Oil Galley plugs at Camshaft
- Thread starter Ivoryk3ys78
- Start date
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It's a little bit of a trick, but the best way I have found to do it is, center punch the head of the bolt, then drill a 3/8 hole through a 2x4. I say 3/8 because it will be easier to get out. Then stick the bolt in the hole and smack it in a few licks with a hammer and recess the head into the wood. Then throw it all up on a drill press and have at it. The bolt head being recessed in the hole will keep the bolt from spinning.
My 66 273 had threaded plugs in the rear and soft plugs in the front. I drilled through the cam plate and then 1/64" hole through the soft plug on the passenger side to lube the timing chain. It was recommended in one of the "How to hot rod small block books". Right or wrong, it works.
![042500951507[00].jpg](https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/042500951507-00-jpg.1715448053/ "042500951507[00].jpg")
That's another good way. Doing it like that you actually get pressurized oil there. It probably splatters all over the place. LOL
Put the two oil galley plugs in that go on each side of the camshaft behind the camshaft thrust plate...
The timing chain is oiled by the top bolt hole that is on the passenger side for the camshaft thrust plate...
Read this how to article to see how that all goes together, I explain it in here...
How to Assemble the Front of a Small Block
Post a pic of your cam plate tensioner.
Some only have a 3 bolt mounting plate, and get oil from the cam. Others have 4 bolts and get oil from one the bolts.
You probably could drill the plate out for the plug, or make the plugs flush.
I wouldn’t be afraid to remove them, but I’d make sure there's no oil pressure loss before running. Plenty of them without that plug.
I helped a friend years ago, and he was losing oil pressure for some reason, and that’s where the problem was.
Some only have a 3 bolt mounting plate, and get oil from the cam. Others have 4 bolts and get oil from one the bolts.
You probably could drill the plate out for the plug, or make the plugs flush.
I wouldn’t be afraid to remove them, but I’d make sure there's no oil pressure loss before running. Plenty of them without that plug.
I helped a friend years ago, and he was losing oil pressure for some reason, and that’s where the problem was.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
LOL...I'm very crusty. Ask my wife.
I don't ever see a need for a soft plug their, let alone a pipe plug or even a set screw, especially on the drivers side. You bury the plug in far enough and you'll block the feed to the drivers side lifters. Which ain't bad, IF that's what you want.
If you really want oil to the timing set (and you should and the haphazard way Chrysler did it was silly at best) you grab a Holley jet or a Carter jet or better yet, just buy a few Holley air bleed blanks. Drill and tap whatever cam plate you are using (OE, the magnum deal with the tensioner or better yet...your QUALITY GEAR DRIVE mounting plate...had to pimp for the GD when I get the chance) for the jet and screw the jet into the backside of that plate and that's your oil feed to the timing set.
That's why I use air bleeds. I have at least a hundred blanks out there, they are cheap and you can drill brass very easily. I usually use a hole about .040-.050 in the bleed and let it go. That gives you full pressure lube to the timing set. That crap will live much longer when it gets real oil to it, and not just drip oil, slinger oil or anything else.
Just so I'm clear, you drill and tap the plate so the jet is installed into the passenger side oil gallery.
That's the best liking system I've found to get oil to the timing set. A .050 hole will oil the hell out of anything you want. That is the biggest hole I'd ever use. I think I'm using .039 on my GD and that's plenty.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
And BTW, I've called Chrysler idiots on the phone many times. Some day, I'll tell the story of pushrod adjuster oil timing and how it's WRONG on every single W2-5 head EVER. EVER. I sent Chryler a detailed R&D bill in 2002 and IIRC it was over 12,000 dollars. It was itemized, with dyno time, parts etc all listed. Paid a lawyer 1200 bucks to go through my receipts and my note books to get the numbers correct.
After they denied my request for R&D funding, I sent the, another letter, from the same lawyer, telling them how chickenshit I thought they were.
The real issue is most guys don't see this stuff. The pushrod oil time Ping is way off and to this day, Chrysler hasn't acknowledged it, or even published a tech bulletin telling people about it.
