help with priming

-

roylerumble

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
218
Reaction score
20
Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Can
I'm getting so close to firing up my 408. I had it built by a local guy. Today we were priming the oil pump and almost immediately I had oil in the passenger side, but I can't get anything on the drivers side. I was building lots of pressure, and spun the shaft for a good 2-3 min a few times. had a guy turn the motor over a few times too. Anything I should check before ripping into the rocker assmbly and removing the intake and head? Please help! This is my first build, so it's all been a learning experience.
 
Turn the crankshaft so the oil feed holes line up. The top end is not constant fed. Have your buddy run the drill while you turn the crank, it will come. If not then one of the cam bearings are not lined up or the one rocker shaft in upside down, but you would be able to see the oil holes if that were the case.
 
also check your rocker arm oil holes if they are positioned correctly on the driver, but first i would do what hell rats said
 
In case you didn't catch it, what Hellrats is saying is that the oil is only allowed to flow to one top end atta time, and the crank has to be in a very specific position for each one, to allow this to happen. And unfortunately I forget those two index points. Maybe someone will come around and post it
If you have been spinning your engine over with the starter, she will have cast most of the break-in cam-lube off the cam, and that could be a baaaaad thing.
 
Check the notch on the rocker arm shaft and make sure its in right. If its backwards it affects the oiling. Notch goes down and you will have to do a search to see which direction it faces. Its opposite on one side of the engine from the other.
Its most likely you just are not lined up with the oil hole in the cam bearing. Easiest way is to have someone spin the pump while you slowly turn crank a couple degrees at a time. Wait a few seconds between rotations to give the oil time to get up top.
Worst case scenario is you had a chevy guy build the engine and the cam bearing is installed wrong (oil holes not lined up).
 
@MOPARMITCH Kind of went through this his cam was not drilled through the whole way and oil did not go to the pass side. Just FYI
 
I'm getting so close to firing up my 408. I had it built by a local guy. Today we were priming the oil pump and almost immediately I had oil in the passenger side, but I can't get anything on the drivers side. I was building lots of pressure, and spun the shaft for a good 2-3 min a few times. had a guy turn the motor over a few times too. Anything I should check before ripping into the rocker assmbly and removing the intake and head? Please help! This is my first build, so it's all been a learning experience.
I had the same problem finding the sweet spot on mine too.
See post # 3 on this one
la 360 rocker arm oiling
 
you guys were right. My buddy left so it took a bit more time, crawling under the car, cranking it over a few degrees, climbing out and running the drill, but finally I found the sweet spot and struck oil! I didn't know that they only oiled in a specific position. Thanks all
 
Turn the crankshaft so the oil feed holes line up. The top end is not constant fed. Have your buddy run the drill while you turn the crank, it will come. If not then one of the cam bearings are not lined up or the one rocker shaft in upside down, but you would be able to see the oil holes if that were the case.
thanks!!!!!!! it worked
 
Yeah it has to be pretty close on the crank angle; IIRC, each side only oils for about 10 degrees of each crank revolution, and with other effects it effectively oils even less % time. You were lucky it got either side on the 1st shot!
 
-
Back
Top