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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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Ok I am calling in the experts. I was attempting to start an old Y-Block that has set for 10 years. I removed the valve covers and lubed the top end and checked the valves. One push rod was about 1/2 inch from touching the bottom of the rocker bolt. I took hold of the end of the push rod and it dropped out of sight into the block. Obviously, the valve is stuck. Before I attempt to tap it loose, I am wondering how far that push rod went. In a Y-Block can it go all the way to the oil pan or can it hold up in the oil galley? If I can not retireve it from the head, can I possibly get it by just removing the intake? I believe this is a 292.
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By 56 big window - 15 Years Ago
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It should be clearly visible with the intake and valley cover removed
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By Glen Henderson - 15 Years Ago
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99% sure it will be in the valley, and by fishing around with a magnet, with luck you may be able to snag it.
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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A strategically bent coat hanger does the trick. I have just such a specialty tool in my tool box. I've not yet dropped a push rod into the valley that I could not retrieve with that tool.
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By 46yblock - 15 Years Ago
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I tore an engine apart once that had half a pushrod in the pan, with a lot of other debris! Pushrod had become tangled up with dist. and cam gear, broke the cam, ruined the crank and broke two connecting rods. What a mess! But in your case, there is little doubt it is in the valley.
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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Outlaw56 (2/14/2010)
Ok I am calling in the experts. I was attempting to start an old Y-Block that has set for 10 years. I removed the valve covers and lubed the top end and checked the valves. One push rod was about 1/2 inch from touching the bottom of the rocker bolt. I took hold of the end of the push rod and it dropped out of sight into the block. Obviously, the valve is stuck. Before I attempt to tap it loose, I am wondering how far that push rod went. In a Y-Block can it go all the way to the oil pan or can it hold up in the oil galley? If I can not retireve it from the head, can I possibly get it by just removing the intake? I believe this is a 292.As charlie says using a small piece of curved wire will work!, i usually use this 1/16" wire , twisted into small curve then bent at 90 degrees, using small torch, lower wire down below pushrod cup then rotate wire to engage p/rod at cup base and gently raise p/rod. 
Regards bill.
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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That's pretty much what mine looks like.
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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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You guys rock. I would have probably removed the head. I have my wire bent and ready to try it next time I get a chance to run down there. On another note, I disconnected the incomming fuel line from the fuel pump. Was going to drain 10 year old gas and start fresh. Root Beer came out the end......like maple syurp. And the smell.........ewwwwww funky. So changed the plan to use a new rubber hose to the fuel pump from a temporary gas can. This truck is in a remote location. I was looking for a Y-block and a guy found me one, providing I took the whole truck. 2 ton dually with 2 speed axel, 4 speed transmission, and 2 barrell holy. The truck is way too nice not to take on as another project truck. But then thats what retirements for, right?
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By DANIEL TINDER - 15 Years Ago
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My local Ace Hardware sells a very useful tool. A tiny, super-strong magnet on the end of a very long, flexible length of 1/8th " tubing (with handle attached) that firmly holds whatever shape is required. I can think of a few dozen times in the past I would have paid many times it's retail price if it had been available then!
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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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I arrived at the scene of the disabled 1959 2 Ton Ford F600 y-Block and put the wire down into the push rod hole, twisted it, and out came the lost push rod! Less than five seconds start to finish. Once I got it high enough to attemt to reposition it, I could not get it in position to save my life. I moved the rocker forward enough to let the push rod come clear out of the hole. The last two inches of the push rod is bent at about a 30 degree angle. No idea why its bent. I tapped lightly on the valve and it seems to have freed it up. Can I just get a new push rod, drop it in the hole to see if it lines up and stays up, then adjust the rocker loose enough to let the top of the push rod slide under the rocker arm, then tighten the rocker back down on top of the push rod? Or do I have to try and tow the truck without turning the engine over and take the heads off to see what is going on? Thanks for your help!
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By Ol'ford nut - 15 Years Ago
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You have a 50-50 chance going here. Not knowing why valve stuck- maybe just because sitting for some time. Could bend another push rod, but might free up valve. If it were mine I would go with the push rod, start it and just let it idle for awhile. Get it warmed up and oil flowing. Good luck with whatever you do-
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By GREENBIRD56 - 15 Years Ago
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I've lost two of the "gone baby gone" skinny pushrods - bent before replacing the whole set with tubular. One was easily retrieved with a magnet - the other is still riding around down in the valley tray. I have heard of people tearing down engines and finding several bent pushrods riding in there - so for now I'll risk it. Seems like it would be pretty hard to get one of them tangled up in anything.
