I babied it home about 2 mi and the temp was beginning to go up unusually for
> the circumstances. Also was loosing more power as I drove. Oil pressure
> stayed good.
>
> Took off the valve cover. Some, not all, tappets now have as much as 1/8
> clearance being more pronounced to the rear, but the rearmost is normal and
> the extra clearance does not graduate evenly from tappet to tappet. No bent
> push rods. All valves seem at proper level (no missing seats) and all rockers
> and valve stems operate properly when I turn it over. There are no loose
> adjusting lock nuts or other fastners. No knock or other special noise while
> turning over with the starter. No water in oil or vise versa. Havn't done a
> compression test yet.
>
> Please, anyone got any ideas before I tear it out?
I'M going to go out on a limb and suggest that you check the ROCKER SHAFT. It
may be cracked or broken. I have seen a rocker shaft failure before on a Midget
racing engine. This would explain most or all of your symptoms. I'm not sure
what you mean by "1/8 inch tappet clearance" though.
Milo Kral
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