So I replaced my timing chain guides yesterday and opened up the oil pan to fish out the broken piece of guide but instead found this little guy in the pan:




I believe this comes from a rocker arm valve lash adjuster tip? So I believe this little guy has been floating around for quite some time now because the previous owner didn't do the best job maintaining this car (ex - 5 oil pan bolts were finger tightened). I do not want to buy all new rocker arms because it gets pretty expensive quickly. Can I just replace the one that is bad? My local junkyard seems to sell rocker arms for less than $5 but I'd probably just buy the entire head with camshaft for $65 so I have tons of spares.

Am I okay to keep driving until I find some spare rocker arms to swap in? Or should I park the car for now? Luckily I won't be daily driving for a while so no harm to park it for a while, but honestly it could have been broken off for the past year since the oil pan hasn't been pulled in at least the year that I've had the car.

Thanks in advance!

 

Here’s a thread about Chrysler lash caps and being available individually, including input from an Engineer who worked on part of the development of the motor:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ter-clips.html

 

Thanks! I did find that thread and saw where the Mini Engineer said the caps are just for assembly purposes and wouldn’t have an effect on the running of the motor. Is this true?

 

So just a follow up to my above question, it seems like that post from the engineer was the only place I could find about the caps being only for assembly. So far everywhere else I find says that if the caps are broken/missing to replace the entire rocker arm since the lifters aren't really made to be removed.

 

somewhere in your car there is a little metal lash cap you need to find it, it's very easy to knock those retainers and the cap off if you work on the car, it might still be on the rocker if you are lucky.

you can buy replacement plastic caps, later rocker arms have metal caps that wont come off. I went with some 3.8 dodge lifters, same part and pulled the caps off

 

Ah okay thanks! So the plastic cap holds the metal lash cap onto the lifter? Do you know if there is a way to change just the lifters and not the entire rocker arm? Or are you saying that I can just find the Dodge 3.8 lifters and change all my lifters to have the metal caps instead of plastic?

Thanks!

 

if you want the metal retainer style rocker arms you would have to buy them complete, not sure where to get them my late 06 JCW came with them.

The 3.8L lifter caps are plastic, basically you buy the lifter only for a few dollars and pop the plastic cap off and put it on your lifter. The part number was posted here on nam a few years ago you'll have to dig a bit to find it, it was a 3.8 or 3.6 if I recall

 

Awesome, thanks! Sounds like it may be tough to find the metal lifter caps, but I will try!