This may be an old question but need some input anyway .I have an 02 CAVALIER LS SPORT 2200 with around 170,000 mi in the past year i have noticed my valves chattering more or getting louder so i pulled the valve cover and found that sure enough the rockers are loose more on the passenger than the driver.Could i get by just replacing the rockers and push rods or pull the head and do lifters and all?Plus i have read through the forums on replacing the rockers with aftermarket parts but all i want to do is a basic rocker replacement no mods,grinding ,spacers etc.And also already have a replacement oil pump to go in when i replace the valves just to be on the safe side
You could just re tighten the rockers. Push rod engines usually lose there tension after a while. Rockers in my opinion should be checked at least every 25,000km
You could replace them if you wanted, but re tightening them should eliminate the majority of the noise, unless you ran the thing dry of oil.
If its a 2002 LS Sport it should have an L61 Ecotec in it which negates all the talk of pushrods & tightening rockers.
It beats a Honda!
As long as the rockers are still good they can be tightened if loose or replaced if bad. 98+ ln2 requires no adjustments. tighten and youre good.
Id make sure the pushrods are straight.
id bet the problem is the lifters, they lose spring pressure from being worn out and theres more lash and that could be causing the rockers to back off.
Lifters are super easy too. at 170k i would replace all 8 and call it a day.
if its DOHC i have no idea though lol.
"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire
It is not a L61 Ecotec i bought one of the last 2200 ohv ls sport cavaliers to come off the assembly line it was the last one the dealership had got that week or would ever get and so i got the car cheap as hell because the dealer did not want it sitting around on his lot
the car has been rock solid for 12+ years have done regular oil and fluid changes so i know what i have low oil etc. is out of the question.I think i will try to tighten the rockers first and check the nuts with torque wrench to see where they are.Also you guys use the rockers for sbc 1.5 ratio self adjusting narrow body rocker right?I have looked at the stock replacements the small block rocker are cheaper per rocker if i do replace them thanks guys
The self aligning rockers might be cheaper per rocker than stock, but then you need the hardware for the head as well, the poly locks and have to adjust the lash etc. the studs on the head are 8mm threads iirc which is not common. ARP makes a hardware kit, but that adds to the per rocker cost. Unless theres another option out there im unaware of (i stopped looking at options when the car started doing well with stock hardware)
I beat the CRAP out of mine in a turbo application. 7k+ every time i drove it with stock rockers (heavy valve springs and heavy lifter springs), 160+ on them. the thing gave out on a mis shift that sent the RPM to the moon (but the failure was i think a cam bearing cause the WHOLE rest of the motor that i could take out with the block in the car looked just fine).
Because the stock ones are "tighten and forget about it", its what id recommend. They can take a pounding, and theyre foolproof.
I would actually not hesitate to grab a set from a car from a scrapyard if it were stock replacement on my car. as long as the bearings are all in them and theres no play they should be good to go.
"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire
