the rocker bolts are tight. the valve stays in the closed position. when i push against the push rod side of the rocker it feels the same as the others as far as up and down movement. the rocker it self is floppy loose. some of the others are loose but not as much and the rest of them are snug against the valve. rocker ball? is that where the pushrod fits?

back to the oil. the rockers all seem to be oiling good. pressure is still 70 at warm idle like before. i run napa 10w30, but when i was losing all the oil i refilled it with rotella 15w40 because thats all i had on hand in the shop.

thanks for sticking with me BigJim

The rocker ball is the bearing surface the rocker ROCKS on.
New they have grooves in them to retain oil for lubrecating the joint while the rocking is going on.. As they get old the grooves wear out and with the absence of the extra oil the wear increases. As the rockers we are speaking about do NOT have an adjustment available in the rocker itself.. any adjustment is done by taking out the original PUSH RODS and installing slightly longer ones.
What I have done in the past is to take all the sparks out and turn the engine by hand. Measuring the lift at each pushrod indivualy.. this will tell me if one or more camshaft lobes has went away.... Which I fear may be your problem.
A common problem with having a VALVE JOB done is the mechanic takes all the rockers and all the balls out and cleans them and then puts them back together RANDOMLY! This method increases the wear as all the parts that have worn to fit each other are no longer together.. I always keep them paired even if I have to WIRE them together for cleaning.
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

rocker ball! i know what your talking about now. ill check them tomorrow. as for measuring the pushrod lift, will the lift be the same for both intake and exhaust valves or will they be different?

All the intakes are the same and all the exhausts are the same. What you are looking for is ONE or more that are far shorter than the others.
The worst case is worn exhaust lobes. They make for all kinde of missing. I had one one time on a chevy that was terrible and would hardly run. I took both intake and exhaust pushrods out of that particular cylinder and bent the spark electrode SHUT so it would not spark.. Upon starting it I was really surprised. It hardly had a miss in it. I ran it for a few weeks until I got time to put a new camshaft in it. 7 cyls was a lot better than trying to run with one real bad one.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

today i drained the oil and filled the crank case with diesel and let it idle a few minutes then drained it and filled it with 10w30. this solved my pressure problem. i think there might have been something plugging the pressure release. i also noticed after doing this that some of the valves were opening more than before. i consulted a friend who said my problem might be that my hydraulic lifters had lost their prime and that could cause my pushrods to still move up and down but with less distance travelled and they would sit lower as well. so right now im thinking i need lifters and a cam.

bigjim, any thoughts on the lifters losing prime?

Lifters lose their prime under great spring force OR from lack of oil pressure. When they lose the prime they yell at the top of their ability!! Clicking and clacking till you shut off the engine. Nope! I'm fairly certain they were at top performance.
I'm thinking "someone" put some kind of oil additive in there with the oil.
Is it idling and running Ok now? Have you had it up and down the street?
After 30 or 40 miles change the oil and the filter again.. The diesel fuel that was left in there ain't doing your bearings any good. And YES there is some in there.
The camshaft in the 4.2 engine is not known to go away. If it now runs Ok I would leave well enough alone. A new cam might start an old engine to wear quickly from increased pressures.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

i did put some lucas in it last spring. but not since. it will idle. not good but it will idle. drove it down the road and the performance has not improved. missing, backfiring, 30 mph top spead.

I would install a new sparkbox and a new coil.. them are the weak links in the fireing system and need replaceing regularly anyway.
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

i measured my pushrods on the bad cylinder this morning and the are 9.53 inches. the haynes manual calls for 9.64 to 9.66. i called the parts store and they told me their book calls for 9.72 inches. should i buy the longer ones?

NOT unless the lifter is clicking!!! Longer may hold the valve open and not allow it to close all the way. If the valve is working without the lifter collapsing then you are getting all the cam lobe has!!!
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />