Ok so I got my new 355 started and have no oil to the top. I started it with valve covers off yesterday and only got a few drops out of the rockers. I know the push rods are not plugged i pulled one out and can see thru it. The stock oil pressure gauge shows pressure and the aftermarket auto meter gauge shows 45 psi at idle. I have no noise from the bottom end and have ran it enough that if it was dry i would hear it by now. Anyone got any ideas why i have no oil up top.

 

It takes quite a while for the oil to start dripping out the top end. It isn't going to happen the instant the engine starts.

 

Thanks for the reply, I understand that oil will not be there instant. I have started it a quite a few times and also drove it around the neighbor hood a lil bit. Last night i let it sit in my garage at idle for around 5 min with nothing more than a few drips and only on the drivers side, pass side is dry. I am scared to run it anymore i will most likely pull it next weekend. I am just looking for any ideas on what to look for once i have it out.

 

I have heard that if the rockers are to tight that oil will not come out of them..

 

Go on you tube and search for roller rockers. You will see some of the engines with just a trickle of oil going down between the springs, some just a drop or two. If the top is COMPLETELY dry then you have a problem. The pressure gauge reads pressure at the oil galley. It just tells you there is pressure in the system. You may have a passage blocked that was not cleared when the motor was rebuilt. See this for a great diagram.
http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...hp?tid/192284/

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try to loosen a few rockers and see if that helps at all. Also thanks for the diagrams of the oil passages. I also got a tip from a friend to check the oil passage plugs behind the timing chain maybe missing them and not pushing enough oil to the top but looking at the diagrams im not sure that would be the problem. Either way I will be pulling the engine back out next weekend.

 

ok so i got the motor back out and on the stand. I can put my oil pump priming tool on it and spin it for 10 min and get nothing out of the rockers. If i take the push rods out it will pour oil out of the lifters i just cant get anything to the top. My only thought is I have a high volume pump would a high pressure pump push the oil to the top? Anyone have any ideas?

 

This may be a silly question, but are the pushrods clogged?

 

nope they are new

 

Ok so here is an update, I changed the high volume pump for a high pressure and now with the priming tool I get a small flow of oil from each of the rockers. Now for the fun of putting it all back in and together. Thanks everyone for the help

 

Specifically what pump did you replace, and what did you replace it with? Pumps are rated in both pressure AND volume so saying you replaced the "high volume pump" with a "high pressure pump" doesn't make too much sense.

 

old pump high volume standard pressure http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-93442037/

new pump standard volume high pressurehttp://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-12555884/