Chevy Small block, Oil supply to Cylinder No. 2 hydraulic lifters

Man speaks from personal experience Brian right also best bang for buck found solid flat tappet. Quality found from crower or isky. I used an isky solid on last engine it screamed use so202 solid lifters so is for special oiling.
 
My story begins here:
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/update-334-sbc-lives-again.11882/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/not-your-grandmothers-305-chevy-heads.10178/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...help-i-might-have-no-oil-to-the-rockers.3397/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...e-parts-dont-come-in-plain-white-boxes.11940/

If you want to just jump ahead to the answer, it's here: http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ulic-lifters-mystery-solved.12263/#post-60159

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The bottom line is this: your Sealed Power lifters are actually made incorrectly OFFSHORE. They can get away with saying MADE IN USA by having their headquarters on US soil, but the products are actually made somewhere else. Some unscrupulous people that know this buy up the known good lifters, and then put the offshore crap back in the (in your case) Sealed Power box, and then return them for a refund. Then the next poor sucker comes along (you) and buys what he thinks are quality lifters, and actually gets the import crap. I believe that is what happened to you.

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ppet-chevrolet-v8-set-of-16.14111/#post-71745
 
I had a 1978 Formula Firebird that came with a 350 Small block Chevy 4-bbl Q-jet stock. 4-speed.
Pretty rare back then new.
Most were 305 sbc 2-bbl.
Be very rare now today if I still had the car.
Was a Smog era engine but it ran really good and never gave me any big mechanical issues.
 
Hallo gentlemen,
yesterday I disassembled the engine again to see if I find any restriction. Oil Pan removed, oil pump removed, oil filter and filter bracket removed, oil press sensor removed and checked the passages with a wire. Here everything was open. Manifold removed and checked the passages here. The problem is that without removing a cylinderhead and removing the plugs you cannot 100% check the oil passages in this area, or am I wrong?
Today I will install back the pump and pan (and readjust the oil pump screen to pan clearance), fill in some oil and with a hand drill drive the pump to check for the lubrication of my lifter galleries.
I will keep you informed about the result.
Derek
 
well even if you have yet to find an obvious issues,
least your logically testing and narrowing the potential possibility

ok, basics, the oil enters the lifter from block oil passages under pump pressure while the lifters on the cams base circle,
with near zero valve spring pressure on the lifter seat,
the hydraulic oil pressure lifts the push rod seat taking up the valve train clearance.
as the cam rotates the lifter moving up off the cams base circle causes the lifters push rod seat to momentarily move down compressing the trapped oil volume , as the push rod seat is compressed,down into the lifter body,
forcing oil trapped in the lifter up through the push rod,, the trapped , and now further pressurized oil is there for two different requirements,
first it lubes and cools the valve train, as it exits the rocker/push rods and flows over the rocker and valve springs,and second it quiets the valve train by removing the clearance, with a cushioned floating push rod seat,
that clearance is required for the valve train to function.
but the clearance results in a ticking sound like solid lifters produce,
adding a hydraulic supported push rod seat quiets the valve train,
and without the hydraulically supported push rod seat,the valve train requires periodic clearance adjustments ,
the hydraulic supported push rod seat is fully compressed, by the cam lobe forcing the lifter up against the push rod and the valve springs resistance,
by the time the cam lobe reaches peak lift ,
but at lower rpms all the oil is forced up and out of the lifter well before the lifter is near full lift on the cam lobe,
now it is possible that at extremely high rpms the lifter bleed down rate does not have sufficient time to vent all the trapped oil,
this is commonly thought to result in valve float,
but thats not likely, the inertial loads on the lifter and valve train not being completely controlled by the valve spring resistance,
and ability to seat the valve firmly and keep it seated as the lift returns to the cam lobe base circle,
and the lifter loosing firm contact with the cam lobe and or bouncing,
as it re-seats is far more commonly the fault.


