Bent Push Rob Saga

TWO BROKEN PUSH RODS Saga! Hi all!! I have a 318 in a Plymouth Duster I rebuilt with my dad about 15 years ago. The car/engine hasn't been driven very much, probably less than 1,000 miles.

So the complete back story:

A few months ago I noticed that cylinder two (front most passenger side) exhaust wasn’t getting hot. But the engine was starting and running alright without that cylinder. I pulled the valve cover and found cylinder twos intake push rod bent very bad. Ordered some new ones. Put the new push rod in and unknowingly reassembled the rocker shaft incorrectly with some of the spacers in the wrong places. Not knowing this at the time, I tried starting the reassembled engine and heard some terrible knocking, so I opened up the valve cover and found the new push rod on cylinder twos intake bent and cylinder 6’s intake push rod bent.

I disassembled the rockers. I checked the valves and lifters and from what I could tell they were moving fine. Nothing seized. I used a scope to look at the top of the pistons and did not see any clear contact/damage. This is also when I realized I had assembled the rocker assembly with the spacers placed incorrectly. So I reassembled with new push rods on those cylinders and the rocker spacers in the right spot. I turned over the engine by hand. Everything moved fine but there was a strange hissing sound that I couldn’t determine where it was coming from. I turned it over with the starter and coil disconnected so it wouldn’t start and everything sounded fine. Then I tried to start it. The engine started up immediately but there was this terrible knocking sound so after a few seconds of it running I shut it off. I cringed as I opened up the passenger side valve cover expecting more bent push rods but found them all straight. I reassembled and tried starting again and now the engine is struggling to start and is making a ton of popping sounds. Some air even shot out of the intake air filter. I wish I could post a video on here to show you.

I’m stumped. It seems like my timing is off now? Maybe? Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts and what I should check next.