VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Not getting oil to rockers '51 216

Hello,

I'm about to finish the assembly of my 216 after a rebuild, and noticed there was no oil coming out of the rocker shaft assembly, when running the oil pump with a power drill (run it for several minutes). However there is oil coming out of the overflow pipe at the center of the rocker shaft assembly, (also have good oil flow everywhere else) so there seems to be a good oil flow up to this point. I must admit I have not cleaned the rocker shaft and arms on the inside, so I was thinking that dirt and old oil sludge might prevent oil from going all the way, but looking for other opinions/ideas what to do next?

Thanks!
Erik

The close fit of the rockers on the shaft limits the amount of oil that can flow out particularly on a not running engine. Of course dirt and buildup can limit it even more. If you suspect that dirt and buildup might be a problem it is wise to clean them up. Also look at the end rockers as they likely receive the least oil flow and therefore will wear the most. That wear will create larger gaps that might leak more oil.

I would recommend cleaning out the shafts before you do any thing else. There should be at least oil coming out of the top hole on some of them.

Another vote here for breaking it all down and cleaning out the shaft. You'll be surprised what you may see in there with old sludge etc. It should clean right up and hopefully there's little wear. If you need anything, I'm sure some of us may have parts for you.

Thank you all for your input. I will clean out everything and hopefully the problem is just oil sludge and dirt. Would not be to happy to see any damage since these parts are hard to find in Sweden, and I would like to get my engine running rather soon. I´ll let you know the result...

//Erik

Ok, so the shafts were completely filled with dirt and old sludge, and the small holes were blocked. Only the rocker arms close to the center oil connecton had received a small amount of oil whereas the rest of the arms seem to have been running for quiet some time without proper lubrication. There was some minor damage on the shafts but nothing to worry about. These engines seem to be very capable of withstanding bad maintenance (or no maintenance at all) since the engine in my car was running great before I took it out of the car.

Another question in addition to the above; the small drainage holes on the shafts, next to the big holes for the bolts were pointing downwards to the cylinder head, which I guess is the correct way, however I have seen shafts with the holes pointing uppwards. My shop manual does not give an exact explanation for the postioning either. Could someone please tell me what is corect?
Please excuse me if I´m asking questions with obvious answers but I´m rather green on these engines...

Many thank´s
Erik

All shafts had the oiling holes facing down as the pressure of the arm to the shaft is on the bottom so good lubrication is most improtant in that area. Also if pointed up the oil would squirt out of the hole in the rocker arm which would not be good.

Thanks Chevgene! Now I can continue with the assembly.

//Erik