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MG TD TF 1500 - Ever seen one this worn?

This is the rocker arm from my motor. I have no clue how many miles this rocker arm, or if it has ever been replaced.

Note the pattern of the oil galleys worn into the bushing. The wear is significant.

I wonder if this motor went a long way between oil changes, or if it got some fine grit in it or something. It is hard to believe that the softer bushings wore into the rocker arm steel without some other abrasion going on.

Second post will have a closeup of one of the worn areas.


David Littlefield

Here is the closeup. You can see the wear is significant, not just a matter of the parts polishing each other slightly.


David Littlefield

Mine was worse than that when I pulle dthe engine back in 98. sent it off to Rocker Arm Specialists in CA and it came back better than new.
Tom Maine (TD8105)

Yes, pretty typical. I think my original was worse.
George Butz

I replaced the shaft in my 52 TD in 1963 or 64, so it's not a new problem. I think it was worse than yours, but my memory ain't much these days. I had bushings for the rockers, too, but the oil pressure came up nicely with just the shaft, and a married college student doesn't have much extra $ for a shop to press them in & hone them, so it never got done. Plus my wife didn't like walking 3 miles to work, nor I about the same to classes.
A W Parker

I don't know if this is a factor or not, but I've noticed a number of cars with accessory air filters and nothing on the open port on the valve cover. An open breather hole is an open invitation for dust and dirt to get sucked in to the engine, spreading over the rocker shaft and rocker arms. This probably would cause more bushings and rocker shaft wear. Zinc or not, today's oils are much better at keeping wear down on the bushings.
-David
D. Sander

I agree with what everyone has said - that wear is totally nornmal. Get it rebuild by Rocker Arm Specialists.

Tom Lange
Bar Harbor, Maine
t lange

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought that amount of wear would be typical. I wonder how well the thing gets oiled while running.

I should have figured there'd be a company that specializes in rocker arms. :)

I dropped mine off at the local machine shop this morning to have the bushings pressed in and reamed.
David Littlefield

That's quite usual. Replacement rocker shafts are cheap enough to change them every 30K mls. when wear stars to show up.
R.S. Ralph Siebenhaar

<<I agree with what everyone has said - that wear is totally nornmal. Get it rebuild by Rocker Arm Specialists.>>

How much does this usually cost?

Frank
Frank Cronin

Rocker Arm Specialists is now rockerarms.com

http://www.rockerarms.com/

Jim
James Neel TD28423

I seem to recall that the charge was about $120 last time I used them (a couple of years ago). They do great work, but you MUST recheck their assembly of the components on the shaft. Bud
Bud Krueger

As Bud says, check the assembly.

It is possible to install the Rocker shaft 180 degrees out and upside down, in which case there is no oiling going on.

It is one of the first things I check when waking up a sleeping XPAG.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

I recalled seeing a "hard chrome" uprated rocker arm shaft. Looks like FTFU sells it for about $40 more than the Moss version. Anyone have any experience with these?
David Littlefield

This thread was discussed between 19/12/2011 and 20/12/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

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