For all practical purposes, oil should be flowing to the rocker arms, after the heads were removed and cleaned. I'm thinking if I send a probe down the galley hole in the head and it stops after a certain distance, that would be an indication the head gasket is in the way. Does anyone know the distance from the top of the galley hole to the head gasket? If the gasket is correctly installed, how far should the probe travel?



thanks,

Randy

There is a dog-leg in the head to block oil passage that would stop your probe. More details please. Has the engine been worked on lately? Is it rebuilt? Were the cam bearings changed? Are you using a drill to pre-oil the engine or is there no oil with the engine running? 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

Randy, the hole only goes down the thickness of the head, then it hits the deck of the block. Then it takes a jog for ~3" into the block. Your probe won't make the turn.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

It has a 292. The engine was pulled to replace the rear oil seal with a rope seal, after two failed attempts under the car with the neoprene seals (it stills drips). While out, I also did the rings and new rod/main bearings. Heads were cleaned. I didn't touch the cam.

head gaskets have one square corner that must appear at the front of the engine/motor.can be checked without pulling heads........also check rocker shaft is up the right way,look for hole at right hand end of shaft where overflow tubes fit.

stuey

Lack of oil to the rockers is probably the #1 problem with older Y-blocks.If you take the rocker assemblies off and spin the oil pump is there oil from the feed hole in the head?If not there is either a blockage or more likely the cam bearing oil hole has closed up.The only correct fix is to replace the cam bearings.If you have oil than likely the hollow rocker shaft is plugged up.Remove the plugs in the end of the shaft  and clean out the crud.Over the years several procedures to correct the cam bearing problem have been developed.Machining the groove in the cam deeper than stock is one. 

  

The head gaskets being on backwards will not inhibit oil flow to the rocker arms.  By design, the head gaskets have two oil holes in them so the gaskets will work on either side of the block.  Here’s a couple of head gasket pictures.

  

 

 

If you have a cross-drilled camshaft rather than one that’s grooved, that particular camshaft may have be turned so that the oil can pump through the cam to the top.  Slowly turning the engine over while pressurizing the oil system will find one side getting oil and then the other in a back and forth sequence with the cross-drilled camshafts.

 

You might trying blowing air down the oil galley hole from at the hole exposed when the rocker pedestal is off and see if that blows the oil galley in the block clear.  Otherwise, you’re looking at an oiling problem around the cam bearing area.  Back in the Seventies, it was customary to pump white or lithium grease into the hole to unblock the oil passageway in the block.  A flat plate with a zerk fitting would be bolted to the head with the rockers off and grease pumped into the hole.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

It is possible to install the rocker assemblies upside-down.

The only thing that prevents this is the oil tube at the right hand side.

If it goes through the stand and into the shaft the assembly is correct.

If it won't go into the shaft the shaft is probably rotated. This will block oil flow.

http://ford-y-block.com 

20 miles east of San Diego, 20 miles north of Mexico

Thanks for all the tips. I have some checking to do.



Randy

I once bought a used "G" head that had a blocked oil passage. Sludge plug had dried so hard, it couldn't have been worse if someone had intentionally welded the passage shut! Had to drill it out.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA