Valve Springs

[sixty5slug]

Those of you with full drag setups. Do you remove your rocker arms in between seasons after being refreshed? Any concerns with valve springs losing their tensile strength?

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Interesting question, one I haven't heard brought up in a long time.

Metal does age and the spring rate (in this case) can change if the valve adjustment isn't reduced. Each valve would be at a different height with some being set lower by the cam and rocker arms than others which would have the rocker arms sitting higher.

Not sure about the spring rates (easy to assume that they would change also being compressed) if the rocker arms were removed or loosened up but I suspect that they could get weaker with age also even with just the adjustment for their installation.

It was a common thing years ago that if the engine wasn't to be used for a while (time?) that you loosened up on the rocker arms. I built an engine maybe close to 20 years ago and it has never been run. I did not adjust the valves, but the valves are in place and under installation adjustment load. Also, since the cam was a re-grind to a high lift, short duration (torque) I wasn't too sure of it's surface life either, another reason for no valve adjustment.

I tried some other searches, but the titles of the searches I used got me into other non-applicable things. Remember words (and meanings) in one area may mean something else in other areas and in different countries so that could also be as close as "down the street" and age dialogue also . My job got me into this problem several times as the word facial, body attitude and hand gestures are also in the play/for clarity.

Lee

[WickedWagens]

I either start it every month or two and bring it up to temperature to burn off any condensation and exercise seals etc or I will pull the rocker arms and store them until the next season.

[sixty5slug]

I pulled them. Thanks for the responses