No oil to rockers?

[Lyn Smith]

Purchased a set of Comp hydraulic lifters and it is now getting some oil to the rockers. The difference between the two lifters is that the side oil hole is just a little higher on Comp parts. Thanks to all that sent suggestions.

[Hacksaw]

Wrong lifters? Spinning the drill CCW instead of CW?

[1320racer]

Rotate the crank. Also what drill? typically need a good 1/2” electric drill

[Stan Weiss]

Originally Posted by Lyn Smith

Have a 283 street engine in my 63 Nova cruiser. Just changed the cam and lifters and I'm getting no oil to the rockers. Have tried priming it multiple times. Usually even if you don't get a steady stream out of the push rods you will get a few bubbles when priming with the drill and dummy distributor. Have the engine on my run in stand. Have started the engine and run it for 30 seconds. Has 60lbs oil pressure but no oil to the pushrods. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by 1320racer

Rotate the crank. Also what drill? typically need a good 1/2? electric drill

Stan

[1320racer]

He editted his original post 7 minutes after my reply adding that Info dumbazz

[1legjerry]

If all you did was change cam and lifters(nothing else) then I would say you got the wrong lifters. What year 283?

Have some work the drill and then turn the crank by hand at the same time.

[55 Chevy]

The very early 283 (57), with the part number 3731548(as did the 3720991 265's) had a notch in the rear cam journal surface to basically link the block oil galleys at the # 5, the far back one feeding the rockers. It used a thinner cam plug at the back to not block that hole and if the newer style plug was used it would. Thus no oil up top. The trick was to either grind a feed hole in the block at the rear cam journal linking the two oil feed holes. Or oblong the hole in the # 5 cam bearing to link the two.

Not sure if this is the case with your 283 but just a thought. I don't know when GM made the change in the blocks,I believe it was the late fifties but i really don't know. These blocks also had no provisions for side mounts which your '63 would need.

If you did just a straight camshaft and lifter swap and not changed the rear cam plug when things worked before,this is not the problem. But just a thought.

Also on the very early 55-57 small blocks, if you used a newer style distributor instead of the original with a notch at the bottom that distributor would fill with oil as it could not drain back through the block. So mods were needed there too.

[Mike Taylor 3601]

if nothing has been done with cam bearings and was oiling before cam change...
early small journal blocks have to have groove/flat spot in cam...pull lifter and spin drill and see if oil is flowing out of oil galley in lifter bore
if all that is right look at lifters... pull lifter apart and you should see a clear path for oil to pass and go through pushrod seat..
there will be a disc(valve) that sits against bottom of pushrod seat and there should be away for oil to go between disc and pushrod seat. it may have a embossed/raised place stamped in disc with a small spot that isn't embossed,leaving a small groove for oil to pass. some have the bottom of pushrod seat curved, both styles I have seen not oil.basically the disc seals against the bottom of pushrod seat and has a small place for oil to flow through.. if it does'nt which is a defect I cut a small groove in bottom of pushrod seat so oil can pass between disc and pushrod seat to oil pushrod/rocker..
lifter should have oil hole on outside in the groove,have seen them missing...
if hole is in body above oil band then it wrong for hydraulic

[Lyn Smith]

Removed the intake and pulled out #8 cylinder exhaust lifter. Spun pump over and oil gushes out of the open hole. Lifters seemed to be pumped up, but still no oil out of top of them. Going to install a set of Comp hydraulics tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Lyn Smith

Removed the intake and pulled out #8 cylinder exhaust lifter. Spun pump over and oil gushes out of the open hole. Lifters seemed to be pumped up, but still no oil out of top of them. Going to install a set of Comp hydraulics tomorrow.

Lyn, Leave lifters in and spin pump, look for too much oil escaping onto cam and beliw lifter. Sounds like it?s not getting to the pushrod oil hole on the side. - thus the slot I was talking about. If it has two holes only barely slot one.

Pm sent