Crower roller rockers

[Vipermed 97.01]

i endorse a lot of crower products,just not this one,any roller rocker that is not shaft mounted is a disaster looking for a place to happen,they say do not rev past 5500 RPM,well rev limiter is a lot higher than that not to mention most dyno pulls,i have seen at least two motors destroyed as they can shift pushing on one side of the retainer causing the locks to pop off,well unfortunately then youre valve has nowhere else to go but freefall to piston,like i said crower makes a lot of great parts even for Vipers,just not there rockers,BEWARE

 

[Joe Dozzo]

That's too bad...

I have 22000 trouble free miles on my 98 GTS with Crowers. Might check K. Verges write-up over in the "How To" section...

On the whole, I can't say I'd do this particular mod again, bang-for-the-buck-wise, but in at least my case, no operational problems what-so-ever.

 

[Bad_Byte]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joe Dozzo:
That's too bad...

I have 22000 trouble free miles on my 98 GTS with Crowers. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When I bought my 94 it had about 11,500 trouble free miles. I never knew there was a problem until I actually looked.

You must be registered for see images

 

[Vipermed 97.01]

that is exactly what happens sure am glad you caught that you were very close,they use a "washer guide" on each side of the roller, yours are no longer even there ,T&Ds are the way to go,arrow also makes decent rockers

 

[kverges]

I have 30,000+ miles with three Vipers using Crowers on all of them with no problems and track time on all the Vipers. That pic looks like the retaining washers were never there and it looks like there is a stud girdle, so I wonder if those Crowers are the Viper-specific parts. I have heard of people just buying Crower rocker arms and going from there. Setting valve lash properly is critical to the Crowers; some people complain of catastrophic failures, but in each case someone other than the owner installed the Crowers, so I wonder whether the installer would point to themself, rather than the part, for destroying a Viper Engine.

Then again, if you aren't 100% confident of the install, then Crowers might not be the choice for you.

FWIW

 

[Vipermed 97.01]

yea that must be it silly me i stand corrected,but why not spend the money on a part that the manufacturer does not have to use a disclaimer on going to an RPM range that most Viper owners go to on a regular basis,after all these arent cheap investments we have here,

 

[kverges]

I was just relaying my personal experience and the fact that I have had good luck with Crower roller rockers specifically designed for the Viper. I was unaware of any 5500 rpm restrictions or caveats from Crower (see more below) - I will say that the design is such that valve float has more dire consequences than with guideplate or shaft rockers. I would therefore not recommend the Crowers (without guideplates) for rpms beyond stock. Then again, I have also installed guideplate rockers that presented problems because the guideplates did not perfectly align the roller tip over the valve stem.

It just is a matter of principle to me that those without personal, hands-on knowledge should not malign anyone else's product.

For example, the 5500 rpm linit sure does not come from Crower; the Crower web site reads as follows:

High Ratio Rocker Kit #73663K
Features a stainless steel rocker body and self-aligning roller tip. Comes with 7/16" top and 3/8" bottom studs. Bolt-on, no machine work required, no guide plate hassles. Works well up to 6300 rpm with stock pushrods and valve springs. Fits stock valve covers, no cutting.

FWIW

 

[Vipermed 97.01]

as far as youre principle goes i DO have first hand knowledge,i would not even think of stating anything but fact that i have not PERSONALLY seen myself,i dont care what there webb site says,on the crower box that contains the rockers it states with a bright orange sticker "DO NOT REV BEYOND 5500 RPM OR ENGINE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR"i do not feel i am "malign" a product just stating facts that i have seen,after all isnt that what this forum is for,for some reason you take this as a personell attack,i am very happy that you have had so many trouble free miles with this product and i sincerely hope you continue to do so,i am pretty sure i am not the only shop that has witnessed this problem,just for the sake of arguing call crower and ask them if this disclaimer is not on there box,ask for Brian Crower,i have dealt with them for a lot of years and think they make great products as a matter of fact they custom grind all of my cams,so i am in no way trying to bash this vendor,just not very comfortable with the reliability of this particular item

 

[kverges]

Well if the box has info contrary to their web site advertising, then you are right, Crower has a problem here. The sets I installed (over a year ago on the latest) had no disclaimers about 5500 rpm, but if they have added disclaimers and you can't go to the factory rev limit, then the parts are not worth installing.

Perhaps I will call Brian Crower on this.

No personal attack intended, just observing.

 

[Vic]

Thank God for the Search key, and thank God for the VCA! When I found this thread, I was contemplating the Crowers for casual use, but if they got that 5500 rpm disclaimer, then screw it, I'll spend a bit more and get something I can feel confident with.

Art, I don't think those are the Crowers made for the Viper. The ones made for the Viper have washer ratainers on each side of the roller, to keep the arm from rotating. Yours may actually be Crowers, (as well as other brands), but not the Viper specific ones that Crower makes. The retaining washers wouldn't fit in the existing space that was there before the wear started. Maybe your rocker arms weren't sitting square with the valve stem, which allowed an end play thrust to cause the roller to lean on one side of the arm, which could cause the wear patterns that your picture shows?

 

[Snakester]

I've had the Crower Rockers for about 4000 miles with no problems.

-Dean.