Oil pressure question on my 77 K10 350 Chevy…..

[BearKing]

I have to ask a stupid question. I have my valve covers off on the 350. They leaked bad ( just got the truck a few days ago) Years ago I took a points distributor and ground the gear off and modified the top to use as a pre oiler. Today I used it and could get an easy 40 lbs of pressure and even hit 60 when I used high speed on the drill. No oil was coming out of the rocker arm tips from the push rods. That is correct, right? Due to the motor not turning over the rods won’t fill up with oil and dribble down the rocker arms? When the engine is cranking the the oil is pushed from the lifter through the rod to the rocker tip? Is this correct? Please help an idiot. Thanks fellas in advance.

 

[Bextreme04]

I have to ask a stupid question. I have my valve covers off on the 350. They leaked bad ( just got the truck a few days ago) Years ago I took a points distributor and ground the gear off and modified the top to use as a pre oiler. Today I used it and could get an easy 40 lbs of pressure and even hit 60 when I used high speed on the drill. No oil was coming out of the rocker arm tips from the push rods. That is correct, right? Due to the motor not turning over the rods won’t fill up with oil and dribble down the rocker arms? When the engine is cranking the the oil is pushed from the lifter through the rod to the rocker tip? Is this correct? Please help an idiot. Thanks fellas in advance.

You should get oil out of most rocker tips just from running the pre-luber, depending on if you have stock rockers or not. Its entirely possible that your pushrods are completely clogged with carbon and no longer allowing oil to pass. Have you tried rotating the engine a bit to see if one or two start flowing?

I just rebuilt my 350 this year and when I pre-lubed it there was about a minute of spinning before the oil pressure came up to normal and then I started getting oil out of rockers shortly after

 

[fast 99]

If anything from the cam to the rockers has excessive wear the oil hole in the pushrod may not line up with the hole in the rocker. Usually it's just a few not an entire set.

 

[BearKing]

You should get oil out of most rocker tips just from running the pre-luber, depending on if you have stock rockers or not. Its entirely possible that your pushrods are completely clogged with carbon and no longer allowing oil to pass. Have you tried rotating the engine a bit to see if one or two start flowing?

I just rebuilt my 350 this year and when I pre-lubed it there was about a minute of spinning before the oil pressure came up to normal and then I started getting oil out of rockers shortly after

It’s a completely stock engine except manifold. It’s the numbers matching 350. The lifter valley is free of debris and carbon build up. It look almost new except there is carbon on the pushrods that go up to the rocker arms. I ran that pre oiler for about 1 min, maybe 45 secs. I got good pressure on the gauge I hooked up but no oil on the rocker tips. I’m stumped but will look in it further tomorrow. Thanks for your reply. Oh, the truck has been sitting for about 15 years. @Bextreme04

 

[BearKing]

You should get oil out of most rocker tips just from running the pre-luber, depending on if you have stock rockers or not. Its entirely possible that your pushrods are completely clogged with carbon and no longer allowing oil to pass. Have you tried rotating the engine a bit to see if one or two start flowing?

I just rebuilt my 350 this year and when I pre-lubed it there was about a minute of spinning before the oil pressure came up to normal and then I started getting oil out of rockers shortly after

And you did this without using the starter to turn it over? Just a pre lube tool in the distributor hole? @Bextreme04

 

[fast 99]

If it all appears good start it with the covers off or buy rocker clips to deflect the oil. Alternately lay the rocker covers on and start a couple bolts to hold it in place. Sometimes it takes a while for oil to get up there.

 

[BearKing]

If it all appears good start it with the covers off or buy rocker clips to deflect the oil. Alternately lay the rocker covers on and start a couple bolts to hold it in place. Sometimes it takes a while for oil to get up there.

Going to give it another try tomorrow. I have a few extra valve covers and was thinking of cutting a slot down the length of them about an inch long to observe the valve train.

 

[Bextreme04]

And you did this without using the starter to turn it over? Just a pre lube tool in the distributor hole? @Bextreme04

I had to bar it over about a quarter turn to get the last 2-3 lifters to get oil out. I used a priming tool rented from autozone, which is basically the same as the cut off distributor. It took about 1-1.5 minutes for me to see consistent oil pressure on the mechanical gauge and oil to start coming out of any of the rockers. I kept going for another 30 seconds or so until I got oil out of almost all of them, then I barred the engine over a bit and hit it again for about 30 seconds and got oil out of all of them.

 

[Bextreme04]

I would highly recommend you use the priming tool until you see oil coming out of at least one rocker before you turn the motor over.

 

[Itali83]

Probably not this guys problem because he’s using an old distributor. But, the distributor housing actually seals the oil passage down in the block to send oil to the top end. The cheap turning tools don’t have this ma cb in it in them and won’t send oil to the top end. Just something to look for.

Ben

 

[SquareRoot]

Probably not this guys problem because he’s using an old distributor. But, the distributor housing actually seals the oil passage down in the block to send oil to the top end. The cheap turning tools don’t have this ma cb in it in them and won’t send oil to the top end. Just something to look for.

Ben

YUP!

 

[Bextreme04]

Probably not this guys problem because he’s using an old distributor. But, the distributor housing actually seals the oil passage down in the block to send oil to the top end. The cheap turning tools don’t have this ma cb in it in them and won’t send oil to the top end. Just something to look for.

Ben

The $9 one at autozone had the bushing at the base that seals it and sent oil to the top end just fine

 

[greyghost]

hope you got oil up top, my first thot was collapsed lifters, doubtful all are, possibly few, they work hydraulically if collapsed oil wont pump in lifter thru rod to rocker, readustment valves will be necessary and treat as solid lifters with lil clearance n not at .050 lift measurement, replace soon or rebuild lifter