockers.

Just what I did a few years ago; a set of Gene Berg solid assemblies mated to Genuine VW 1.25 ratio rockers. Perfect.