Built a 292 the other day and got around to priming it. It will get oil to the passengers side bank no problem. But nothing to the drivers. I figured the cam bearing was in wrong, so I pulled the cam and sure enough it was, replaced it with a new one and made sure it was aligned correctly. It is, same exact thing happened again. I can’t figure it out. Please give me some ideas. I can even stick a rod through the hole in the deck through the cam bearing.and even if u pump it up with the head off I still don’t get oil to it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
There is one thing that you can take a look at, is it possible that you have your rocker shaft rotated slightly on that bank so that the oil flow hole is blocked preventing oil getting into the shaft and then the rockers ? Don’t know if that’s possible or not.
If you don't get an answer here, post it over at yblocksforever. Ted Eaton had a post this morning, and there's not much he doesn't know about a Yblock. There's some evidence that some cam/bearing combinations don't oil right, and some that many cams don't have the groove cut deep enough. The comment about the rocker arm shafts is correct, but if the heads off it's not that.
Since your not getting anything at the hole at the head The cam bearing groove needs to be deeper or the block behind the cam bearing needs to have a groove. Did the cam bearing have a groove? It is important that the cam bearing surface still get enough oil too. The left rocker arm shaft can only correct or upside down. If there is no groove at all you need to be rotating the engine when priming. So it will squirt up the block and to the head. Also at the bottom of the head the hole should be chamfered to help flow when you get the oil working.
Oil Flow takes the path of least resistance. I agree with trying to spin it over and then try re-priming. Or even just block the passenger side off and see if any comes up to the drivers side.
I suspect you are working with a cross drilled center journal camshaft, as opposed to the later grooved one. If so then turn the engine a few degrees and then try priming again. It may take two or three turns but pretty sure you will see oil out of the driver side before you have gone 90 degrees. (and passenger side will stop).
I don’t even have the shafts or heads on. Oils not even making it to the head Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Block and bearing is neither groved. The cam does have a grove. But it’s probably no more than .060-.080 thou deep Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
As Jimmy Six and Frozenmerc said, rotate the engine while priming. This will require two people, one spinning the crank, or a remote starter switch to operate the starter.
Check the hole in the block that comes from the center bearing. They get clogged, if wasn’t cleaned in the machine shop. A long drill bit and grease Will do the job.
From John Mummert's site. Cross drilled cams, grooved bearings, all complicate this. Ted Eaton likes to grove the block. Go down to the cam listings. "NOTE: All new cam cores for Y-Blocks are manufactured with insufficient oil groove in center journal resulting in reduced oil flow to rocker arms." http://www.ford-y-block.com/valvetrain.htm