issue with rocker arm on exhaust side

[irishkael]

i have a 87 with the 2.6L. with in the last couple of days its started ticking/ knocking all the time. I mean from the time it starts, and all the way through the rpm range. i decided to take off the valve cover and check things out to see if it was in the head. the first rocker arm on the exhaust side has play in it. all the others are tight and seem to be where they are supposed to be. my question is, would it be just the rocker arms or would it extend to other parts of the head. any help would be appreciated.

[camoit]

If it's has hydraulic adjusters you can replace them with new ones. They go bad for no reason some times. Wont hurt anything. We should have the manual in pdf format in the manual section.

[irishkael]

so i took the valve cover off again at work today and noticed some metal pieces laying around in the oil. looks like the very top of the valve (not a big piece) broke off. which wouldve probably caused the rocker arm to go bad. next question is how hard is it to pull the head and replace the valve and rocker arm

[camoit]

Are you sure it's the valve and not just rocker arm chunks. I would first pull the rocker arm assembly and verify the valve condition. They are normally harder then the rocker arm. Then you can go deeper if necessary. A head is not to hard to pull but you should not do something your not comfortable doing. But you need to avoid driving it to reduce the chance of something bigger going wrong now that you have seen broken parts. OH and always work on the engine at #1TDC and turn the engine over BY HAND,, after doing major internal work. The starter will bend parts if something is put back together incorrectly. And take pictures for reference before you take something apart.