should the valve pushrods look like this ?

[DMan1198]

Looks like heat discolouration due to welding to me

[PToombs]

Put them all on a bench and even out the bottom with a straight edge, then see if any of the tops look shorter than the others. They don't look too bad to me either though.

[jethro]

I just remembered I have a 24 inch dial micrometer- I don't know what the length should be-
but I can see if they are all the same !

Will let you know the results......

Tim

OK just dialed each pushrod.
The 12 rods ranged in length from a low of 10.895 inches to a high of 10.906 inches.
3 of them were exactly 10.900
6 of them were +or - .oo2 of 10.900

I may upgrade them anyway to a one piece 4130 with a thicker wall-like a max-spool or similar. from what I have read-
a stronger pushrod is a win-win thing.

Tim

[Michael Yankovitch]

That is perfectly normal. The pushrods are assembled by inductive/resistance welding process where the ends are pushed into the tube and welded simultaneously. That is why you see heat staining and the weird seam which you thought was a crack. I would be more concerned about the surface finish and condition of the socket and ball (even shape with no scoring or fretting). I would put them in some "vee" blocks with a dial indicator and check for run-out if your that concerned.

[jethro]

OK- that's useful info to know about the induction welds......
I will rig up something to lay them in and dial indicate in the middle.

One other visual thing that bothered me was that it looked like the upper socket was tilted a little bit crooked
in the tube- like the socket is not "pointing" parallel the the bore of the tube body.

Tim

[oldestof11]

Run FAR away from Maxspool and that narcissistic egomaniac.

Hamilton, Manning Motorsports are 2 I would heavily recommend for customer service and quality,

[DMan1198]

The Hamilton stuff is definitely a nice product. I've been running their springs and pushrods in my 4th gen for a while now, and have been very pleased

[Michael Yankovitch]

OK- that's useful info to know about the induction welds......
I will rig up something to lay them in and dial indicate in the middle.

One other visual thing that bothered me was that it looked like the upper socket was tilted a little bit crooked
in the tube- like the socket is not "pointing" parallel the the bore of the tube body.

Tim

From your previous pictures, I couldn't see any issues. must be a very slight angle. If there is a severe angle to the socket when it was pressed/welded than it could cause irregular wear on the ball or socket. Compare it to your other ones that are aligned straighter and compare the ball on your rocker arms to the other ones. If they all look the same, I really don't see the need to be worried. Although I must say from personal experience, buying a genuine Cummins replacement part when in doubt gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. After suspecting the previous owner of my engine replaced the turbo with a Chinese "Ebay" turbo I bought a Holset CHRA. Feels good knowing I have a good quality part instaed of uncertainty.

[jethro]

OK....... I wont touch max-spool !
I may just do new cummins- depending how they price out compared to the other chrome-molly ones.....

Tim

[DMan1198]

Hamilton extreme duty pushrods are about $300 a set. I Figured for my goals they're worth it on 2 of my trucks at least