and it has new big ends now - it was a little knocky when cold !!!
im so chuffed - removed rockers - valves all reaching full height, i have a bent pushrod
cheers for all your advice hopefully have it sorted soon
Don't jump to that conclusion too soon. It may not be that. Good if it is though.
I wish I had seen this thread sooner, because there was a lot of hasty diagnosis going on, and conclusions being jumped to. Whatever that noise was, big ends it was not, and not much like mains either.
Everyone who has an engine should have and know how to use, a probe stethoscope. I have mine within reach right now. It is amazing how accurately "bad noises" can pinned down, even in some engines to the one rocker that's knocking because the gap has opened up.
Anyway, after all that are you saying YES, it was a bent pushrod all along?
This begs the next question - if that is true, how did the pushrod get bent?
It's not the sort of thing that happens all by itself. Practically always it happens because (1) the pistone and valve collide (broken timing belt etc) or (2) the engine sucks in something hard, like a stone, or a nut or bolt, whatever.
There aren't all that many possibilities, so which one was it if a bent pushrod was the problem?
Take care, and examine all 8 pushrods by rolling them, and it's best to keep them in order so they go back where they came out.
If the pushrods are all straight, start thinking there's probably a broken camshaft follower in there. They can be changed in situ but take care, and I think you'll need to take the cylinder head off to get them out. You probably don't want to damage the CAMSHAFT by running the engine for a second longer with a damaged follower.
Once you have worked out if it is a broken cam follower, there's not much choice what to do.