The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 engine advice needed

I just picked up a 1948 Chevy 5 window that has a 1951 216 babbit engine. Attempted to drive it 110 miles home and got half way when something gave out in the engine. Had to get AAA to tow it to my house. It turns over, but has no spark. I pulled dist cap & rotor didn't turn while cranking engine. I pulled distributor out and it seems fine. Could I have broken a timing chain or the gear on the timing chain?

Common fiber cam gear failure.
No chain on 216's

Thanks Dave for that information. Is this an expensive part, and is the RR similar as later model chevy engines pulling timing cover, etc?

Very similar. You should pick up a shop manual.
The main reason the cam gears fail is the oil supply path plugs up and starves the gears of oil.
The area that plugs is on the back side of the timing plate. That is a tough job with the engine in place.
Replacing the gear with an aluminum one without doing anything else may work for a while.

If you're lucky it's just a plugged hole in the brass 'nozzle' that drips on the gear. Pull it out & see if the hole is plugged. Then take a small bit & make the hole bigger.

Thanks to all for the advice. I guess the best thing to do is pull the old engine and put it on a stand to work on huh? I was hoping to avoid that but hope is usually not a good strategy.
Where can I buy a replacement gear for this motor? Any suggestions of online sites you have used?

Thanks again.

jim carter, chevs of the 40's, napa, most likely any auto parts store, I tend to gravitate towards Napa as it is just down the street, and the guys are very nice, and knowledgable. We have an O'reillys down the road as well. As long as the one lady is working, I can get things, she is very useful. One other point, if you shredded the timing gear I would think your engine would be full of pieces of timing gear with nothing to filter it out other than the intake screen. You could probably do in place, however to get the timing gear cover off you will need to drop the oil pan as the 2 bottom bolts come from the inside of the engine, some people tap the holes 3/8"-16 and put the bolts in from the front, I did, and twice now I am extremely grateful I did. The reason they did this is to allow adjusting the shims in the main caps without removing half the enginge, I don't have shims, so that isn't a concern for me. (this little tidbit is from Pre 68 Dave, I can't take the credit for that)

It is not difficult to pull the cam with the engine in place. The problem comes if you want to take the front engine plate off. I believe with some of the years, the plate will not come off with the crankshaft timing gear in place.

Thanks guys,
Will update you on my progress. I am going today to look at a 235 from a 1954 truck. Would prefer to keep the 216 but it appears from what I have read here thus far the 235 is the preferred route for semi daily driver in today's environment. May still decide to keep this 216 going, that is if I can get it going.

Thanks again

Mainman,

The 235 is an excellent engine. I have one myself. But, if you even have the faintest thought that you might ever want to restore your truck, or that you might pass it on to someone who will, keep that original 216. Fill it with oil and store it in a dry place if you swap it out.

The most common question I get is "Does it still have the original engine?"

Sadly, all I can say is "no"

Kurt

I don't know why you would want to switch to a 235 but I guess you know that they have exactly the same timing gear arrangement and can fail the same way. I had one fail on a 235 with high mileage. There was no problem with the oiling of the gear, it just wore out.

They are only original once. Also consider possible titling issues in the future.

Unfortunately one thing I failed to mention from the onset is the 216 in my 1948 is actually from a 1951 based on the crank case numbers. As far as I can tell the truck was put together with a 48 chassis, gas tank location is of a 48. The only thing I can tell at this point that probably came from a 51 is the engine and the doors as they have wing vents. So for originality purpsoes I am probably already have failed. It seems most guys that have changed to a 235 was due to the better lubrication system, correct? I will certainly keep the 216 stored in the garage for the future as it is at least period correct is not year correct. Thanks for the information and advice. I need all the help I can get believe me.

Is it titled using the engine number?

No I don't think so. In fact I believe the Ident # was actually assigned by the DMV at some point in the state I bought it from.
I had no problem obtaining a title in my state, but have heard this is sometimes a real hassle.

the 216 can be converted to, full flow full pressure without a whole lot of trouble, some people say its a waste of time and money, but this whole hobby is a waste of time and money. But it keeps me out of trouble, which is an even bigger waste of time and money and I wouldn't get a cool old truck out of the deal.

Some folks worry about the oiling system in a 216 but there is a another advantage with a more modern 235, and that is more torque and power.

The 216 in my 48 is from a 52 car. I bought the engine to use while I had a 235 rebuilt. It runs great with no smoke. I like it. But I am getting the full flow engine from the machine shop so I will switch. Otherwise, I am happy with the 216.

the only reason I stuck with the 216 is, that's what came in the truck, and it was the last year they came in the truck. Just seemed right to me. with a little more compression, more cam and exhaust it makes more power than RPM which is what is killing me right now. I debated a 235 switch, but I can't really see 19 cubic inches making that incredible amount of difference. Besides people pretty much just give the 216's away, for some reason they flee from them like the plague. Which is fine by me. I made the full flow conversion for about $300, which is also fine by me, it is somewhat unusual, which I like.