The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop What is this for.

What is the metal cap on the valve cover for?

That is a rare option you have there. I have only seen that on a few AD trucks. You are one lucky stovebolter. That is where you put the antifreeze into your engine block

i wouldn't tell him that, next thing we know he will be starting a new thread wondering why is engine is making a knocking noise

HUH????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You mean that you put antifreeze in there? And I thought that it was an inspection thing(couldn't think of anything else) to check on the rockers or whatever.(I know what they're called but my brain keeps getting fuzzy after I remember)

all joking a side before you do harm to your engine its the oil fill cap

your antifreeze cap is on top of the radiator

ya mean the one that sez "7IO" on it?

I'd say you need to quit runnin round in circles hyperventilating Jordan, and get hold of a shop manual, sit down and start reading, cover to cover ....

Bill

OH, that sounds better. Wow, I was worried there for a minute. I couldn't figure out why you would put antifreeze in there! My brain was in a traffic jam!

agreed, if you don't have at least some basic knowledge of automobiles you need to get a shop manual

EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys just want to make me mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lajflfjfl;jdslfjdsalf;jlfs; jkl. HA! There, it's out of my system. I had it almost right to begin with. Now you guys are going to be telling me to put gas in the oil filter! I have common sense! Or is it not so common anymore? Like someone telling a 13 year old to put antifreeze in that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys are no fun at all.

Jordan,

This off the subject a bit but I keep wanting to ask! Are you really only 13 years old. Do you compose and type all your own posts, including the punctuation!

Stuart

Yeah, and if you didn't know, that "710" cap is "OIL" upside down!

Atomarc, yes I'm 13! Once Peg gets my truck into the gallery, and if she included Koolkar's pictures with it(either her or John, he was the editor) you'll get to see that I'm 13. And yes I do compose and type all of my posts, including punctuation!

Hey Bill,
That really cracked me up!
has the Bus thawed yet?
Brian

You guys are [color:#990000]EVIL!!!![/color], EVIL!!!!, EEEVVVIIILLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes Brian, I'm ready to get back to work, just finishing up the greenhouse rebuild to get the tomato crop in!

Jordan - you'll find these guys are a bunch of practical jokers if you give them the bait, when you're asking more educated questions you'll get more helpful answers, but you need to get a handle on enough of the basics to know what to ask and understand the answers you get .... check your library and read up on basic mechanics, read the shop manual until you understand it all, save Moms pennies until you have a real plan of attack and a series of goals in the right order

Bill

OK, I'll do that. The reason I asked here is that I figured I'd get an answer to what it was before I read about it in the manual.

Jordon, it's time to get good "reading" resources so you will know when people are pulling your leg!!

There are shop manuals available for your truck.

Also, look in you local library for materials. Here's a recent book published that also might help you: http://www.amazon.com/How-Restore-Your-Chevrolet-Pickup/dp/0879385006

Get you own library of resources going...knowledge is POWER!!

OK. One more question before I get to reading that manual. How much oil do you put in it?

You need to take auto shop at school.

Ghostrider, I'm not yet old enough for that class yet. I think that I'm eligible next year.

JDL,you have got a couple of oddball answers here and also some very helpful answers. What causes someone to give you an answer that is offbeat is that it is such a basic thing.I agree get a shop anual and start studying it.What you posted is the oil fill cap and it seems like just about anyone would know that.I for one think that it is great to see someone of your age with an interest in old trucks.But you left yourself wide open for that one.

5 quarts, 6 if you change the filter.

I guess the reason that I asked what it was for was that I(and I had actually considered it being for oil, so I was at one time on track) thought that if you put oil in it, #1: Wouldn't the oil potentially get past the exhaust valves and into the cylinder? And #2: How would you take the cover off without getting a lot of oil over everything? I read some of the manual and understand now that it is for oil, and that it's connected by a pipe to the crankcase?

To keep this basic and not go too technical, the valves are only open to the ports and intake and exhaust passeges. The area where the rockers are isn't open to that area. As to how the oil flows, there are passages cast in the head and block that return the oil to the pan. For filling, you only need to take off the cap itself, the rocker cover only comes off when the rockers need service. These cutaway pics from the manual will help you understand better how the passeges are cast in the head and block. http://chevy.tocmp.com/shop/1954truck/54ctsm0603.html
http://chevy.tocmp.com/shop/1954truck/54ctsm0605.html

OK. But what happens when you need to take off the cover?

Most of the oil will have already returned to the pan through return passageways built into the head. Unless something's seriously plugged you won't make a mess by removing it. When you get it off it's pretty obvious where the oil runs to & drains out.

It should also be mentioned that there's really not that much oil up there, even when the engine is running.

Thanks.

darn i WISH i WAS HIS AGE AND STILL GULLIBLE. Hang in there Jordan. Us old guys like to have a little fun with you youngsters, we still love you.

I knew that it wasn't for antifreeze! Yeah, I know you guys are just teezing. I just didn't know what that cap was for.

I could not imagine being 13 yrs old and digging into a truck!

Hell Im still dumbfounded sometimes

Hey Jordan,
don't sweat it. I have been told to RTFM a few times.
brian

jordan,

i am 40 and still get busted on by my dad and uncles for asking the simple questions. it part of the workings of an old truck......and older mechanics. check this site for manuals, the best part is they are free.

http://www.chevy.tocmp.com/

the site has been up and down lately so keep trying if you can't get in. it is a great resource.

just remember, the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.

Jordan,
I also agree, save up a few dollars and buy a reprint of the shop manual. One is available for the 54 Chevy trucks. Spend some time reading it and using it to become familiar with your truck and what things are. As you know, there is a lot of good information available here, but the shop manual will help give you a good foundation of knowledge to build upon. If auto shop classes are available in school, those would also be good. You seem to be thirsty for knowledge and an intelligent young man - those are good sources to help you get it.
Samantha

Jordan:
I can see you in about 8 years graduating from college with a degree in mechanical engineering or some other engineering discipline. Keep pushing buddy...

Several of us here have told you to be patient, and take your time working on the truck. Several others need to be patient themselves, and deal with your questions in a respectable manner. They seem to have forgotten the golden rule. I am truly sorry that I wasn't logged on at the time so I could have given them a piece of my mind. So what if you are thirteen? You have more drive and dedication to your truck than most adults I have seen.

What you should also get, and its probably only available in reprint, is a copy of the owners manual for your truck. That is the small book which is normally included with a vehicle purchase and found in the glove box.
There is a lot of basic information in that book concerning capacities, tire pressures and rotation and lubrication data. Reading it will be simpler than a shop manual at this point. It will answer a lot of the questions you have asked recently.

54tow - Who are you calling out here?

I was not wanting to step on any toes, but YOUR post made me mad. There had to have been a better way to "help" the young man. I could just see him adding antifreeze to his oil. Jordan is 13, and has little money. He counts on our advice and guidance to do the job right. Thank god that he knew better than to listen to your comment. You had to know it was a bad idea when you hit the Submit button. The reason so many of us are on this site is the kind and helpful ways of the members. You were being neither kind, nor helpful. That (grab-[censored]) stuff is for the Greasy Spoon - that's why it is here. Don't offer that kind of "help" in the regular forums any more, please. If I have offended you - good. You offended me(along with others I am sure).