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Priming 318

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mattv

Contributing Member
"I am priming my rebuilt 318 w

"I am priming my rebuilt 318 with a priming tool and a drill. I am getting good psi but no oil to the valve train which I think is normal. I am correct?

Thanks,

Matt"
 
"Matt, if no oil yet, stop! Th

"Matt, if no oil yet, stop! This is the prime time (no pun intended) to perform the 8 stop procedure for pre-setting all of you cam follower adjustments (rocker arm/cam follower settings).
It will be easier prior to priming the oil system if the cam followers are not yet pumped up and while using the 8 stop method!

If you have missed this, then setting them dynamically will be your next best bet! IMO.

."
 
"With the exception of the ’70

"With the exception of the ’70 TA 340, all LA small blocks have non-adjustable rockers."
 
"It’s funny, SB Mopar guys wil

"It’s funny, SB Mopar guys will often to go great lengths and expense to convert the older LA valve trains to adjustables, rollers, etc......when the fact is, the non-adjustable set-up is hassle free, foolproof, bolts on as a single unit and is capable of handling big HP and high RPM’s.

I guess we always want we don’t have!"
 
Just a guess here...does the c

Just a guess here...does the cam have to rotate to meter the oil to the valve train on that engine?
 
"Bob,

That was my thinking

"Bob,

That was my thinking so maybe I should rephrase my original question. Can you get oil to the valve train with just the priming tool on a 318?"
 
"Matt...Maybe someone else has

"Matt...Maybe someone else has that answer...I don't know but I think I would try slowly turning the crankshaft while priming to see if oil starts to flow to the valve train. As you know, it takes two full turns of the crank to make one revolution of the cam. The fact that you are getting oil pressure would seem to indicate you are turning the oil pump in the correct direction(same as distributor rotation) but do double check just to be sure. Just another thought...were the cam bearings correctly indexed in relation to the oil passages???"
 
I was always able to get oil t

I was always able to get oil to the rockers while priming with a drill. Did you install the rocker shafts? These only go on one way. The small blocks get their oil from the stand offs that hold the rocker shafts in place..
 
"where did you get the tool, i

"where did you get the tool, im at teh same point for my rebuild and i can find any locl place that has it"
 
"He said he's "getting

"He said he's "getting good psi" so the pump is turning the right way.

Starting to think the rocker shafts are in wrong, so the oil hole is blocked off. I suggest removing one and looking for how the oil comes up from below. You might also give the oil pump a spin with it off, to see if oil comes up.

Jeff"
 
"That makes a lot more sense t

"That makes a lot more sense than grinding the teeth off a stock pump drive--then realizing you, ah, needed it! (Had to, ah, buy another!)

Jeff"
 
"You do not have to rotate the

"You do not have to rotate the crank or cam to get oil to the rocker arms.
Turning the oil pump with the engine static should give you an abundant flow to the rocker arms and I mean where it is running off the ends of the rockers.
1- Each rocker shaft has a "V" notch in one end. It should face fwd and down on the left bank and aft and down on the rh bank.
2- If step one is good, remove the second rocker shaft hold down bolt on the LH bank and the fourth bolt on the RH bank. these are the oil feeds to the rocker shafts. put a rag loosly over the holes and run the pump with the primimg tool, You should see a garden hose flow of oil and create one hell of a mess.
3- If you now get oil the shafts are probably cloged with carbon and such.
4- if still no oilflow, you are not getting oil to the heads. you will have to remove the adjacent head bolt and run the pump again.

This will further isolate the problem to the block or heads.
please let us know your progress.
Joe"
 
"Matt - as others have suggest

"Matt - as others have suggested, the safts could be installed upside down. There are holes running accross the shafts. Those holes should face downward.....towards the head.

This is a less likely possibility but....if the rebuild involved a new set of heads, it's worth checking the casting numbers to make sure they're not later-model, Magnum, 318 heads. They bolt right up to an older/LA 318 but they oil through hollow pushrods. In other words, in the slim chance that they were later model heads, and you had older-model solid pushrods, there would be no way for oil delivery. Hopefully, it's the aforementioned case of the shafts being upside down."
 
