If you're referring to the "wicks", you can't see them at all unless you disassemble the rockers. They are inside each rocker arm and are small felt cylinders, about 1/4" in diameter and about 1" long. They wick oil from the rocker arm shaft to the push rod joint.
If you're referring to the aftermarket accessory "silencer pads", they would be installed in the underside of the rocker arm cover and were intended to reduce valve noise. In my opinion, they may do that, but they also capture and hold condensation, which is already a big problem in these engines -- especially in cold weather, blow-by gases and water vapor condense on the inside of the valve cover and side cover, then the slightly acidic water both rusts out the covers and creates rust in the valve gallery and push rod/lifter area. I wouldn't use the pads for that reason.
The round oil wicks come out the back of the rocker arms at the bottom and they go to the top of the push rod. However, on many used engines the oil wicks are pretty much gone.
Yes I was referring to the oil wick on the rockers. I see that there is a hole by where you adjust the valve clearance dose the wicks go in there and how do they get oiled? They must stick out a little to get oil that is splashed around or I'm I wrong
The oil wick sticks out the back of the hole in the rocker arm and the wick goes to the top of the push rod. Oil is wicked from the rocker arm bushing to the top of the push rod via this method.
OK I know that it's been said before that a lot of the wicks have been removed over time but is it a good idea or should they be installed when the valve cover is off. it looks like you would have to remove the rockers and shaft to put them in what is the opinion on them
The wicks must be installed to oil the top of the push rod and the adjusters. The oil wicks can be installed when the rocker arm and shaft assembly is removed.
It is not necessary to remove the rocker arms but it can be much easier if the shafts are moved up away from the push rods. If nothing else is moved then all you have to do is unbolt the shafts, move them up, install the wicks and then bolt the shafts back down. Will not effect the adjustment.
I have used a dental tool and needle nosed pliers to work the wicks past the push rods and into the holes in the rockers. Takes a bit of doing but worked well for me.
and you can see some fragments of the oil wicks at cyl. 4 (exhaust), cyl. 5 (intake/ehaust) and cyl. 6 (exhaust). All other are gone... I know it is hard to see but it is visible. I am completing an order at filling station now and will order new oil wicks too...
Yes, and you can see, as chipper wrote, there is a lot of vapor condense coming out of the engine, and of course there was rust on the inner side of the valve cover. As he wrote, I would not use these silencer pads, they would only hold the water vapor and in consequence there will follow rust...
It is the same discussion as we had 10 years ago in our church about our historic organ. The key action there is made by a pneumatic system with hundreds of small wooden valves, and there is a lot of noise if you play. People said, we should add felt pads to reduce the noise, but the organ builder said "no, never", it is a tchnical organism and everywhere, where is action, there is noise. If we add things which should not be there you will have problems soon coming from sticking valves and more. In 1899 the organ builder was not stupid, he did know what he did and did understand his job. Let it be noisy, a bit noise is better than permanent working on problems you did never have before.
This in general is my way of thinking while working on my chevy: before changing anything first think, why it is made as it is. Remember, the last owner of my chevy was frustrated completely and gave up. Why? He had no understanding of this old technic and all the time he drove out it did end in a desaster and breakdown and he was pulled homewards in a workshop where "modern" mechanics tried to repair the car. They did their best, but without knowledge and background the made all even more worse and made the base for the next desaster. I have the car since 8 month now and I am still learning and I do my best to correct all the old mistakes. Any day it will be enough stuff to write a book about it...
Wish you all the best with your 29! Stefan from germany
I took the valve cover off today and see the wicks on some of the rockers but some are missing also the valve cover gasket that was inside the car naturally is the wrong one it's for a 1934-1936 so I have to get one and wicks. The under side of the cover and the top of the head look pretty clean. Is there anything else I should look for?
I had my oil pan off and did search for the missing wicks and found the oil tube where the oil flows back down from the top of the cylinder head to the oil pan blocked with parts of the old missing wicks. Did clean the tube first with a long steel wire (sorry for my bad english, hope you understand), pushing it through the tube and after blowing through the tube downwards with compressed air. Wanted to be sure there is no part of the missing wicks in the oil pan, able to get sucked in the oil pump and later blocking anything of the oil circulation. If you take the oil pan away, be careful, first take away the connecting tie rod between the wheels, otherwise it might happen you damage one of the oil dippers as it happened at my car years ago before I bought it.
I was going to lower the oil pan sometime this week and see what is in it because I just got the car a couple of months ago and I'm not sure of its live before. I will plan on blowing out the oil line. Dose anyone else have anymore things I should be looking at while the rocker cover and oil pan are off? Due I have to put oil in the line before I start the engine and due I have to prime the pump if so how do I prime it. Any other information I would appreciate it the help.
