The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Spray oiler nozzle alignment

A sign over the urinal in the men's room at one of my local watering hole reads "We aim to please- - - - -you aim too, please!"

That is also a real necessity if someone is running one of the old spray-oiler 216 or 235 stovebolt engines. The spray nozzles in the oil pan are there to keep the connecting rods lubricated at any speed above idle, by squirting a stream of oil into the rod dippers as they approach the bottom of the piston travel where the load on the Babbit bearing goes away. It's easy to get one of the spray tubes misaligned when the oil pan is off the engine for any reason. Back in the dark ages when these engines were daily drivers, adjusting the connecting rod clearance by removing a shim or two between the rod and the cap was a routine maintenance procedure. GM dealers, and any well-equipped private shop would have an aiming fixture to check the spray tube alignment as part of that procedure. Sadly, those fixtures are hard to find these days. I just happen to have one, a gift from fellow stovebolter "Coilover" a couple of years ago. Here's how to use it- - - - -Instead of connecting a water hose or a parts washer to the pan, and making a big mess, a piece of round steel rod can be fabricated to check the alignment of the nozzles with the holes in the checking fixture. Bend the nozzle tips up, down, or sideways to make sure the stream of oil from the pump actually makes it into the dippers on the rods at normal engine speed. These engines are not "Splash Oilers" like most people call them- - - - -the pressurized oil just gets to the rods from outside the crankshaft.
Jerry