The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop one dry push rod?

hi guys,

i finally got the nerve up to look under the valve cover...
im going to try and adjust the valves myself, ive done it before but that was 30 years ago, oddly enough, on a 56 gmc pick up, with i think the same motor...

i was expecting tons of sludge and such, but she is pretty darn clean, and flowing oil nicely with the exception of one lone rocker...

she seems to be flowing better towards the rear, but all rockers are getting completely covered with oil except for the second rocker back from the front of motor....
this rocker has no oil flowing from the hole in the top, but i can see oil dripping from the side edges, and the push rod for this rocker is bone dry, while the rest are completely covered in oil....

so, i took this video with my phone, it sucks but best i have at the moment, i will get a better video up soon i hope.

does anyone have any suggestions about what may be the issue, im going to surf the pages here a little more, but have not seen anything yet to show me a proper fix that i understand...

this motor does not have an oil filter on it, but i have got one to use as soon as i clean it up and get installed.... this motor also does not have the oil bypass tube going around to the passenger side to feed the rockers but i dont think i need that since my issue with with a single rocker/push rod

http://s762.photobucket.com/user/93MARKIII/media/57%20step%20van/676A0300_zps2350745b.mp4.html

good lord turn the volume down first ! lol, that video is nearly useless

....have you tried blowing a little air back thru the hole in case its clogged up like my heart artery?

...The shaft may be worn a little more at that rocker and the oil is escaping out the sides?

You can pull the front half of the rocker assembly off and check it out. Its not a big job to do that.

i never thought of blowing air, will try that this evening.....

since i brought her home i have changed the oil twice, with a total run time of maybe an hour or so, before that she sat in a field for about 10 years.
two things i forgot to mention are i poured in a bottle of seafoam with the second oil change to help clean out any sludge... i plan on another oil change today or tommorow with some 5w20 and a bottle of motor flush, and then a final change before driving with some rotella 15w40 or 20w50...
and about halfway on the rocker shaft there is i think the oil feed system for the rocker shaft( small tube going into sort of a bearing looking thing around the shaft) and while idling this thing sort of "floats" back and forth (front to rear) on the shaft.... not much mind you, but i can definitely see it moving.... is this normal on these old motors, or am i seeing a wear issue i need to correct soon?

i get oil from work nearly free when a jug leaks or gets dropped so thats why i have the luxury of changing the oil so often.

after talking with a retired Merita mechanic, ive learned they went through the entire fleet (in this area anyway) and removed all the oil filters a long long time ago, the reasoning being they basically changed the oil so often (never more then a month between) that they figured there was little use for a filter... and im sure the bottom dollar was considered also. lol

not hard to just remove the rocker shaft and lay them out in order and check them. if it is as simple as cleaning out the hole in the shaft or even get the plug out of the end of the shaft and flush it out good. and put it all back. actually if you don't swap any parts to different positions the clearances will stay the same and if you find a bad bushing you can change it then. I have even heard of rolling the shaft over so the top surface which isn't worn is on bottom but depending on how the holes are located this might not work.if you do that you definitely need to re-do the clearances as the height of the rockers would be less.

What year engine? What is the oil pressure at idle? The movement of the part that supplies the oil is not a problem, my 55-59 235 does the same thing. Air to move the potential clog is a temp fix. Pull the rocker arm off. Keep all the parts in order, clean and clear it then put it back on. Adjust the valves, not too hard, see the tech tips. You might consider the bypass filter it does help. You have probably cleared most of the crud out with the oil you have used so finish the job and let the rockers live a good long time.

...the center piece with the tube may rock back and forth a little because the springs on each side of it are getting a little weak and is not keeping the washers pushed up nice and snug. Its not an unusual thing and probably will not present a problem. After all the flushing and cleaning it may be a good time to do as skelfyer mentioned. Take them apart and clean them. Keep them in the right order and continue on. As we say around this neck of the woods, Rock n Roll.

I purposely broke a screwdriver handle off so I can chuck it in my drill, remove the distributor, and watch the oil circulate. This way I can see exactly where oil isn't moving right. Of course make sure you know how the distributor goes back in, and don't turn the engine during the process. You can even see the oil pressure gauge and how it works if you have a helper.