FIXED IT. Just what I expected. Engine shop installed the front cam bearing wrong. PS; Check everything they do. I suspect they have been installed incorrectly. I checked with a hemi expert. He said " there is a blockage some where" No shit Dick Tracy.
Just a couple of throw down thoughts: The head gaskets may be a place to start looking. The cam bearings could be checked at the same time. Some engines need a bit of restriction down low to get oil supply up to the heads. Your oil pressure may give you a clue if something was left out (low) or something blocked (high). I'm not a mechanic, so please, when I post just eat the meat and throw away the bones. ..
I know nothing about a Hemi, but recall a similar thread on one, where a bolt/plug was left out "I think" in the distributor hole, ring a bell for anyone?
Two resident Hemi guys on the HAMB are TRWaters and 73RR. try PMing either or both of those guys for some expert guidance. Ray
I'm not familiar with those engines either. Do they have a cam bearing with an oval hole that feeds oil into the block that goes through the heads into the rockers? I seem to recall a newer Mopar engine that would lose oil to the rocker shafts if the cam bearings were not installed correctly or spun.
More than likely the head gasket is put on wrong. Also it takes quite awhile to get oil up to the rocker shafts if you are priming the motor as I have found out. The method I used was a half inch drill motor turning the oil pump and anther person turning the crank with a breaker bar. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Three possible problems. Was looking for my hemi manual but couldn’t locate it First one is as already suggested head gasket around the wrong way Second is the rocker assembly on the wrong way. Hemi oil up through the head and must have the correct holes in the rocker assembly Biggest thing in rebuilding a hemi Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Sorry sent before finishing Biggest thing is stripping down the rocker assembly and cleaning out the sludge in the shafts Need to replace the plugs in each end Ensure they are back in the correct manner Definitely prime the engine as described Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
One rocker stand has a drilled passage that must be installed in the correct location to match the hole in the head. Easy to stack in the wrong sequence and not have lube but hard to miss if you are paying any attention during assembly. That being said that isn't your problem. If it were you wouldn't have any oil pressure. I am guessing it is either a backward head gasket or plugged oil passage. My 331 had totally plugged rocker oiling passages, oil return holes, a real mess. And the strangest thing I found was the rocker shafts were packed with white silica sand! I was young and ignorant and wondered if I should clean out the sand it looked so well placed. I fortunately did clean it out. oil passage is pretty obvious.
Is this a new rebuild? Oil comes to the rockers only with the cam in the right position. Pull the rockers and check for oil in the feed holes in the heads. If oil is present clean a rocker shafts check if installed right. If no oil take gas welding rod I like to use brass. The rod should go in about 8.5 inches and hit the cam slowly turn the engine with a wrench on the balancer bolt and keep a little down pressure on the welding rod and in the right spot the rod will drop about another inch when the cam passage lines up. I this does not happen the cam bearing is not installed right. I would stick a couple of rocker bolts back in and keep the spark plugs out because the rocker bolts are the head bolts. Each side the cam lines up in a different spot.
The old head gasket has 2 holes so it can be used on the left or the right. So that means it can't be installed wrong. Running a rod a rod down to the cam bearing can't be done . The hole changes angle from the head to the block. It's not a straight shot.
You haven't given us any information to help you diagnose the issue, so here are a couple of links and a scan of the '57 Chrysler service manual that may help you figure it out. Not a lot of info out there that is Dodge-specific, but in the main all the mid-late '50s Mopar V8s are very similar. http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/Rebuild/HemiRebuildPart2.html http://www.hemihaines.com/build-an-early-model-hemi.html
EXACKLY LIKE I HAD SUSPECTED> CAM BEARING INSTALLED INCORECTLY> I HAVE IT PURRING LIKE A KITTEN NOW>DRILLED THE CAM BEARING> OILING GOOD NOW. FYI new style cam bearings have 3 holes instead of just 2. As long as the one center oil hole points down oil will get to the rocker arms right or left.
Yes,,,the new ones have 3 holes,,,,my old ones did too. The originals I removed from my 55 Desoto Hemi have 3 holes,,at least the bearings for the #2 & #4 journals do. Also,,,,the holes are not laid out evenly,,,,,they must be oriented to align with the oil passages. I always use a light to eyeball down the hole,,,and make double sure I get it right. I’m glad you found the problem and didn’t have a failure,,,,that would have been catastrophic. Thanks for posting your results! Tommy
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