Hi all, I bought a 1958 model 283 from CL and rebuilt it. New rod and main bearings, cam bushings, and a new Comp cam and lifters. All sealed up and ready to go. New Napa Gold oil filter, Royal Purple break in oil, prefilled the filter and spun it on. (Previous owner converted it from canister to spin on with an adapter) Inserted the priming tool while the engine is still on the stand, put the drill on and viola’! Nothing. After about 3 minutes, I get oil from the #7 exhaust pushrod/rocker assembly, and still none of the others. I backed all of the valves off down the even side of the block, and tried again, and nothing. Pulled the pushrods, and the lifter end was wet with oil like the lifter had oiled but didnt have enough oompf to push it up the tubes. Replaced the pushrods and pushed down to make sure the lifters hadn’t collapsed and reinstalled the rockers and tightened them down, and spun the priming tool again. Still took a couple of minutes to get oil out of #7 but still none of the others. I am getting oil out of the gallery fitting at the back of the block but have not yet tried the one at the front. Im using a regular priming tool and a 3/8 electric (plug in) drill, as my batteries for my cordless were dead. I dont know any history of the engine prior to my getting it. When I pulled the original rod and main bearings they didnt look bad or give any indication that the pump may have gone bad. Hence my reusing the pump. Having read other forums it seems a 3/8 drill may not be “big” enough or fast enough to turn the pump to get pressure like I need. Other than that I am at a loss as to why I am getting oil from 1 rocker (the one closest the pump) and no where else, not even the next closest on the opposite side (#8 exhaust) Any help is appreciated!
I'll save you a lot of time. Just read this. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-journal-327-no-oil-pressure-at-idle.1024437/
Its a priming tool from Summit. It has a shaft with the sleeve and notch at the bottom with a spacer to fit in the bore, and a ring at the top to “sit” in the distributor hole with proper vertical alignment.
Are you spinning the oil pump clockwise? The crank definitely needs to be turned slowly while priming to get oil to all the lifters & rockers Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Yep... During the priming, rotate the engine about 90°, then again about 90°, then once more, and then once more. If you noticed, the holes in the crankshaft are in different locations, and require the crank to be in different locations for the "entire" engine to be filled with oil. A 3/8" drill motor might not have enough poop to turn a full oil pump fast enough. 1/2" motor works best. Mike
Before the battery died on my cordless, I did spin it the opposite direction and I could hear air bubbles being blown into the oil in the pan, so I dont think spinning backwards is the issue. As for rotating the crank, that will be next as its the easiest and cheapest next step. Thanks!
Standing at the back of the engine with the drill down in the hole, the drill is turning clockwise. Thats why I was able to get #7 exhaust wet, so I am spinning it the right way.
I dont think it does. I seem to remember that the 265’s would “pulse” oil to the top end because of the flat spot and this was cured during the early 283s but I don’t remember off the top of my head which year.
Just turn the crank while priming and you will get oil up top. Put a gauge on it too so you can see what type of pressure you are getting. I use a half inch hammer drill to do it much easier than a 3/8 drill.
Heh, I read all of that. So, I need to buy a crate motor? In all honesty, did you ever figure it out?
I think I will put a gauge on the front nipple and see what my pressure is there. I know I have pressure at the back, enough to make a mess when I spun it with the plug out. ♂️
I don't know what the hell you are working on but his small block Chevy distributor turns clockwise the same as all right hand twist drill bits. A Small Block Ford distributor does turn counter clockwise. SBC oil to the mains flows down the Galley above the cam and around the cam bearings in the groove then down to the mains. A Missing galley plug at the front of the engine would cause a no oil pressure condition. I don't think the size of the drill motor is an issue. I'd think that a lot of guys say 1/2 inch drill simply because their 3/8 doesn't have the poop to turn against the resistance of the oil. The little drill lugs down, a drill with enough power doesn't but you still feel the resistance. On the "resistance" On every engine I have primed the oil system on I could feel the resistance as soon as the pump moved enough oil up to start pushing it past the bearings and though the push rods.
When priming an oil pump, the drill may spin easily for a split second or two, but when the pump picks up the oil, the drill should start working much harder and you should have to hang on tight so it doesn’t spin out of your hands. If the above is happening, just rotate the crankshaft over a 1/4 turn at a time, then go back to priming. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I had Howards send me another set of lifters. I haven't tried them yet. I got so frustrated, I ordered a new set of flat tappet lifters ,cam and springs. Built a set of 462's up to swap out with the Vortecs. I have it all built up, ready to swap over. I still want to try the lifters to prove a theory. I had oil getting to the lifters, just not migrating up the push rods. I believe it was in the lifters. Howards never did tell me what they found out, I just had a new set of lifters show up at the house.
We spin every sbc we build for our circle track cars. We let the lifters soak it in oil overnight before installation. We normally have the intake on with 4 bolts to keep the guide on the fixture steady. As said resistance of the oil moving is quick however filling everything and seeing oil at every rocker takes time. Using a 1/2" drill at 600 rpm and it can take 5-6 minutes to see oil at all the rockers and this is with turning the crank over. If you feel the oil resistance just keep turning and running the drill. PS: I hope the oilpasseges were cleaned out.
I didn't read through all but use a distributer housing with the gear removed to prime the motor. I think your problem will be solved. Pat
I can tell when the oil is picked up into the pump. The drill kicks a bit and you can hear the difference in the pitch that it is working under a load.
I have run the drill for a total of 10 minutes and just get oil at the one rocker. However, I have not yet tried rotating the crank through yet. Thats first thing in the morning. I dont know that my electric drill will put out 600 rpm but my cordless likely does.
All 283's and 57 only 265's are full flow to the lifter galleries. [only 55-56 265's used pulse oiling] Pull a lifter out! It may have "edge orifice" lifters in it.
I just went thru a 283 (internal cleaning only) which included taking each lifter apart. This thing was murder to get primed (oil up to each rocker) even with turning crank over 90 degrees every so often. Never again will I just lightly lube lifter internals and leave it at that then set lifter lash (hydraulic) (and bolting down intake, can not see lifters any more) then prime engine based on the assumption priming will quickly remove the air. I finally got all 16 rockers to show oiling but never have I had to stay on it for so long.
Ok, I rotated the crank through 720, stopping every 90 degrees or so and running the drill for 2-3 minutes each. Still got oil out of #7 exhaust, but then got very trace amounts out of #3 intake. But essentially, still have nothing. I still need a pressure gauge for the front of the block. After that, I think I will pull the intake off and see the top end better.
Stupid question here but how much oil ya got in it ? Stock pan and oil pickup? Leave a rag over the pickup before you buttoned the pan on? Don't laugh. relief stuck in the pump? I saw you mentioned it was the old pump.
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