4 Symptoms of a Bad Rocker Arm
Rocker arms are not well known for people but it is very important component of the internal combustion engine. Any kind of fault and damage to rocker arm will reduce the power of the engine and even it can cause complete failure of the engine. So it is very important to know about its possible issues and know when replacement of rocker arm is necessary.
What is Rocker Arm and How Does It Work?
Rocker is located between the intake and exhaust valves and pushrods which are connected with crankshaft below the engine. When the crankshaft rotates it cause up and down movement of the pushrods, then the pushrods pushed and pulled the rocker arm to rock up and down which cause opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. The broken and loose rocker arm cause poor performance of the engine, the engine will be enable to take the full load of the vehicle and in severe cases engine failed to start.
Common Symptoms of the Bad Rocker Arm:
1 Clicking or Ticking Noises:
When you start the engine and you hear the clicking or ticking noises when you start the engine, you should check the rocker arm or its surrounding components visually check the rocker arm while engine is running and if you hear the noise, damaged rocker arm get stuck and doesn’t open and close the valves properly. There are also many other possibilities which causes of strange noises in the internal combustion chamber like worn crankshaft, warped valves and lack of proper lubrication for moving parts of the engine. If you don’t find any visible fault in the rocker arm but you are still hearing strange noises then go to the mechanic to fix this issue.
2 Weak Engine Performance or Stalling:
For the proper function of the engine it is vital the intake and exhaust valves of the engine open and closes at right time, therefore timing is very crucial factor for the efficient and fuel saving performance of the vehicle. If there is fault in the rocker arm you will notice that the performance and power of the engine is very poor. When the rocker arms are completely worn out then the engine will suffer to the point of stalling while driving and if you don’t replace the rocker arm a time will come when engine will not even start until you replace the damaged rocker arm.
3 Engine Light On:
The modern vehicles can find the weak engine performance due to its AI system installed in them which diagnosis the engine, and will warn the driver by turning on the engine light, you should not ignored this alarming indicator on infotainment system. If you find your vehicle engine light is turned on then run a diagnostic scan to check any stored codes like DTC codes are related rocker arm will be P2646, P2647, if you find any of these code then check your vehicle to mechanic immediately.
4 Physical Deterioration:
When you heard the noises of ticking or clicking, remove the valve cover and visually inspect the rocker arm to find any kind of metal pieces below the rocker arm because valve tip and rocker arm grind together due to friction and cause damage to the surface of the rocker arm. If you find any degraded rocker arm even if no other symptoms are present, then these damaged rocker arm should be replaced as soon as possible because problems will soon gonna appear as time passes.
