Rocker arm failure

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  • Per
    Per Member
    Jason,

         A loose connecting rod, or somewhat low oil pressure, should not affect power.

         Have you tried removing each spark wire, one by one, when the engine is idling, to see if all the cylinders are contributing equally to idling?

         If one cylinder is not working at idling, there could be a problem with the head gasket.  If it has blown so that exhaust is coming outside of the engine, it could account for the roaring sound and for loss of power.  If two adjacent cylinders are not working, the head gasket could have blown between these two cylinders, but I don't see how this could produce the roaring sound.  

                     Per 
  • JasonNC
    JasonNC Expert Adviser
    I'm not detecting what I would expect from a blown head gasket, but I will check the plugs tomorrow as well as check the compression on each cylinder and report back. If this engine has be to rebuilt, I am wondering if I would be better off trying to find a 308 to rebuild (not for $5000.00) for the extra power.  It also seems that certain parts are more readily available for 308's as opposed to 262's.  
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    The only difference between a 262  and a 308 (from '51 onwards) are the crank, pistons  head, and head gasket.  Before 1951 the blocks were narrower but the internals interchange.   
  • JasonNC
    JasonNC Expert Adviser
    I was just thinking that if a crank were needed, for example, that it would be easier to get one for a 308 than a 262.  At least that's the impression I got from a guy that sells Hudson engine parts.  
  • russmaas
    russmaas Senior Contributor

    You can probably get a rebuilt 308 from Kostansek for $2000

  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Just my 2 cents worth.. The 262 is about as bullet proof  as you can get unless you consider the 232.  Given both engines working at top efficiency and not hopped up The difference in performance between a 262 and a 308 is negligible at best. I have never blown a head gasket nor beat the rod bearings out on a 262. (done both with a hopped up308) They are smooth and no matter which Hudson flathead engine you have.. A Honda will blow your doors off.. I dressed up my 262 with Twin H and some pretty red air cleaners.. Wows the public just as much as a 308. AGAIN... my "not so humble" opinion. :)
  • lostmind
    lostmind Expert Adviser
    Just my 2 cents worth.. The 262 is about as bullet proof  as you can get unless you consider the 232.  Given both engines working at top efficiency and not hopped up The difference in performance between a 262 and a 308 is negligible at best. I have never blown a head gasket nor beat the rod bearings out on a 262. (done both with a hopped up308) They are smooth and no matter which Hudson flathead engine you have.. A Honda will blow your doors off.. I dressed up my 262 with Twin H and some pretty red air cleaners.. Wows the public just as much as a 308. AGAIN... my "not so humble" opinion. :)
    I agree. 262 also gives 3-4 MPG more.
  • Frankvintagefullflowcom
    Frankvintagefullflowcom Senior Contributor
    The change to the "Wide block" engine, of course, was to accommodate the larger bore of the 308, but used across the board. In the longitudinal, outside dimension, the block is the same.......sooooooo, the extra bore size had to be accommodated by internally "borrowing" from somewhere. The result is the "Siamese" casting of cylinders, grouping them in three sets of two each in the 308 and not the 232/262 block. Some say this resulted in a poor circulation of coolant around those cylinders and a greater tendency to overheat. I've not had any such troubles but I suppose it's possible under some circumstances, like pushing the need for greater cooling in a modified 308.
    They added the extra block rib for the 308, too.
    The lower end of all three is identical in terms of wear parts (bearings, cam, lifters, oil pump, timing components, etc.) so the cost of a rebuild is basically the same. For stock stuff, pistons and rings are the same price as well. Inmy opinion, that explains the nearly bulletproof 232......it has the same bearings, etc., but puts out much less power. 
  • boothguy
    boothguy Senior Contributor

    You can probably get a rebuilt 308 from Kostansek for $2000

    Really? Where do I get in line.
  • Frankvintagefullflowcom
    Frankvintagefullflowcom Senior Contributor
    Jason,
    I'm curious.......when you "plumbed-in" the oil pressure gauge, what source did you tap to install it?
    F
  • JasonNC
    JasonNC Expert Adviser
    I attached the oil pressure gauge to where the oil indicator switch is located.  I've cranked the car several times since then and the pressure is ~40 
  • Frankvintagefullflowcom
    Frankvintagefullflowcom Senior Contributor
    Jason,
    OK. If you installed at the pressure switch location and it is 40 at any time, then it's not the regulator spring.
    I re-read your opening post about this whole thing and am not convinced that the engine was thoroughly and correctly rebuilt to begin with. One guy's idea of "rebuilt" is not necessarily another's.
    Is your current "guru" the same one who performed the rebuild 15 years ago? If not, then no one may really know how it was done to begin with (assuming you weren't a "hands-on" party to the job). It's very difficult to analyze these situations from afar, especially without known, detailed history of past work.
    So, you're back to checking rod clearances and looking for internal clues. Check for clearance in the wrist pin bushings, too. They are often not replaced/sized in a "rebuild".
    F
  • JasonNC
    JasonNC Expert Adviser
    Frank,
    The guy that rebuilt the engine told me that it would last a lifetime.  Unfortunately, he must have been talking about his own as he died three days before Christmas.  As such, I have no way of knowing exactly what he did during the rebuild, only that he charged me $1300.00 more dollars than what he initially quoted.  My current guru is not the same guy and he's concerned about how much, if any, was machined off the crank.  Again, he's more used to working on old Chevys and Fords, but he can rebuild my engine if he chooses.  It's just a matter of getting the machine work done if needed.  
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