- Joined
- Aug 18, 2002
- Messages
- 2,056
I'm reassembling my 289 and am at the point where I've primed the engine for oil and have adjusted my rocker arms. The issue I'm having is that all my rocker arms are getting good oil flow except one. The #5 exhaust valve (passenger side, furthest forward) rocker is not getting oil. (I'm priming with a hand drill)
I've double checked that the (new) pushrod is not clogged. Same with the rocker arm oil hole. I even swapped that particular lifter, pushrod and rocker arm with another cylinder that is getting good oil. Result is the same. No oil at #5 exhaust rocker.
When I installed my oil galley plugs I drilled a small hole in the oil galley plug right at the distributor to help oil it. It's not stock, but a trick I've heard for many years and read several times. I'm wondering if that hole is possibly not allowing pressure to build at that lifter. It just seems too coincidental that the lifter/pushrod/rocker closest to that oil galley plug is the one I'm having oiling problems with.
Any thoughts?
For some context, this is a full (stock) rebuild. The engine was completely disassembled and the block and heads were baked & blasted by a machine shop. So it's not like a crusty engine that's been sitting and may have clogged up oil passages.
I took the problem lifter out, ran the oil priming drill again and can see oil getting into the lifter area from the passage just rear of it. It just seems like there's not enough pressure. Yet I have a pressure gauge hooked up reading 50 PSI when the drill is going.
Pic below showing the oil galley plug with the hole drilled. (upper right plug)
Pic of #5 exhaust valve rocker not getting oil:
I've double checked that the (new) pushrod is not clogged. Same with the rocker arm oil hole. I even swapped that particular lifter, pushrod and rocker arm with another cylinder that is getting good oil. Result is the same. No oil at #5 exhaust rocker.
When I installed my oil galley plugs I drilled a small hole in the oil galley plug right at the distributor to help oil it. It's not stock, but a trick I've heard for many years and read several times. I'm wondering if that hole is possibly not allowing pressure to build at that lifter. It just seems too coincidental that the lifter/pushrod/rocker closest to that oil galley plug is the one I'm having oiling problems with.
Any thoughts?
For some context, this is a full (stock) rebuild. The engine was completely disassembled and the block and heads were baked & blasted by a machine shop. So it's not like a crusty engine that's been sitting and may have clogged up oil passages.
I took the problem lifter out, ran the oil priming drill again and can see oil getting into the lifter area from the passage just rear of it. It just seems like there's not enough pressure. Yet I have a pressure gauge hooked up reading 50 PSI when the drill is going.
Pic below showing the oil galley plug with the hole drilled. (upper right plug)
Pic of #5 exhaust valve rocker not getting oil:
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