Still having valve problems.

RobG

RobG

Member
Ok, the best I can figure now is the lifters are not pumping up. I've replaced the lifters on my 152, checked the head, and everything else related to the valves. The only thing I can come up with is the oil galley for the lifters is not pressurizing properly. I pulled the front cover to see if a galley plug was left out but it doesn't look like there is one in the front. Does the lifter galley feed from the back cam bearing? If it does what is the best way to fix it? I'm guessing the bearing was put in wrong and blocking the oil passage. Do I have to pull the engine or does the oil feed from another place?

Rob gimmel
 
Every ihc-produced I-4 and sv engine block has the oil supply port drilled completely through the block rob, front to rear. In the front, that hole is behind the distributor drive shaft and is terminated with a 1/4" npt plug.

This picture shows the plugged hole, look to the left of the cam bearing hole and to the left/above of the punchout on the block and you can see a plugged orifice. This is a 152 block from a very early 1961 engine.

The rear of this lifter lubrication gallery is behind the plate on the rear of the block where the #5 cam bearing is installed. It is normally that position where the cam bearing was not installed correctly as far as any issue affecting the lifter galley system is concerned.

Once the #5 bearing is installed with the perpendicular holes aligned, I then use a die grinder to slightly modify and eliminate any overhang of the bearing shell where it affects the oiling hole. An I-4 engine block has only one single lifter gallery/hole. An sv engine has one on each side.

So in order to actually service that rear area, the engine must come out and the flywheel must be removed for access. There are at least two different rear cam bearing cap gaskets normally found in a gasket set for that position also, so the correct gasket must be selected that matches the block itself.
 

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This is a picture of the rear cam bearing hole with a new bearing installed along with the camshaft. This is a 345 engine, your engine will have only an oil feed hole on the right-hand side to contend with, otherwise the oiling systems are identical.

This cam bearing overhung both oil orifices to a degree once it was properly centered in the block port. So a bit of handwork using a die grinder took care of that situation, and...then the proper gasket for the design of the block was selected from the set.

This particular area is exactly why many shops and individuals have such a problem with making these engines lubricate after the big bucks are spent on a rebuild, they simply don't pay enough attention to the assembly process.

Going back to the the beginning of this issue, have you completely performed the entire lubrication system analysis using the drill motor-powered drive for the oil pump with the oil pressure gauge installed? When doing that for an extended period, did you look down through each pushrod hole and watch the lubrication issue in the lifter gallery throughout it's entire length?
 

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Thanks michael, does the rocker assembly lubricate from the same galley as the lifters because I'm getting oil to the rockers.


Rob gimmel
 
robg said:
thanks michael, does the rocker assembly lubricate from the same galley as the lifters because I'm getting oil to the rockers.


Rob gimmel
Click to expand...

Nope! The rocker assembly and upper valve train lubricates from #4 cam bearing. The lifter gallery lubricates off the rear cam bearing. #2 cam bearing lubes the timing gears and distributor.

Have you read and performed the steps included in this thread:

http://www.forums.IHPartsAmerica.co...I-4-sv-engine-non-oiling-rocker-assembly.html

That includes printing both documents provided and then making a full study of both.
 
Michael,
if you removed the oil galley plugs behind the timing gear cover, can you take a pressure measurement or is that an "open" system?
 
77ssii said:
michael,
if you removed the oil galley plugs behind the timing gear cover, can you take a pressure measurement or is that an "open" system?
Click to expand...

Setting up to take a reading on the passenger side is near impossible though with enough adaptation, one could rig a probe to gather pressure data at that point on a short block mounted on a stand. I personally would not try to do that myself, you already have a set of access holes down the outside of the block that tap the lifter gallery on each side.

You would also have to remove the cam gear to do this.

You can more easily access the front lifter gallery hole on the driver side, but again, you also have a "plug" in that gallery on the outside/front of the block to access.
 
I personally would not attempt to read oil pressure off either front lifter gallery hole. That is way too much work for me compared to simply jerking the motor and pulling the rear cap from the cam bearing hole.
 
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