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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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Is it possible the lifter stuck instead of the valve? With only the bottom two inches of the push rod bent at a 30 degree angle, I am wondering if the lifter stayed in the "up" position while the valve pushed down on the pushrod, causing the push rod to exit the top of the lifter and bend. I was thinking I would use some anti freeze spray lube to try and wet the lifter, let it sit, then with a long piece of rod (ground round on the end to match the surface of the push rod, tap on the lifter to see if it would go down. I really am not familiar with Y-Blocks until I came across one in a fifty six ford I found several years ago and joined this site to find out more about them. Does anyone think I may be on the right track here?
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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I doubt it would be stuck lifter but would be easy to check by rotating engine while holding a long piece of rod, wire, stick, anything with downward pressure and check if lifter returns. The bent pushrod syndrome is normally result of sticking valves due to long period of engine not being started. Very common to find old bent pushrods in valley area. Just check valves move easily, perhaps lift stem seals and squirt some lube onto valve stem.
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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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Aussiebill, Definitely worth a try. Exactly where is the valve stem seal, on top of the spring or below the spring? I am wondering if I have to remove the rocker assembly to access it. I am 30 miles from the truck so every time I get information, I have nothing in front of me to look at. Thanks for your suggestion.
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By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
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Stem seal is usually riding up high on valve stem below retainer, here we use WD 40 penetrate with little red straw like tube that pushes into nozzel, i,m sure you have similar type of thing there, its worth a try, then slowly rotate engine, you could lightly tap on valve stem tips to check for any firm resistance from sticking valve but generally all of the above works. I,m sure all the other guys do similar thing and could suggest other ways, try it and see, then go from there.
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By Ol'ford nut - 15 Years Ago
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The seal is inside the valve spring. Or that is where it is suppose to be. Reason I say that is because as they get old they become brittle and break. Going into pieces that you find under valve cover or in oil pan, or maybe even plugging oil screen pickup. I've heard of the pieces getting into the oil pump, causing it to bind and breaking oil pump rod that goes up to distributer. YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! Engine runs and you loose oil pressure. So watch your oil pressure gauge!
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By crenwelge - 15 Years Ago
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When I find a bent push rod on any old engine, I pull the rockers off and mark them so I know which goes where. I then use something like Marvel Mystery Oil. It will dissolve carbon, varnish and rust as well. I start with the one that is stuck in the open position and after the oil has had time to penetrate, I tap it and see if it returns to the height of the rest of them. While I am allowing the oil to penetrate, I squirt oil on all the valves. I hit all of the valves a pretty good lick to see that they spring back freely. Wear safety goggles because keepers can come out of a stuck valve. If you get the stuck one as well as all of the rest of them to bounce back evenly when you hit them, it is worth reinstalling the rockers and proceeding from there. They should be adjusted close enough for an initial attempt. Unless all 16 valves move freely, do not attempt to start the engine. I guess a lifter could stick, but if that happened, you probably have other problems such as stuck rings. I don't want to sound discouraging, but the last engine I found with a bent push rod, I did as described above and it runs like a top. The one before that, I wound up pulling the head, found rings that looked standard on a .060 over piston, pistons too bad to even knurl, and a flaked cam. And I think this is about par. A 50/50 chance. By the way, the bad one was a 370 cu in GMC V8 which is a rare find and I would up buying a lot of stuff from Egge.
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By Outlaw56 - 15 Years Ago
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Does anyone have a good source on push rods for the Y-Block?
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By Saltracer - 15 Years Ago
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 I have a similar problem. I let my rebuilt motor set for two years without starting it at all. Tried to crank it just the other day and wondered why it was hard at first and then freed up. Anyway, one valve is stuck and it bent three push rods before I figured it out. Any ideas on how to free the valve?
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By crenwelge - 15 Years Ago
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Pour a couple of quarts of Marvel Mystery oil down the carb and let it set a week or so. Then pull all the plugs out and turn it over manually and see if the valves are working.
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By Ted - 15 Years Ago
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Saltracer (11/28/2010)
I let my rebuilt motor set for two years without starting it at all. Tried to crank it just the other day and wondered why it was hard at first and then freed up. Anyway, one valve is stuck and it bent three push rods before I figured it out. [b]Any ideas on how to free the valve?[/b[Although you can try tapping on the stuck valves with the rockers removed while liberally oiling the area around the guides, this may not insure that the valves will not stick again once the engine is up and running again. If the engine has never run, then rust may have set up in the guides around the valve stems. It could be that the valve to guide clearance was simply set too tightly on the original build and that’s a problem that will not be rectified until the heads are pulled off of the engine. The recommended option is pulling the heads where a complete disassembly and cleaning of the valves and guides can take place. Be sure to remove any old fuel from the system as it will aggravate the stuck valve issue by ‘varnishing’ up the guides. Always use fresh fuel when firing up a freshly built engine.
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By Saltracer - 15 Years Ago
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Thanks Ted, I was thinking the same thing last night, it ain't gonna get any better on it's own. thanks again
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