small block engine priming

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texas360

texas360

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Who has run 273 rockers on there 360?

So I primed and turned engine over and primed and I didn't get no gusher like with stock rockers. I did this for over an hr. Many rotations of the engine. I got little trails from top hole, some of the rear holes oiled(not all) some dripped underneath. I even pulled one rocker shaft off to make sure oil holes where clean and clear. Do these rockers Just not use alot of oil or what? Almost makes me want to clearance my stock rockers and throw them in with some stock length pushrods. I don't see it oiling any better and i don't want burn up a new engine. This was also with 75-85 psi oil. rocker shafts are banjo shafts, they are also orientated correctly. notches down and to rear on passenger and forward on driver side.. any thoughts or is this normal? my factory rockers got plenty
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of oil
 
You haven't told us anything. Is this a completely new engine? New cam bearings? Torn down to bare block? Or some sort of refresh/ re-ring?

There are a number of possibilities

First, is it actually pumping oil? are you getting any pressure from the sender port? Is the drill pulling hard? AND ARE YOU turning it clockwise?

Possibilities: Some block plug left out. There are at least two that are trouble/ easy to overlook. There are 3 screw in plugs in the rear of the block, and ONE of them has an INTERNAL plug that goes in first, INSIDE the block. "I've been told" some guys have actually installed this (missing) plug through the distributor hole after engine assemble

Second one is a core plug in the vertical oil passage from bottom end up to sender. It is possible to measure this "dipstick" style through the sender hole to determine if it is in place

There are of course the front cam/ lifter bores

And, is it possible you/ somebody installed the cam bearings with the holes in the bearings not lined up with block oil holes? These are also possible to verify, by GENTLY using bare brass brazing rod, inserted from the head, and "feel" and drop it through the cam as you GENTLY and SLOWY rotate the engine.

Last of course is rocker oil holes alignment, or plugged up somewhere
 
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A normal prime should take less than a couple minutes, maybe 5 at most

With everything "ready" fill with oil, pump is primed/ lubed

Remove filter pan underneath It should take about 1/2 a second or 2 to get oil up through the pump and out the filter mount. This allows the pump to operate against zero head to prime easy. Install the filter, PRE fill the filter.

If you want you can hook a hose/ gage to the sender port to verify presense there.
THERE IS SOME THREADS on this board showing crank degrees to align cam. I never have...just easy turn crank while priming to align cam holes to rockers With this done, you can usually HEAR oil flow change and gurgle as you "release pressure" into the empty rocker passages
 
this is a fresh rebuild. cam bearings are lined up correctly.. as I said in original post I have an oil pressure gauge hooked up and it reading 75-85 psi oil pressure.. when I swap out stock rockers it oils just fine, but when I put these on i get minimum oil, but I have also read that these style rockers don't oil as much as a stock rocker system either.. all block plugs are also in place.. other than the rockers and shafts everything else is brand new...pistons, rings, bearings, seals, cam, lifters, heads, intake
 
Are those banana grooved shafts? You mentioned banjo shafts. I don’t know what ya mean by that.
 
Krooser said:
Are the shafts clean inside?
Click to expand...
im gonna have to pull the plugs out and see... i cleaned out the oil holes but someone suggested thats not good enough... they need to be cleaned with a pipe brush internally
 
DR head oils at 20 degrees ATDC #6 compression (use the timing tab to get to 20) & preoil. Then turn it around forward to 90 deg BTDC #1 compression to oil the PASS head (there might be partial slits at 90 degree points) & use the one right before the regular TDC timing slit) or cut a strip of paper 5.694" to use as a circumference ruler & preoil. then come forward a bit to 15 BTDC #1 compression for your initial
 
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