SO how about just raising your oil pressure via a stronger oil pump? Mine runs 40 psi at idle, 850rpm in gear, and I use Mobil 1 10w 30.
And how do the oil plugs with holes in them oil the Water pump gear, asthe gears are above the holes, at least 2 of them are.

 

Two .030 holes is nowhere near a .060 leak run the math on the area of those two hole sizes once and you will find .060 is MUCH more than double the area. The points about the timing chain and cam thrust plate are IMO exactly why you need to go back to the drawingboard on your "fix". Also consider the LT1 uses a bit more cam than previous production smallblocks and are you comparing it to other roller lifter motors or flat tappets?

 

Geez.Lightenup guys.Were are on the same team. I admit that the title is missleading but I was looking for constructive criticism on my "theory".
.A leak is a leak,I don't think hole area is critical here.
.ED timing sets are failng with or without the holes.
.Yes I am comparing"PREVIOUS PRODUCTION SMALLBLOCKS" to the LT1.But with a "BIT MORE" than the LT1.
Let me know when you figure it out

 

It's called oil splash. The gear ring does go below the holes, you know.

 

I thought he made some pretty good points. You definitely over reacted to his "constructive criticism". You can't just assume everyone is going to agree with you. There are a huge number of LT1's running around without ticking lifters, and there are a large number of correctly assembled engines using the LT4 Extreme Duty timing set that have not failed.

 

I was talking about the Water Pump gear. How is it getting oiled via the holes as it is above the timing gear.

 

My apologies to anyone offended by my "over reaction" to "constructive criticism".
I was looking for a little more than"go back to the drawing board"
Thanks to everyone for their input and ideas.

 

In your opinion, does the chain and gear arrangement not receive enough oil from crankcase splash alone?

 

Just some thoughts,

To put things in perspective, 1 rod bearing (at .002 clearance) has roughly 9x the potential oil flow of this .030 hole multiply this x 8 cylinders & also figure in the 5 mains at a higher flow (almost 14x the area of a .030 hole @ .0025" bearing clearance) and you will see that sealing these 2 holes will reduce oil usage by roughly 1%. Keep in mind that this is a rough calculation as there are many variables involved, but you get the idea. This is not your cause of low oil pressure.

The factory pump is not high volume, nor does it need to be.

A 3/4" pickup is not necessarily a HV pump.... SBC pumps come in both 5/8" & 3/4" pickups. The gear pump length determines a HV pump.

These bleed holes do not have to spray directly on the gear.... that chain & gear flings a lot of oil. If those holes were not needed, GM would not spend the money to have them installed.

Lifter internal clearances & plunger design are responsible for much of the oil pressure loss within the engine. Different styles/quality of lifters can change the oil pressure at idle over 10#

If you have front lifter ticks, remember the engine is fed from the back, so the front has the least available pressure. If you like to experiment, try a thicker oil, such as a 10w40 instead of 5w30. This will increase viscosity & improve oil pressure. Remember all those old school SBC's did not use 5w30 oil. Synthetics also retain viscosity better at higher temps, so thay may also retain hot oil pressure better if you want to spend the extra $$.

Put an actual gauge on your car.... the factory gauges are not know for their accuracy. It may be off a significant amount.