If those plugs came out it would show on your oil pressure gauge, I assume you are reading true oil pressure - not just the dummy light in the dash?

Cam bearings don't need to be lined up on these motors, there's an annulus in the bore so it can oil from any position.

You need to pull the intake and valve covers, then use a priming tool to manually spin the pump over and try to get oil to the top side, you may need to rotate the motor over to different positions to get oil to all the rockers. Lastly I would change out the lifters because they could have lint or gunk in them causing a problem - lifters are the tightest tolerance part in a motor and are pretty easy to make them stick or collapse.

I've seen more problems from soaking lifters in oil vs. not soaking them, just make sure to oil the rollers.

The lifters should be filled within 15 seconds...

 

Thanks for that. I'll buy new lifters.

 

Soaking and pre-pumping are different things. Obviously they should never be pre pumped.

However as far as soaking is concerned. At least 3 different sources say they should. They include:
Comp Cams: COMP4-115.pdf
“Pre-soaking” hydraulic lifters in a bath of engine oil is a good
idea but not mandatory. Doing so ensures that the lifters are adequately lubricated on their outer
surfaces prior to installation. It may also result in a quieter engine start up as the oil in the bath
may displace some air from the lifter’s plunger reservoir.

Crane Cams: 568e.pdf
Prior to installation, immerse lifters in oil, but do not attempt to pump up hydraulic lifters.

Gaterman Products: GPLLC Hydraulic Lifter Installation Instructions.pdf
Installation Procedure
1. The camshaft must be fully installed before this procedure is started.
2. Wipe lifters clean with a lint-free shop rag. Cleaning with solvents is not required.
3. Soak lifters in clean motor oil.

Not to be forgotten that many use a grease for assembly that is recommended to be washed off with mineral spirits and air dried prior to oiling.

 

I've always given new lifters a quick dunk in oil, then popped them in without problems. Using a priming tool, the quickest I've gotten oil to the rockers was no less than 3 or 4 minutes (on a new engine).

 

Hmm...I don't think I said anything about pre-pumping, and I think I know the difference. What I said still remains true, I have seen more people have problems with lifters that have been soaked in oil than had they not been.

 

What problems might that be?

 

I pulled the intake and primmed the motor with the priming bit and still has 60lbs of pressure and no oil going to the top end. I'm about to pull the front cover off and then pull the motor if I can't find anything there. Any other suggestions?

 

i have now gotten to the stage of just pulling my motor and bringing it to the machine shop that assembled the bottom end and machining.

im only pulling the motor this time and doing it form the top. my new question is.... what is the best way to disconnect the motor from the k-member??? (i have a Tubular)

1. unscrewing the 3 bolts on each side that disconnect the motor mounts form the block.

2. leaving the motor mounts on and just pulling out the 2 long bolts connecting to the k-member.

the only reason i ask is because there are the 1" long pins on the trans that help line it up with the motor and i feel that it would be a tight fit leaving the mounts on the car???? any thought would help.

 

Jasonz28camaro ..... how about NOT "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" just yet! Rather than do all the work associated with pulling your engine again, and since you already have your intake manifold off and that prime tool handy ..... just do this test.

Loosen all your rocker arms and remove all your pushrods. Now spin that priming tool up till you get your 60 psi of oil pressure, and, one at a time ...... lift out each lifter from it's lifter bore. When you remove a lifter from its bore with 60 psi of oil pressure in the lifter galley ......... you will see a stream of oil shoot out from the lifter feed hole down in the lifter bore. Do this one at a time for all 16 lifters, and ......... if you see a nice stream of oil shoot out from all those lifter bores .......... your problem is definately with either your 1) lifters, 2) pushrods or 3) rocker arms (including mis-adjusted, (i.e. too tight) rocker arms!).

Do this test BEFORE you even think about pulling your motor again!

And ....let us know what you find.

 

I'll do it as soon as I get home and let y'all know.

 

There is a good stream of oil coming out of each lifter bore. I can remove the oil from the top of the lifter, start priming it and oil comes to the top of the lifter again but does not squirt just dribbles. What does this mean? What does this tell me? I am getting oil to the lifters so does this mean I have a problem with ???

 

What brand lifters are you using?

As Machinist stated, those things should pump up quick.

Could the allen plugs for those passages, in the back of the motor, be threaded in too far? If the lifters are good, the front oil galley plugs good, nothing wrong with cam bearing number 5, and if you are certain you are adjusting the rockers correctly.....I think you have a blockage of some type.

Just to make sure....You are having problems with the engine actually running correct? You are not basing your lifter oil pressure issues on just trying to prime it with a priming tool.....correct?

About 6 posts down on this one shows the sbc oiling system.
http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...hp?tid/192284/

 

LS7.

Yep it's when it is running. The lifter is bottoming out when I manually turn the motor over, it can't support the valve opening yet???

 

Have you inspected any individual lifters (like taken one apart)? New ones can be gunked up from sticky protectant and should be cleaned before oiling (MHO).

 

That post talks mostly about the guy not having oil to the lifters, I have it but not enough or something.