Here's a trick I have used to open clogged passages.  I made an adaptor from an extra rocker stand.  I cut it in half and tapped the center hole for a grease zerk.  Bolted it to the head and pumped grease into the passage.  I could feel resistance at first, then I could feel it break free.  Pumped more grease to purge the sludge from the passage.  Ran the engine with the rocker stand bolts slightly loose until oil ran out from under the stands, tightened the stand bolts and made sure oil came out of the rockers.  If you don't have an extra stand to make the adaptor, one could be made from a chunk of steel or aluminum.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

It still might be OK (but the fact that it had an external oiler on it is a bit of a concern)

When I primed mine for the first time after it's overhaul it had plenty of oil pressure but it took literally ages before it got to the rockers.

I also panicked and took the rockers off the heads.

I kept priming with a drill and eventually oil popped up out of the heads and all was OK.

I put the rockers back on and primed her again to make sure it then came through the shafts.

It took a while with a drill priming so I don't know if it had anything to do with all the galleries being empty and dry to start with after the rebuild.

Gary - 1958 Star Customline and 1940 Ford Deluxe Hotrod

Seems like I remember Bruce Young saying he removed the heads and drilled a small hole thru the cam bearing left and right side. Maybe used a small magnet to pull out metal shavings, reinstalled heads and drove the car a good while with no other problems. Might try something like that until you get a chance to do a rebuild.

-Gary Burnette-

I found the same problem on the 292 in my 1958 F600. The rockers were galled to the shafts and several pushrods were bent or broken due to lack of oil to the shafts. I blew compressed air through the heads and there was no blockage in the galleys. I got a little oil to the driver's side and none to the passenger side. I installed used shafts, rockers and pushrods plus an external oiling kit from Fleabay and never looked back.

Two interesting things you have said, No sludge was encountered and that you blew air into the oil hole. I have never blown air into the oil hole myself but as a test that might show you that the cam bearing is installled wrong. If there was no sludge in the oil passages, the clearance at the cam journal to cam bearing would be enough of a leak allow air to flow. So no air flow indicates incorrect bearing installation. Another similar test would be to put a low viscosity oil like 3in1 into the hole and see if it flows out overnight. If it doesn't that is bad news because the cam bearings are one of the first things to go into a bare block so they are about the last thing to come out.



You said that the engine ran for some time with the external oiler pipes so that they likely can continue to work for you. Not pretty but likely will prevent a pretty major tear down. Any other thoughts out there?


Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

The term "rebuilt" can mean a lot of things, unfortunately often it's just sales talk. Unless some documentation is present, take it with a grain of salt. When was it rebuilt & by who? 20 years ago? You don't say what oil psi are you getting? Unfortunately, if sludge isnt present on top of the heads it's likely what has already been suggested here. An incorrect cam bearing install or the engine has very high mileage & the bearing is worn to the point of blocking the oil supply. Not an easy fix unfortunately.

Paul

The driver side usually gets oil first. If the gauge is showing decent pressure I would really suspect improperly installed center cam bearing. Unfortunately not an in car job. Does the external oiler you have attach to the rocker studs and flow into the rocker shaft or just spray oil? If its pushing oil through the rocker shaft you should have not problems with it. Try starting the motor with one side attached and see how the oil flows. Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Yes I did remove the rocker shaft on bank one, I pulled the plugs on that side and cranked the starter and watched my mechanical oil pressure gauge move I tried this a few times. No oil ever made it out of the head. I did use a brake cable from a bicycle to see if it was blocked Obviously the cable didn't make it into the block but I didnt hit any sludge in the head. I also tried to blow some air down the hole to see if that made a difference. It didn't.



I was told the engine was rebuilt by the guys brother and put into a farm truck and ran well till the truck was scrapped. I have no idea what cam bearing they used but I can say it had the later distributor but really, who knows your guess is as good as mine there.



I'm gonna crack open bank 2 this weekend and do the same thing if both sides are not getting oil I assume it's a cam bearing issue, i'll run the external oilers till i can afford to rebuild the original motor (or buy the hiperformer long block) If it is oiling I may pull the bank 1 head and see what I see.

Here are a couple questions that will help understand what you situation is:

Was the engine "rebuilt" recently? If it was can you find the mechanic that did it? 

If the engine was not a rebuild was it a '55 or '56?  This could be a problem because of the type of cam bearing used.  The extrenal oiler is likely the only fix for the problem.  '57 and up engines have a different cam bearing and are much less subject to pluggage.

So a little more info is called for. 

In the mean time a cup of oil poured over the rockers every time you drive it will get you driving a little limit you trips to about 10 or less miles. 

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

Don't give up yet. Is the engine in a vehicle or still out? Out is easier. Removing the rocker shafts will tell you a lot! Sometimes the shaft itself is completely clogged. Also clean the oil feed holes out as good as you can. You can use a wire to poke them. There is a turn at the block in the oil passage that gets clogged. You wire probably won't go past it. But you may be able to loosen it up some. Did you put a mechanical gauge on it to check? Also did you check both sides? Sometimes the passenger side gets oil slowly. If all else fails it could be a new cam bearing installed incorrectly. Hope this helps. I'm sure other members will have other suggestions. Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire