The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Rocker arm oil , other random questions

#1 cylinder rocker arm isnt oiling itself, I was wondering what the easiest way to tackle the issue. I inserted a stiff wire in the weep hole and it didn't do anything to fix the issue. The other rocker arms are fine.

video of rocker arm

dry rocker arm

Based on the serial # on the engine, F56Z, it is an automobile engine w Hydraulic lifters? is there an easy way to verify the lifters type?

Edit: it's a 235 in a '51 3100. Engine was rebuilt years ago, bu the truck sat for 2 yrs. Engine build date code K 4 55

Have you ever taken the rocker arm assembly apart?

If you did, did you completely clean the inside of both bars/tubes, and check all holes in the arms and in the tubes?

No I haven't. I forgot to mention that I am a new at this and was hoping to avoid disassembly. But if that's the only way to get it done, so be it. Thanks.

You could try doing a disassembly of the rocker arm assembly near #1 but I would just rip into the whole assembly.

Since it is a distal rocker arm that isnt oiling,I would first remove the side cover and visually inspect (including removing for cleaning, then replace) the oil hard line for kinks and restriction first.

Then, If you are very careful to not mix up the rocker arms/pushrods on disassembly, and do not tamper with the adjustment or cinch nuts, you might be able to get by without a valve adjustment and completely disassemble the two sides of the rocker shaft for inspection and cleaning.

Before you tear anything apart, run the engine at idle until it reaches operating temperature (180 degrees or so), look for oil weeping out of the oil hole in the #1 rocker. That #1 is the last to receive oil and sometimes it takes a while to have enough pressure at idle to make it out the hole.
Prior to it weeping out of the hole, you should see some oil leaking out of the bottom of the rocker along the sides. This indicates that the rocker is getting lubed at the bottom (which is where all of the friction is going on) even though it isn't coming out of the hole yet.
You could also turn the idle up on the carburetor to increase your RPM, and therefor, oil pressure to see if the oil comes out of the rocker hole sooner.
Carl

52Carl, I idled it for 30 minutes before checking. #1 rocker weeps oil from the top, and from the bottom. Just #2 rocker doesn't weep from the top, yet does leak from the bottom, although slower than the rest. I'll turn up the idle to build more pressure to see if that changes things.