Wire retainer in heads. What does it do?

[Kevin Lewis]

I am replacing the push rod tubes and seals in my 914-4 1.7L. I completed the driver side what a pleasure that was. I am working on the passenger side and the retaining wire that clips in the knotches on the rocker arm assembly is badly bent on one end. Do I really need to put this thing back in? What happens if I leave it out? If someone has a picture of one out of the car I could use it to reshape the thing so it will fit back in correctly. I need a picture of the passenger side if it different from the other side. Please can anybody give me some insight on this little bugger.
Kevin

[BenI]

You need it in there. The squarish tangs that stick out perch on the lips of the pushrod tubes so they don't want to pop out.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The wires are the same on the driver's and passenger's side. You may have the one upside down, or something similar...

When you install it, make sure that the bits that poke downward sit on the "shoulders" of the pushrod tubes. If they poke down the tube, they will wear notches into the pushrods. I've seen many worn like that...

--DD

[John Rogers]

If you can't straighten the one you have or find another one, don't panic. You can get by without them and the pushrod tubes will not fall out. On my race engine with the Pauter roller rockers, there is not enough room for them. We use a synthetic grease on the ends of the tubes and orings and make sure they are seated well. So far no problems in several years of racing. Good luck.

[Zeke]

While John says he doesn't need them, and I respect John's knowledge, I would install them. They keep a little pressure on the case end of the pushrod seal.

[Kevin Lewis]

Thank you all for the new knowledge. I wasn't sure what the retaining wire actually did. I will rebend the end into a similar shape as close as possible to the good end. I used Permetex White/Teflon on the head side and a blue Permetex on the case side, per a thead I found in PP. I hate to see oil on the ground under my little sports car.
Kevin

[Zeke]

I massaged the smaller case o rings with Hylomar and I'm bone dry so far. I used the teflon on the head side believing that the o ring moved a little with expansion and contraction (I may have been on that thread). I had a leak develop on the head side and then it went away before I had a chance to pull out the tube. It might come back, we'll see.

[peter carroll]

Keeps the teeth straight after the braces are gone. Sorry

[HMeeder]

but IIRC Jake Raby doesn't use them. He uses the Teflon Pipe seal. Hope I'm not misquoting him.

[Kevin Powers]

kevin, keep on fighting the good fight buddy. as mentioned above get them on correctly or you'll be pulling the rockers again.

kevin

[Poor-sche Lover]

I am currently in the midst of a similar project. The PO did put them in incorrectly, and I now have beautiful silvery bands around each of my pushrods. It's pretty, really. . . . Anyway, I was trying to figure out how they went in, and my Haynes (read Heinous) manual tells me that they go around the head studs. I think they go in the gaps in the large bolt things that hold together the rocker assembly. Which is correct?

[JWest]

The latter is correct, they go in the slots in the rocker shaft holders.

[sammyg2]

If you leave them out you will get 50% better gas mileage

[Kevin Powers]

sometimes you really have to look at the pictures in the haynes. sometimes they appear to be printed upside down. the f torsion adjuster pic is weird in mine i believe. " wilst holding with adj spanner..." haynes speak for cresent wrench.

kevin