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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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I have a 1959 Century Boat with a Ford 312. Been sitting a long time. I got it started without a lot of difficulty and it actually runs pretty good without any fine tuning yet. PROBLEM.............I have the valve covers off and can see oil flowing out of the return tube on the left side rocker assembly but none on the right. I have drained the oil, refilled with new oil and Sea Foam to loosen things up, but no progress. I even removed the rocker assembly and cranked the motor, with no oil flowing from the head. Non functioning oil press guage, so no idea what the oil pressure is doing. I was considering getting a screw in mechanical type oil pess gauge until I figure this out. Any brand or model suggestions? Thank you
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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Remove the right rocker shaft assembly.Crank the motor with the coilo wire off so it wont start.is there any oil flowing from the oil feed passage in the head?If there is than the rocker shaft itself is likely plugged with crud.You can dissasemble it and knock the 2 plugs out of the ends to clean out the inside of the shaft and the little oil squirtholes in each of the rocker arms.This is a very common problem with motors that were not maintained.If you have no oil from the oil passage the passage from the camshaft to head may be plugged.You can try filling the passage with pennetrating oil or varsol and let it soak and see if the blockage cleans up.The last possibility is that the oil flow from the camshaft has been cut off due to bearing deteroration.This is also very common and usually only affects one side due to engine rotation direction.Unfortunetly the repair involves tearing down the motor and replacing the cam bearings.Also a good idea to have the oil groove in the camshaft machined deeper to about .034 or so.The factory groove was too shallow from the start.Hope this info is helpful.There are lots of topics on this subject if you do a search using the "search" box at the top of page.
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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No oil coming from the head with rocker assembly removed. So I guess I will try the penetrating oil in the feed hole and hope for the best. I did not know what words to use in my search, so I just asked the question. I will try a seach now that I know this is common. Thank you very much.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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The other fix for plugged passage that others have tried is to bolt a plate over the oil passage with a grease fitting tapped into it and force grease with a grease gun down the passage.The pressure will somtimes unplug it.Hopefully someone will list some of the topics previous so you can click on and read.It is probably the second most common problem after rear main oil seal leaks.
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By Ted - 14 Years Ago
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Sounds like you need to verify the oil pressure at this point. Is ‘sludge’ evident on the top side of the engine? If so, you might get lucky in clearing the oil gallery and re-establishing the oil flow.
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By Y block Billy - 14 Years Ago
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I have remedied a few by installing solvent (lacquer thinner, carb cleaner or anything thing that will thin the sludge) in the feed hole and put high pressure air to it, keep filling and blowing until you hear the air finally blow through the cam bearing. You can then fill the block with diesel/kerocene, remove the distributor and turn oil pump with a drill to flush oil system, drain and repeat a few times. Fill with oil then prime again. Its not the best thing to loosen sludge from and old engine but it may get your oil system flowing again.
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By lovefordgalaxie - 14 Years Ago
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I was always afraid of filling a engine with diesel, or other solvent. My concern is that it could loosen so much sludge, that even after changing the filter, and having new oil into the engine, something could get plugged.
My friend Maycon did this to a '94 SS-10 Chevy mini truck he bought used, and at first it was normal, but a few days after, on a wighway some 50 kilometers from his home (and lucky him, just 2 kilometer from my house), the oil pressure got to zero, and he perked the truck. He called me, and I towed the Chevy with my Galaxie to a Chevy dealer in my neighborhood. At the shop, the guys found the mesh of the oil pump to be blocked with lots of sludge particles. The oil filter was alredy at bypess mode.
My other concern is if the diesel, or solvent can damage some oil seal.
I don't know, maybe I'm afraid for nothing, but every time someone says it's going to do this, I have a bad feeling.
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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I like the high pressure air idea. I will try that on Friday. Is it obvious how to spin up the oil pump once the distributor is removed? I have done this on small block gm motors, is it basicly the same set up? I will also get a oil pressure gauge to verify oil pressure. Since it is a boat, I have a lot of room to work. Does the camshaft removal and repair of the bearing need a machine shop, or can I replace the cam bearing with the motor in the boat? Or is the next step head removal? Thanks for all the ideas, this is an awsome site. I was refered here from the Ford Truck Enthusiasts site. I will post any results.
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By bergmanj - 14 Years Ago
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Tesserra, Changing cam bearings CAN be done without removing the engine; BUT, it can also be extremely difficult, and is not recommended. If not done exactly right, even a single lifter dropping will force you to pull the engine anyway. 16 regular clothes-pins are used to hold the lifters UP all the way, in order to clear all cam lobes for cam removal; then, there is the issue of clearance for length-of-cam removal; plus additional clearance for the bearing insert tooling; and, the fact that you most likely will need to remove crank and pistons anyway (for working clearance on cam bearing replacement). Easiest way is to remove engine, mount on fixture, turn "upside-down", and work on it with ease. Regards, JLB
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By MarkMontereyBay - 14 Years Ago
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I just went through a similar choice. Using the clothes pins ( the procedure is in the Ford Service Manual) is possible for replacing a cam in the vehicle if you are very careful. The lifters have to be held completely up to allow clearance. But....removing/installing cam bearing involves the cam bearing tool being driven by hammering which can loosen or pop off a clothes pin, dropping a lifter. This can be extremely frustrating and time consuming. I agree that the best solution is to get the motor turned upside down, with the crankshaft removed. I ended up removing the pistons and rods as well.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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To spin the oil pump is the same procedure as any other motor.Rotation is CCW.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 14 Years Ago
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Whoa Mark. Rotation is CCW!!!
