Hi,
i presume on a small block LA the rockers oil like a big block?At 2 different points you will get oil feed to the rocker shaft.The last 318 i did oiled to the top on #1 and #6 TDC
i have a customer supplied motor that will not oil to the shafts - i have rotated the motor over and checked at about every 15-20 degrees of crank.
i have taken the rockers off,crane,and found the shaft were fitted incorrectly which does not give me a great amount of faith in the rest of the motor build up.This is a 408ci with Eddy heads.
With hand priming,spinning,the oil pump i have oil to the lifter galley.There is oil drain back in the valley.
Bearings misaligned ?
Thoughts ?

Tex

Use a piece of 1/16 tig rod(or something similar) and
with the rocker shafts off poke through the rocker
feed holes to make sure they are open... then the
next thing would be the cam bearing might be spun or
installed wrong(the holes not lined up) in the #2
and #4 cam journals.... keep the rocker shafts off
till you figure out whats hapening

Thanks MrPeabody,
this motor has never been fired since the being built.my bet would be the cam bearings
though i will put a rod down both feed holes to confirm
Tex

The only other thing I can think of is the head gaskets...
put on wrong BUT if they are then the alignment pins
arent in there

MrPeabody,
if you didn't know about the the bearing feed i guess both bearing could be wrong.
Head gasket i would have thought even without dowels the alignment would be close enough - maybe not.
thanks again

Tex

MrPeabody,
are there supposed to be necked headbolts with the eddy head ?

Tex

what yr engine block? what cam? some of the magnum roller cams are not drilled to oil the LA rockers.

some magnum blocks are not drilled to oil LA rockers.

IIRC,magnum head gaskets would block the oil feed on a LA block.

ok,thanks for the reply
engine casting date appears to be 24 4 90
casting number - 53008921360
if this is a magnum block you would need pushrod oiling plus don't the magnum motors use a pedestal type rocker similar to a chev ?
looking down where the oil feed port in the head is you can see the head bolt,ptting a rod down there only goes about 1 1/2"

Tex

Two thoughts on this - either the cam bearings are not in properly (I've found a couple brands that the holes will block off as much as 1/2 the feed hole...) Ort he hardeware that holds the rocker shafts down could be closking the passage in the heads. Pull the rocker shafts and see if there's any oil coming up when you preoil and turn the engine over. If not, I'd pull the cam out...

there is no oil with the shafts off

Tex

Then it's in the bearings or gasket...

or magnum block not drilled

thanks

Tex

Mr Peabody,

thanks
will discuss with owner

Tex

Pull one head

Cab,
that will be this arvo or tomorrow morning


Tex

I bought new edelbrock aluminium heads few years ago and didnt get any oil to the rockers at first. Oil passage in the head was not drilled through so the blockage was in the head.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the oil go from the block, up past the head bolt, then along the bolt to a passage that goes up to the pedestal? I would think it'd be pretty difficult to get a piece of wire down past the head bolt and into the lower hole that lines up with the hole in the deck surface. Only way to know is to pull a head and check things out that way. I think the magnum head gaskets are drilled, but in case they aren't and you aren't sure if you have magnum gaskets or not, the magnum head gaskets have areas that the pushrods go through. Separate holes for each pushrod that is. If they misaligned the holes in the cam bearings then the cam won't be receiving oil either. If I remember correctly there's three holes per bearing on #2 and 4, so as long as the hole up from the main lines up, you'll have oil to the deck as well. I think I would disassemble the whole engine. Doesn't sound like the most trustworthy builder.