took my 69 in to shop to have carb. rebuilt its 250 6-ohc 4.1 the mech. said he heard tapping which i thought was coming from the fuel pump but he said it was the rockers and he took the tower off and said the rockers needed to be replaced i said ok to go ahead and replace them. when i drove it home the tapping was worse than when i took it in and now it diffently was coming from the tower I ended up towing the bird back to the shop for fear of doing more damage by driving it. at this point i was wondering if he got the wrong rockers (maybe for the 230 6-ohc) ? i was also wondering about the fact that he mentioned that my engine was a sprint but i did not think it was the sprint my just has the one barrel carb. if he was thinking it was the tempest could this make the rockers different ? when he pulled the tower the second time the first two rockers where damaged and the lifters where stuck down so there was damage to the rockers and the lifters iam looking for any insight as to what he has done wrong and what i need to do at this point also if anyone knows where i can purchase the correct rockers and lifters i would greatly appreciate the information and any knowledge as to how i can tell if my engine is a sprint? thanks, sincerely teresa also i can be reached at 817-734-1447

TOHCAN knows a lot about the sprint motors. Send him a PM in case he does not see the post. I would get a 2nd opinion before you have the guy do anything more.

I am about 99% sure the hydraulic valve lash and pivot arm are the same for all the OHC series 1966 through 1969. It wouldn’t matter if it was a base OHC or a Sprint model. I’m sure someone else will chime in as well. The differences between the 230 and 250 OHC and Sprints (on the top end) would be in the valve springs, valves and camshafts.

You stated that he replaced the pivot arm assemblies. Were they all replaced or only a few. Also did he replace any of the hydraulic valve lash assemblies? I can only come up with a few scenarios that might explain what happened. 1) You have an upper lubrication issue such as a blocked passage starving the top end. There is some history of issues with these motors, but generally it is after something else was done, like a partial or complete rebuild. Before this issue, how long have you owned the car and has there been any recent maintenance. 2) There was something wrong with some of the valve lash assemblies in the first place and he aggravated it by only replacing the pivot arms. Did he show you what the pivot arms looked like before they were replaced? The top part where the cam rides should resemble a semicircle. When excessively worn, they flatten out. When you put two of them side by side, it is pretty noticeable. 3) He didn’t use any prelube assembly and they got wiped because of lack of lubrication. Also encourage you to search for zinc in this website especially when it comes to the OHC.

I do know that Kanter sells overhaul kits for these engines, but I don’t know if you can just get only the top parts. I recently bought a timing belt from them and they are real good about getting the parts out quick. Also, I see these components on Ebay from time to time, so if quickness is not an issue, check there. Also I recommend you post this message on the OHC Six forum, as there is a lot of knowledge on that board.

It is hard to believe that you have a Sprint package if you only have a 1 bbl carb. Never heard of anyone going from 4 bbl to 1 bbl. Lots of folks go the other way. Best way you can be certain, is to look at the code on the engine. It is on the block near the oil fill tube. Compare this to engine codes from 69 and you will have your answer. Somewhere on this site in the FAQs are all the engine codes for 1969.

thanks for your in put that is what i thought that it was not the sprint as it is only a 1 brl. all the rocker arms where replaced but none of the hydralic lifters we have had the car since 94 we recently purchased a rebuilt head from quenton we put the new head on it was running fine with the exception that the carb. needed to be rebuilt as it would die on us every time we came to a stop but the engine sounded great !!!! so we took it in for that and why this guy decided to pull the tower again i cant figure out but when he said the rockers needed to be replaced i trusted him he is well known around here and is always working on alot of classic cars (camaros firebirds mustangs) so now my biggest worry is what kind of damage has been done to the camshaft?? at this point i want to replace the lifters and have him put the old rockers back on to take the rest of the new rockers off as i suspect/wonder if he got the wrong one to start with

I feel like i have realy screwed up this time poor albert it taking it real well he keeps saying its not my fault and he doesnt blame me but i blame myself for letting this guy tear alberts baby up!!!!! thanks for listening
Teresa

Hang in there Teresa, it will get fixed again!

I'm inclined to believe it was not a result of the recent head work unless something shook loose coincident with the rocker arm work, not to likely. If on the other hand, it started making the noise after replacing the head and only got worse as you put miles on it then I would suspect a plugged oil port. So that's at least some good news. You stated that it sounded really bad from the get go, so again two theories, one the guy screwed up and second is with the new pivot arm the hydraulic lash had to readjust and failed. Either way, can't see how it is your fault. BTW, where the hydraulic lash failed, how did the rockers look, were they flattened, a gnarled mess, etc. If they still looked "new" I'm inclined to believe the cam wasn't damaged.

One other item, most mechanics these days have never seen a Pontiac OHC6 much less worked on one. I say this because with the cam belt, the engines sound a little different. You tend to hear the valve tappet sounds a little more pronounced with respect to the overall engine noise. So the guy probably had good intentions, it just sounded a little strange to him.

If it looked like a gnarled mess after he reopened the engine up, then he probably screwed up. If on the other hand the hydraulic lash gave out, its probably no ones fault. Its simply one of the joys of owning a 40+ year old car.

when he re opened it the first two rockers where smashed and looked burnt and the first two lifters where stuck in the down postion. no the head was fine albert installed the head himself and when he had the rockers off then you could see very slight wear but we where having no problems so we left the rockers/lifters/cam alone whats not broken dont fix it right lol

thanks bjorn we where so hoping after getting the new head on and the carb. fixed that we could make a trip down south to finally meet up with all the HALF members looks like thats on hold

thanks hokie 1984 for all your help also you've been a great help and you too TOHCAN (brent) I'll get the pic as soon as i can

we are going to be here when you guys get ready! get her fixed right ,then come on down eventually...

just an update, not going to take a chance with the cam going to go ahead and replace the cam,lifters and rocker arms
teresa

Replacing timing chain as well right?

the timing belt yes !

If the guy you had issues with replaced all the rockers, not sure you need to buy a new set of 12. Certianly the two that got mauled - yes. Also it's getting hard to find base OHC cams, sprints are still available. Might try posting on the OHC forum to see what folks have.

thanks I was trying to find out if jerry woodland was still around he is the one we got the lifters from when we first rebuilt back in 1994 but so far cant find his number

also kanters has the cam,lifters i know but wanted to see if jerry woodland was still around ?

If you look closely I believe the Kanter cams are used. I only say it because they require a trade in. Not a big deal really, but if yours isn't wiped, I would reuse it. The Sprint cams on the other hand appear to be new.

just wanted to update everyone, the Baby is purring again! we had to wait for all the parts to come in cam,lifters,T.belt,2rockers etc....and the bird lives Thanks to all who had an input to all my questions you all were so helpful!!! Albert is no longer going threw mechanical depression and all is happy again at Home again thanks Bjorn,tohcan,gus68,hookieand anyone else I missed
Teresa

Happy everything worked out, hopefully it didn't set you back too much. Always glad to help a fellow cammer get back on the road, not many left.

great news!