"Thanks for all the suggestion

"Thanks for all the suggestions guys. The heads were rebuilt but are the orginal ones that were on the engine when I got it. I have new push rods lifters,rocker arms and shafts. I will check it out this weekend. I purchased my priming tool online from Mancini racing who had fair prices but shipping took for ever and I even paid to have it expedited.

Matt"
 
"Finally got down to the boat

"Finally got down to the boat and pulled the valve covers again. I checked and the rocker shafts are installed correctly so i pulled one and then tried priming the engine. Still getting good psi but nothing from the oil passage in the rocker saddle. Wrong Head Gasket? Head Gasket installed incorrectly?

Thanks,

Matt"
 
"..." Wrong Head Gasket? H

"..." Wrong Head Gasket? Head Gasket installed incorrectly?"

That would be my guess. I seem to recall something about heads of two different years not working for that reason--the oil passages coming up from the block are different.

Suggest you ask the good folks on the following web site:

http://www.slantsix.org/

Jeff"
 
"The only 318 combination that

"The only 318 combination that will not work are magnum heads on an older block. get the head and block casting numbers and check match on mopar website.
Go back to my previous post.
Pull the number 2LH and 4RH rocker shaft
attachment bolts and run the pump.
If still no, oil pull the adjacent head bolt to the above positions ( the 318 design uses the head bolt hole for an oil passage through the head)If NG. The head has to come off and then run the pump with the head off. you should get plenty of oil up through the block. If still NG the oil passages in the block are probably clogged.
DO NOT RUN ENGINE untill you have plenty of oil to the valve train.
Please post progress.
Joe"
 
"The only 318 combination that

"The only 318 combination that will not work are magnum heads on an older block. get the head and block casting numbers and check match on mopar website.
Go back to my previous post.
Pull the number 2LH and 4RH rocker shaft
attachment bolts and run the pump.
If still no, oil pull the adjacent head bolt to the above positions ( the 318 design uses the head bolt hole for an oil passage through the head)If NG. The head has to come off and then run the pump with the head off. you should get plenty of oil up through the block. If still NG the oil passages in the block are probably clogged.
DO NOT RUN ENGINE untill you have plenty of oil to the valve train.
Please post progress.
Joe"
 
"Matt,
Did you ever try rota

"Matt,
Did you ever try rotating the crankshaft/camshaft assembly? I do believe the rocker shafts are oiled through the camshaft as the cam rotates. A combination of assembly lube plugging the camshaft ports and the cam out of location may account for no oil to the shafts. Also, make sure the two shaft bolts Joe mentions above have no sealer on them
Other than that I'd suspect incorrect cam bearing installation or improper head gasket.
DS"
 
I pulled the plugs and rotated

I pulled the plugs and rotated the engine a few revoulutions by hand and still no oil to the heads with the rocker shafts removed. I will order a new gasket set and pull it apart when I get it. I had the machine shop the bored it out/hot tanked it etc etc install the cam bearings for me. Hopefully that was not it. The heads are the original but were rebuilt by another machine shop. Thanks for all the input!

Matt
 
"Matt dont buy new gaskets, Th

"Matt dont buy new gaskets, The small block Chysler motor has to turn in order for oil to pulse up to the rockers, the primeing you are doing is to fill the oilpump,filter and get oil to the crankshaft. to prime the rockers just pure a small amount of oil on them. when you start this motor oil will be up there very soon. asthe cam has a hole that lines up with pressure from the crank then turnsabout 40 degs. and bleeds the pressure to the rockers so if the motor is not running oil will never make it to the rockers .. Hope this puts you at ease."
 
Finally had the time get the engine fired up and broken in this weekend. When I first started cranking the engine before she fired the oil came up to the valve train. Big relief! Thanks to everyone for your input on the issue and I will start a new thread on the new issues…

Matt
 
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