Some day, if we ever get the chance to meet, I'll tell you a story about Pro Stock and how Chrysler was screwing people. I'd post it here, but I'd have to name drop or it wouldn't make sense. And god knows if I claim to know someone a shitstorm ensues of Biblical proportions.
It's a great story, and I got it, right from the horses mouth. I know the year and where I was when I was told. And the horse that told me the story couldn't tell a lie with a gun to his head.
So yeah, I've got some serious issues with what Direct Connection became and how Chrylser treats the people who try and race this crap.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
And that is a piss poor way to oil the timing set. It may be how Chryler did it, but that doesn't mKe it the best.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
You can so that. Just tell me how that hollow bolt (which most engines never even came with) will actually get any oil to the timing set? Stop and LOOK at how it's supposed to work.
If you LOOK at it and CONSIDER what you are seeing, even Ray Charles can see its haphazard at best.
BTW and FWIW, Ray Charles is blind. And dead. And he can see how goofy that hollow bolt is.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
Ok, that's what I'm talking about right here. The only thing I'd do differently is skip the plugs and just drill the plate. I don't get the redundancy of the plug.
But THATS how it SHOULD be done if you want to actually oil the timing set.
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
Your saying you left the cup plugs out of the gallery's behind the cam plate and lost oil pressure?
That's remarkable, because the loss at the lifters far outweighs what could possibly leak past the plate.
The plate was left loose by him, and must have been tight enough that initially it held acceptable oil pressure.
Mechanical cam btw, doesn’t care.
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I noticed the plate and tensioner I installed only utilizes 3 bolts, and where the 4th bolt would be, has a channel to route the oil to the chain.
Rollmaster setup has some channels behind the plate.
Rollmaster setup has some channels behind the plate.
Without the oil galley soft plug you can loose oil pressure... I had that problem with the first engine that I built and the machine shop didn't install them... The camshaft thrust plate did not hold the pressure...
Doubt me if you want, but it's true to my experience...
yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
Welp, I can tell you I never use them. The engine in my car doesn't have them. The R block deal I'm doing next won't have them. Any chance your plate was junk? I've done it with the OE plate, a gear drive and the magnum tensioner plate and never had a low oil pressure issue.
How low was the pressure? You leave a 3/8 plug out and you still have some pressure. How much could possibly leak by the plate?
oil pressure was 25 - 30 on cold start, then dropped to 10 - 15 when warm...
After putting the plugs in, it went up to 65 cold start and 55 warm...
The oul comes through the bolt and drips down... If you use the drip tab, that directs it onto the timing chain... If you don't use the drip tab, it will drip down onto the crank and the oil slinger does it's job and slings the oil around and it gets on the timing chain...
(Ray Charles told me that...)
I had to pull the engine 4 times before finding the problem... I had to make my own priming shaft in welding class as they were not available back then... When I tried the priming shaft, it held and no oil came out... When my brother came in and saw the priming shaft on the drill in the engine, he just had to try it and a jet of oil came squirting out 6 feet and almost hit me... I told him to do that again and another jet came squirting out...
After that experience, I always make sure that they are installed...
If the plate's in reasonably good condition, probably only enough to slobber the timing chain to death. lol
Ivoryk3ys78
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the input.
I think we will just take those pipe plugs out of there and put the timing tensioner on with the passenger side galley covering drilled out with a 1/64 hole.
The 318 always had great oil pressure and it had nothing in those galley holes.
I think we will just take those pipe plugs out of there and put the timing tensioner on with the passenger side galley covering drilled out with a 1/64 hole.
The 318 always had great oil pressure and it had nothing in those galley holes.
I think that's a fine idea. Although I would endeavor to make certain both the block and the tensioner plate were very flat. I believe either way would work fine, but IMO for "ME" I like the idea of the soft caps best with the passenger's side plug drilled and with a matching hole through the tensioner plate. Just seems like "more control" there, but I think it will be fine either way.
I can say that not 1 of the 60s or 70s 318,340 or 360s ever had the soft plugs in them when I took them apart. Kim
Makes you wonder why they include the soft plugs in the kits if they were never in there from the start.
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