The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 head lubrication

I have a 51, 235 that runs great but I can't get any oil to the head. Does anyone have a fix? I've got good oil pressure and the main bearings are showing .002 clearance. The passage to the real cam bearing must be blocked. Is there any trick to opening it?

Glenn,

One thing you could look at is the line that runs in the pushrod area that feeds the rockers. That line might be blocked/kinked.

Thx Bill,
I replaced that along with the oil pump. The old line was clear though.

Glenn,

Ok. It was just a thought. I suppose that you could maybe poke around in the fees hole wiht a small stiff wire and some brake cleaner to loosen up any crud in there. I'd check the passeges in the head, too. There's a small plug on the side of the head that can be taken out to access the passage better.
Hope you canget it straightened out, let us know how it goes.

Hello GEC52

If I remember right the oil is supplied to the head around the center head bolt on the passenger side of the engine. Try removing the head bolt and see if it is sluged up, you can even run the engine for a short time to make sure the oil is getting up to the head.From there the oil goes to the center rocker arm shaft support and out the rocker shaft into the rocker arms.

Good Luck

Now I feel like a real ding-dong. I forgot about that bolt! bad thing is just the other day Dad and I were talking about that very thing. He was telling me about how slick my grandpa (mom's side) was about building engines and such. The whole thing about the passage around the bolt came up. Grandpa used to grind a little off the bolt in the groove area to get more oil flow to the rockers.

The heads you all are thinking of are 54 and newer. A 51, 235 is just like a 216. It oils through a removable tube that runs through the pushrod compartment, up through a hole in the head and attaches to the oiler on the center of the rocker shaft. It does not oil through a center head bolt. Without removing the crank and the cam I see no way of clearing the internal oil passages. Air didn't work. What is surprising to me is that the lifters seem to be pumping up. But, they are probably getting oil from the front oil passages.I'd put a quart of tranny fluid in the oil but then the lifters will collapse.

Glenn,

Glenn,

One quart of ATF shouldn't effect anything. When you pull the fitting for the tube that is screwed into the block on the rear cam bearing, and you stick a small wire or welding rod into it, what happens. Does it dead end into a corner or something, does it come back coated with crusty crap. If you run the engine with no fitting in that same hole, does anything even bubble out.

Stuart

A spalsh oil 235 has that little tiangular plate on the left side of the block.I'm not real knowleable about thse engines,but I believe it's a regualator for for the oil to the head.There's a spring and some little parts inside than may be fouled up?
If you engine has the rocker oiling tube passing through the block,it's not unusual for the tube to get erroded,spring a leak and dump oil into the water passages,did you check out the tube carefully?