Oil only on one side of engine... help?

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myasylum

myasylum

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I primed my fresh engine for the first time today, and I have the intake on.
Because I have the intake on, I took off the valve covers. While I was priming the engine oil only came out of the passenger side.
I do have all the spark plugs out except 2 on the drivers side because the headers make it a pain to get those plugs out.
Is it possible because I left those 2 spark plugs in the drivers side that it is taking the path of less resistance because of the compression, the oil is only flowing toward the passenger side?

This just seems like it could be bad.

I haven't tried to start it yet.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks much!
 
The oil to the rockers alternates from side to side. Turn the engine over by hand slowly until you see oil coing out the rockers on the other side.
 
I believe the rocker shaft only go on one way also. It could be upside down on that side.
 
Well, I did turn the crank a couple times. I had to stop priming while doing this my arms are only so long, but when I tuned the crank and tried to re prime it still only worked on one side.

Should I have someone turn the crank slowly as I prime?

Do you know, or can you explain how the rocker shaft is suppose to be on?

Thanks!
 
think only bb have to be turned while priming. I agree with one rocker shaft turned. Take the one not oiling off. On one rocker stand, you will see the oiling passage; install the shaft so it aligns with that. Depending on which head, 2nd from one end, if I remember right.
 
when you check the rocker shaft there is a notch at one end it goes like this per the shop manual Install the rocker arm and shaft assemblies with "NOTCH on thee end of rocker shaft pointing to center line of engine and towards front of the engine on left bank and to the rear on the right bank this is a drict quote from the 1971 shop manual.
 
Rocker arms have a notch on one end. The notches face down..towards the center of the engine. On the drivers side the notch faces the radiator and the passenger side faces the fire wall.
When priming your engine have someone turn the engine at the harmonic balancer clockwise with the spark plugs removed. Oil will ooze out of the rockers.
 
A small hole on the cam journal must line up with the oil galley that goes to the rocker shaft. Rocker shaft oiling only occurs during a few degrees of crankshaft rotation, and if you spin the crank too fast it is really easy to go past the point of where the oil holes line up.

The bad news is that the cam bearing on the journal that oils that specific side of the motor may not be installed correctly, and the oil galley hole may be blocked.

Do not fire the motor until you can confirm that both rocker shafts are getting oil.
 
small blocks are oil by the no.2 and no.4 cam bearing....the hole in cam must line up with hole in cam bearing for the oil to flow to the head.

the rockers shafts have a notch on one end...that notch goes down and toward YOUR left...

driver side notch goes to front of car....
passenger side notch goes toward fire wall..

the oil holes in the shaft will point down and towards the exhaust.
 
Well, I checked the Valve shafts and they ARE on correctly.

Now what do I do?

I didn't thak the shaft off, I just saw that the notch is on the right side where it is suppose to be. The drivers side is pointed down and toward the front of the engine. Should I take the shaft off anyway?

If that is not it, it's a cam bearing covering the hole? How would I go about fixing that?????

I am getting a bit frustrated.

Can I prime the engine with the valve shaft off, too see if there is oil coming up that why? Would that then tell me for sure if it's being blocked my the cam bearing?
 
167 degree's on balancer oils one side of motor and 220 degree's con balancer oils other side of motor.
 
can you stick something into that hole to push it down or maybe feel if something is in the way?
 
Easy stuff first. Have somebody help you so they can turn the engine over slowly while you prime. You may have simply passed the sweet spot for the oil passage to the drivers side. If that doesn't work I would take off the drivers side rocker shaft to make sure it is installed correctly, or otherwise verify it isn't the cause of the problem, that is, is it a new rocker shaft or old? If it is a used one, did you clean it? They can get sludged up. The shafts have cup plugs on either end you can remove to clean the insides.
I don't think sticking something down the oil passage to the cam will help...it would be hard to tell if you hit the cam or the cam bearing (if the bearing is rotated wrong).
 
well, I did put a something down the oil passage and it only went down about 3" before it was hitting something metal. Shouldn't it go down a bit further than that?
 
Like xring said, you may have just missed the spot where the cam bearing hole is exposed. Get someone to roll the engine over. Go slow first and see what you get.
 
Thats exactly what happened! I didn't know that there was a "right spot", but I found it and it worked!!

Thanks a lot guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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