TheSamba.com :: View topic - Rocker Shifts

Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:23 am

Heard a loud tapping when starting up my '76 2.0L FI bus with hydraulic lifters. I've had a lifter collapse before, so removed the valve cover on the loud side. I found that one of the exhaust valve push rods had slipped to the side and the top part of the rocker was striking the edge of the valve spring: the rocker had shifted to the right and was not centered. There's a hole in the push rod tube where the push rod was wearing against it at an angle.

I removed the lifter and it appears to be fine. This has happened twice to me over the last 2-3 years.

Only thing I can think is that due to not changing the oil for several months (I know, I know), the lifter got jammed with crud and did not pump up, allowing the push rod to shift. Any other ideas?

Thank you Samba.

Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:53 am

Is the spring betwen the two rockers still there? Is it crunched or broken?

Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:59 am

that rocker can not slide unless something is missing from the Rocker shaft ..

compare that rocker assmebly to the others. you'll find something is missing ..

Sun Feb 27, 2011 12:53 pm

Yes. The spring is still there and has tension.

Sun Feb 27, 2011 12:56 pm

Hydro rocker shafts don't use springs, they should have solid spacers and thin wavy spring washers, who converted it to hydros?

Sun Feb 27, 2011 1:14 pm

Really?! Hm. Springs all round. That's how the bus came.

Anyone with pics of the solid spacers?

Sun Feb 27, 2011 1:45 pm

Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:51 pm

Ok. Wow. So should I replace the entire rocker assembly, or just the spacer?

Thanks much for the picture. Very enlightening.

Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:56 pm

Are you sure yours are hydraulic?

Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:22 pm

Definitely has hydraulic lifters.

So the question is - do I need to replace the entire rocker assembly, or can I just source these solid spacers and slip them on what I have?

Thanks.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:30 am

Thanks for the help everyone. I've since put everything back together and the bus is running fine.

I asked at my local shop/junkyard, Austin VeeDub. It appears that the solid rocker spacers in EZ Gruv's picture are an after-market item. I was also shown a bug catalog illustrating that it's a fairly common modification on performance bug engines, but not so much for the Type IVs.

At any rate, from what I've seen (a stock '78 hydraulic lifter engine we looked at had springs) and been told, solid rocker spacers are NOT a factory-installed item - hydraulic lifters came with spring spacers as standard.

Could be wrong and definitely open to debate! There always seems to be a lot of surprising year-to-year variation with the buses. Just hoping this helps someone out down the road.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:43 am

Time to start looking for a new shop, those guys obviously shouldn't be anywhere near a type 4.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:47 am

pogolo wrote:
At any rate, from what I've seen (a stock '78 hydraulic lifter engine we looked at had springs) and been told, solid rocker spacers are NOT a factory-installed item.

Nope, its factory.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:58 am

busdaddy wrote: Time to start looking for a new shop, those guys obviously shouldn't be anywhere near a type 4.

Bingo, Checkmate, and Yahtzee! Those guys are clowns, RUN away!

Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:55 am

Well lets split some hairs, what you refer to as "solid" VW rocker spacers really where not "solid", VW still used spring washers, better than just having the single spring but really not solid. This kit makes a set of solid rocker spacers.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:43 am

pogolo wrote:
At any rate, from what I've seen (a stock '78 hydraulic lifter engine we looked at had springs) and been told, solid rocker spacers are NOT a factory-installed item - hydraulic lifters came with spring spacers as standard.

VW went to the solid spacers with the hydraulic valves exactly to prevent the problem you are seeing from occurring. With solid lifters the rockers has a moment to recenter each time the lifter ran over the base circle of the cam and there was momentarily a little lash. With hydraulics there is always some compressive force on the valve train even when the lifter is on the base circle, so the rocker can be pushed to the side over a number of revolutions.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:59 am

So to butt in on this conversation......is the hyd lifter rocker shaft smaller than a regular shaft? Reason I ask is I got a set from a known used parts seller and the spring washers do not fit on the shaft. 8 spring washers, 8 solid washers & 4 spacers.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:32 am

T4 shafts were all the same diameter.

Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:44 am

Thanks, so the wavy washers must be too small.....now where to find some.

Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:02 am

Anyone with a link to a place where I can buy solid rocker spacers?

Thanks.