We had a weird problem, it is a customer's car, that we swapped the engine for a Soko JDM high compression DE about 5 months ago. He brought the car last week for a major tuneup, oil change and wheel bearing change. Everything was normal, car running very strong, and he took his car home. Hi lives around 80 miles from our shop. On his way home he stopped for gas and the car didn't turn over. He insisted and it started up badly, sputtering and he called us

So today, we drive up to his house and begin checking the engine, compression was 0-180-180-180. We poped the valvecover and found the piston 1 rocker out of place and only one shim. The one near the timing chain was missing so we think it could have gone down to the oil pan (cross fingers). Inspecting the head, we found a metal piece, it looks just like a broken piece from the oil cap seat, but the valvecover is not broken. We think maybe soko got the engine with a broken valvcover and just replaced it but we cannot assure that.

We'll now remove the oil pan to see if we can find the missing shim..

We think maybe soko got the engine with a broken valvcover and just replaced it but we cannot assure that.

We'll now remove the oil pan to see if we can find the missing shim..

It's more likely that he over-rev'ed the engine. Spitting out a rocker is common for an over-rev.

It's more likely that he over-rev'ed the engine. Spitting out a rocker is common for an over-rev.

I understand that, but in this case, we extracted a strange object from the head itself and it looks just like a piece of the valvecover.

If it popped a shim and rocker out of one cylinder, why would that effect another?

C

or something is keeping one of the valve's open...

What I'm saying is if he over-revved it, it would probably not read 0, 180, 180, 180, Even if one cylinder took the most damage, another cylinder at least would be experiencing some bent valves. I'm saying it's prolly a foreign object.

Here's the thing, that foreign object he found might be a result of something else, not the cause. or it might have been the cause, who knows at this point, I want to see some pics.

Have you ever popped a rocker off on an SR20? It really quite common, and more often than not, no valves are bent, and no permanent damage is done. You fish out the wayward shims, reinstall the rocker and you're good to go. And again, a broken rocker on one cylinder will not affect another cylinder.

C

I'll get pics up tomorrow, problem was solved. We removed the oil pan and bingo, we found the missing shim down there. We assembled it back and motor is running good.

The rocker was complete, not broken, and the object clearly doesn't belong there.

Thanks guys!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/shaqral/otros/DSC00712.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/shaqral/otros/DSC00715.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/shaqral/otros/DSC00714.jpg

This is the piece that was inside.. I just dont' understand why we did not see that thing when we took of the valve cover to paint it. :squint:

:eek2: Damn! Whatever that was, he's lucky it didn't do any REAL damage. That's a pretty large piece to be floating around in the motor...

:eek2:

its a consperacy :O jk - glad to hear its running smooth again