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most of the GIVE or clearance or movement in a hydraulic lifter push rod seat is the result of pressurized oil flowing into and lifting the push rod seat, without the pressurized oil entering the lifter body,from the sides of the lifter body from the oil passages in the block, manually forcing the push rod seat down into the lifter body is basically a one shot deal that generally only going to compress in a minimal .060 -.08 once until oil pressure forces the seat back up.
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http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/correctly-adjusting-valves.196/#post-90731
 
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Hallo gentlemen,
yesterday I disassembled the engine again to see if I find any restriction. Oil Pan removed, oil pump removed, oil filter and filter bracket removed, oil press sensor removed and checked the passages with a wire. Here everything was open. Manifold removed and checked the passages here. The problem is that without removing a cylinderhead and removing the plugs you cannot 100% check the oil passages in this area, or am I wrong?
Today I will install back the pump and pan (and readjust the oil pump screen to pan clearance), fill in some oil and with a hand drill drive the pump to check for the lubrication of my lifter galleries.
I will keep you informed about the result.
Derek

So you're going to do it the hard way, huh?
Read what I posted and save yourself a lot of trouble.
All you have to do is remove the snap ring from 1 lifter and measure the pushrod cup.
 
Hallo Gentlemen,
the engine is back together, the car is running and now I want to let you know what I found and what was the issue for my problem.
If you can please be patient with comment, even if I might not deserve it :bhow:

I disassembled the engine at the end of last season, as I had a ticking noise on the way back from a meeting in Denmark and at home found out that the rocker was operating the valve under an angle (chamfer the stem) and already cut into the stud. So I tried to find the origin, as I supposed an oil pressure loss. During this research I removed the plugs in the front of the camshaft and lifter galleries, as I suspected a blockage here. But there was nothing and with the lifters removed I could completely look through these channels.
On the installation process I must have forgot the install the plug on the passenger side gallery, as this one was missing, as I found out with a wire I put through the hole of the forward lifter forward and could push it in until I could see it touching the timing cover on the inside.
As this cover plug did not show up, as I removed the timing cover the only explanation is that I missed to install it.
Now with a plug installed and a new set of quick venting lifters, the push rods filled up with oil quickly during the first engine start and a moment later the was oil coming out of my rockers on cylinder No.2, too.

Of course I am glad that I found the mistake. Most frustrating during the assembly of the engine was the fact that I could not blame someone else.
I would have loved to do that!

So thank you everyone for your support in the last week and the tips and commments I got from you!!

Best Regards from Hamburg

Derek
 
Next engine you build, Do not use those Oil gallery soft plugs.
Tap with correct sized N.P.T. National Pipe Thread Tap.
Grumpy has pictures and Links.

I think only Oldsmobile used True screw in oil gallery plugs behind the Top timing sprocket stock from the factory for both main Feed oil galleries.
They are 3/4" inch Hex caps on my 1965 Olds 425.

Pontiac V8 they were famous for popping out with 60 psi RAIV oil pump & SD455 80 psi oil pump those tap in soft oil gallery plugs.
 
thank you for posting what you found it may help other people reading to find the source of similar, low oil flow related problems

 
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Most frustrating during the assembly of the engine was the fact that I could not blame someone else.
I would have loved to do that!

Oh I've had plenty of those, don't worry, you will have a few more of those moments. We just
hope they are not big one !!! ;)
 
while it might be initially looked at as an inconvenience,
and while it will take some time and effort youll be amazed at how often,
reading the links and sub-links,
in these threads will allow you to avoid making almost all the more common mistakes guys make,
or even in a few documented cases..a few that required true unique ingenuity,too screw it up so badly :D:(:rolleyes:
most of us learn by making mistakes or watching the results of the trial and error process made by others...
the key to success is duplicating the successful, work others have done,and it is based
in understanding exactly why things work ,once you fully understand how and why something works you might be able to improve on its function, or the durability.

and
learning too avoid the failures other people have made,
by understanding, how and why they screwed it up.
 
Those oil gallery soft plugs are only Ok with 40 psi oil pumps.
Even then I still do not like them.

Hallo "Maniac",
thank you for your comment and the fact that I have now another reason to stay with one eye during driving the car on the oil pressure gauge ;-)
(I have 40 psi now only in idle. During driving I see 65 psi.)
I had it in mind to install a screw in plug, but I am missing a proper thread. I am going to buy a machine thread which is shorter on the thread cutting side and organise a set of plugs and do this on the next occasion, when I have something apart.

Derek
 
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