Push Rod Locations And Rocker Arm Torque
See procedure below for 3.1L and 3.4L in many Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile models. Malibu, Classic, Lumina, Alero, Regal, Century, Grand Prix, Grand Am, Montana, Transport, Venture van, Silhouette, etc.
1999 Pontiac 3.4 V6 3400. Question:
Top of motor tore down for oil getting in coolant. Gaskets. Found bad at coolant
jackets. To replace intake gaskets what is the procedure for installing correct length push rods in
the right spot and valve adjustment after taking push rods out of way to get gaskets. I am former
gm tech years ago, now heavy truck.
Thank you for the generous Tip / Donation. Answer:
There is no special valve adjustments on this motor as was the case with the older Chevy small
block. Rocker arms are just torqued to specs. The most important thing is that the push rods are
installed correctly. They are different lengths. GM recommends new lower intake bolts, and have
updated the torque specs on the rocker arms and lower intake bolts.
More Questions For...
pontiac grand amANSWER:
The intake and exhaust rocker / Pushrods are labeled in the picture below.
Exhaust pushrods are longer than intake. Intake valves are closer to the valley of the engine.
Torque spec on rocker arms is:
14 NM (124 in.lbs.) plus 30 degrees
Lower intake bolts:
long bolts- 13 NM (115 in. lbs.)
Short Bolts- 25 NM (18 FT. lbs.)
Pushrod Positions
1- Exhaust rods (Longer) are in this position
2- Intake rods (Shorter) are in this position

Bolt part numbers
11588914 long
11588915 short
No compression on 3.4 V6 Aztec, replaced one cylinder head only but did remove push rods etc
from both to replace gaskets, also turned the engine over without push rods good compression,
left overnight still no compression any one have any ideas I am stumped. Lifters?
Sound like you have the push rods in the wrong order.
Check them again using picture above.
I'm working on a 3.4l but when i tighten the rockers i have no compression and i have push tube
in the order they should be can my lifters be bad this car set for awhile
Sitting for a long time will absolutely cause the lifters to
be very hard to pump up. Either they will need to be
replaced, or you can run the engine for a while to see if
they will. Running too long though can cause other
engine damage.
When u open a valve cover to a 3.1 v6 on an olds cutlass? Were the rocker arms supposed to
be loose?
Well, no they should not be loose. If they are the rocker
arm studs may have pulled the threads out of the
cylinder head. If that happened you would need to drill
tap and using Helli-Coil to repair.
I just completed this job, and after assembly car worked and ran fine. Made a
test drive of 3-5 miles, Axel from stop as well as while moving. Drove car back
home, idled for a few means, then drove a longer distance. After maybe 5
miles, stopped at a red light, and noticed what sounded like valves tapping,
then upon pressing the gas to accelerate, car seemed to lose power and
'check engine' light started blinking. Is it possible the rocker arm bolts could
have been improperly torqued?
Yes, this sounds like at least one of the rocker studs has
pulled its treads out of the cylinder head. This is causing
a misfire, thus the blinking check engine light. I would
suspect it is the one or more that were improperly
torqued. There is a repair kit to fix this. It comes with a
drill, tap and dye, and insert.
Had a rattle noise in my 3.4l engine, misfiring on #4 cylinder, removed the valve cover found that
the treads are stripped out of the head, do you think a Hellicoil will be strong enough to repair.
Yes, a thread repair kit will do the trick and will actually
be stronger than the factory setup. Just make sure when
you drill and tap for the Helicoil, that is it absolutely
straight with the original hole. You don't to be off any
when dealing with a rocker arm and valve train
components. Use some red Loctite on the threads of the
insert before you screw it into place.
while replacing my push rods I mistakenly placed an exhaust rods in an intake rods place.. I
noticed while tightening (with 3/8' ratchet)A distinct noise and bent the push rod. IS there a way
to know if I bent the valve or cracked the piston without removing the head again?
If you did not start the vehicle, you're probably ok and
just bent the push rod. I would install a new correct size
push rod, and after getting everything tightened back
down, turn the motor over by hand to make sure there is
nothing damaged and no interference.
I just installed a rebuilt head and when I tighten down the #3 an #5 on the 3.4 I can see the intake
valve open which gives me no compression when I check it with air. We don't know why so their
sending me another head for my old head when put back on doesn't open the valve the
Pushrods are correct the torque is proper an ideas why?
Some of the valves opening when you tighten down the
rockers is normal. Which ones that open depends on the
position of the camshaft. The part that does not make
sense is that they did not do this after re-installing the
old cylinder head.
I did the same thing that an earlier poster did in that I torqued the push rod bolt to 124 FOOT
lbs. stripping the cylinder head. You commented saying that there was a repair kit to fix this???
Where could I find this repair kit? Thanks
The thread repair kit can be found at any local parts store.