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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Thanks John! I knew it was CCW.Just forgot to hit the "W" key.Fixed it!
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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So when the camshaft is removed the lifters can fall into the crankcase?
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By MarkMontereyBay - 14 Years Ago
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Yes, unless they are held in place with clothespins or the block is inverted. Also, if the lifters are not held in the full up position, the cam will hang up when you try to slide it out or in. If the lifters fall in to the engine you will lose the order of which lob of the cam each lifter goes with.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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Someone should mention the lifters are a "mushroom" type.The base is wider than the "body"and the only way to install or remove is from the bottom with the camshaft removed.They wont come out the top like most conventional lifters.With the cam removed and motor right side up they will literally fall out.
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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Sorry to get back so late. Update: Added a mecahnical oil gauge on a tee next to the original sender and new oil filter, cranked up the oil pump with a powerful drill. I got 40 to 50 psi on the gauge but no oil on the rt head. I pumped air and solvent into the head oil passage and could hear the air clear out any oil/solvent, then I cranked the drill again. Repeated this procedure at least 5 times. Still no oil. So what is the next step? What do I risk if I run it? Obviously the rocker assembly, but what else? Is the cam toast? I know it is wishful thinking, but I have some hope that if I run it for a while it might clear up. If it doesn't start oiling the rt head will the motor fail catastrophicly? I do have oil pressure and flow in the rest of the motor. I can start and run the motor and the oil gauge reads 30psi min 45psi max (3000rpm) Thanks for all the help.
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By aussiebill - 14 Years Ago
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tesserra (7/2/2011)
Sorry to get back so late. Update: Added a mecahnical oil gauge on a tee next to the original sender and new oil filter, cranked up the oil pump with a powerful drill. I got 40 to 50 psi on the gauge but no oil on the rt head. I pumped air and solvent into the head oil passage and could hear the air clear out any oil/solvent, then I cranked the drill again. Repeated this procedure at least 5 times. Still no oil. So what is the next step? What do I risk if I run it? Obviously the rocker assembly, but what else? Is the cam toast? I know it is wishful thinking, but I have some hope that if I run it for a while it might clear up. If it doesn't start oiling the rt head will the motor fail catastrophicly? I do have oil pressure and flow in the rest of the motor. I can start and run the motor and the oil gauge reads 30psi min 45psi max (3000rpm) Thanks for all the help. Generally, with no oil to lube rockers etc then pushrod cups and adjusters start to wear out quickly as well as the rocker shafts/rocker arms, in saying that ,i have squirted oil over them and ran for quite a while in early days, obvious thing is to dismantle block and inspect for wear/ blockages etc. There have been a heap of suggestions and some succesfull fixes by other members here.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 14 Years Ago
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There used to be outside oiler kits available as a band aid for this problem. The kits had various fittings and 1/8" copper tubing to tap off the oil galley on the left side of the engine and run lines directly to the rocker shafts. You could do something like that to the right side only.
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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What are the chances of finding and repairing, the problem by removing the rt side head, and valley pan? Could it still be a clogged oil passage that can be accessed by removing the head? (this is an easy job on a boat)
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 14 Years Ago
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If you are hearing the air pressure escape via the cam bearing into the crankcase, then there is nothing to be gained by pulling the head, the passage is clear. The valley cover will not give you access to anything significant to your problem.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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Just a thought-if the camshaft is cross drilled for oil and not grooved oil will not flow unless the oil passage in the cam lines up with the oil passage up to the head.I believe this statement is correct.If you are only spinning the oil pump without turning the motor over try bumping it a little and then try the oil pump again.Turning it over a little may be enough to align the oil passages.Hoosier-Am I correct in this suggestion?If you can hear air passing through the block oil should flow back up.If you have the distributor out when you bump themotor over you will need to reset the motor to TDC on compression to reinstall the distributor and get the rotor on #1 cylinder so you can restart it.Not a major problem .Just wanted to point it out.
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By tesserra - 14 Years Ago
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I quess the oil holes in on the cam could be an issue with the drill turning the pump. Only problem is that there was no oil flow after I started the motor too. So, is it that the cam bearing is so worn that the oil will not have enough pressure to get up to the heads because of too much clearance on the cam bearing? Or is it clogged? Or can you even quess without taking it apart? Is it time to cut bait and just yank the motor or sell the boat?
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By lovefordgalaxie - 14 Years Ago
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Some may call me crazy, but I think this problem can be related to the oil feeding of the cam itself.
I agree with the point of the cam not having the groove would reduce a lot the oil flow, but I think it wouldn't be dry, at least some oil would make trough, and if one head is receiving oil, the cam is brobably not the culprit. At least that's what I could deduce, not having seeing the engine in person.
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By lovefordgalaxie - 14 Years Ago
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tesserra (7/4/2011)
I quess the oil holes in on the cam could be an issue with the drill turning the pump. Only problem is that there was no oil flow after I started the motor too.
So, is it that the cam bearing is so worn that the oil will not have enough pressure to get up to the heads because of too much clearance on the cam bearing? Or is it clogged? Or can you even quess without taking it apart?
Is it time to cut bait and just yank the motor or sell the boat?
Don't be so hard on the motor.
Probably the bearing is worn, but it's a guess. If you spin the oil pump, and can still hear the air coming inside the crankcase while providing oil pressure, probably there is no oil arriving at the bearing, or it is really worn, because with normal clearences the oil pressure acting on the bearing should seal the air passage to the crankcase with a oil film. At least you should hear some bubling. If not, I think the bearing is dry.
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