Why does the SR20 need Rocker Retainers?Updated 33 minutes ago

The rocker arms in the SR20DE and SR20DET hydraulic head aren't fixed in place. One end sits on the lash adjuster, the other on the valve, and only valve spring pressure holds them there.

What goes wrong

A known SR20 weak point is rocker arms dislodging on the rev limiter, during a misfire, or on an over-rev such as a missed shift. Anything that unloads the valve spring for a split second can let a rocker walk off its lash adjuster.

Once a rocker is loose, that valve no longer opens properly. You might notice a misfire or low power. If the loose rocker gets caught in the valvetrain, it can cause serious engine damage.

Nissan fitted spring clips to hold the rockers on the solid lifter GTI-R head from the factory. The SR20DE and SR20DET hydraulic heads in the Silvia, 180SX, 200SX, Pulsar and others didn't get them.

How our kits help

Both of our SR20 kits replace the factory lash adjusters with Denstoj parts that have a retaining groove, plus a clip over each of the 8 rocker arms:

• Hydraulic Lash Adjusters with Rocker Retainers: a drop-in replacement for street, drift and track cars on hydraulic cams
• Solid Pivot Conversion with Rocker Retainers: for serious high-RPM builds with a Kelford Cams 186-series solid lifter camshaft

In normal running, the clip doesn't affect how the rocker works. If the rocker tries to lift off, the clip is designed to catch it and hold it in place until valve spring pressure returns. This reduces the risk of a dropped rocker.

Not a band-aid

Rocker Retainers don't make the rocker arms stronger or raise your safe rev limit, and a severe over-rev can still break the clips. We still strongly recommend correctly shimmed dual rocker guides and a well-tuned fuel cut rev limiter.

Next: Which SR20 engines do Denstoj kits fit? and SR20: hydraulic lash adjusters or solid lifters?