oiling system

[355shortbed]

i had a question about and oiling problem i was having with my 350 i was buidling. It has gone through 2 cams and wiped 4 -5 lobes off of them both. I rebuilt this small block at school and cleaned the block in a hot tank, put all new bearings in and new freeze plugs and such. cleaned all accesable oil holes and gallerys.
    The third cam i put in i was priming the oilpump so i could start it. I noticed that i had good oil on only the driver side rockers and none at all on the pass. side. This is the first time i had noticed this, the first and second cam break in procedures oil had reached the rockers just fine, and had thought i had a problem else where. Looks like now i had some trash or debree floating around in the galleries block oil passage or a possible crack. But before i tear it all apart i was wondering if not having a gasket between the rear bearing cap; would have that kind of effect of loosing oil pressure to a side, not to sure but any thoughts id greatly apreciate

[355shortbed]

i ment a gasket between the oil pump and rear bearing cap. srry

[VileZambonie]

There is no gasket between the pump and the bearing cap. It should be torqued to 65 lb-ft.

Did you plastigauge the mains and rods? What were your oil clearances?

When you replaced the cam bearings did you align the oil holes?

Are your galley plugs installed in the front of the engine behind the timing cover?

Do you have good oil pressure?

What did you use for an oil pump? How did you set the pick up into the pump?

[355shortbed]

 it was last spring when i did the plasti guage, the rod journals were turned .0010,
-the cam bearings i put in were grooved and im not sure if we aligned the holes up,
-yea the gallery plugs are in, and not leaking, i put sealant around those,
-we were showing good oil pressure which leads me to belive that a gasket wouldnt be the problem, but i just wanted to ask. an its a new summit high volume oil pump w pick up welded on.

[HAULIN IT]

Have you completely disassembled the engine & cleaned all of the oil passages since it wiped the last cam or just before you built the engine the first time? Oil pressure can be misleading if you aren't thinking it through. A lack of oil pressure comes from NO resistance (resistance makes the pressure) so yes you can have good oil pressure at the port in the block & no oil going to some or all of the lifters, pushrods, ect. Is there a pattern as to which lobes went flat? As in, the same lobes off of both cams from the same cylinders or are they all exhaust lobes, ect. Report back, Lorne

[joesgarage71]

 You have to watch what you buy, there are crappy parts coming from china (Lifters) That have caused lots of problems. Buy quality parts.

[VileZambonie]

  an its a new summit high volume oil pump w pick up welded on.

If you have a high volume oil pump you should be running a higher capacity sump. Welding the oil pump pickup on is a BAD idea. It should be bonded with JB weld or a cold weld. Heating that thin cover will warp it not to mention if the spring is not removed it will lose its temper.

What do you mean the bearings were groved??

[joesgarage71]

Also what kind of oil are you using on brake in?Aot of oil companies are removing extreme pressure additives from there oil (the stuff that takes care of the cam and lifters in older engines) Because the newer engines made now are roller camed.

[355shortbed]

No I havnt cleaned it since the last cam whiped out, the lobes that where whiped out were the last 4 or 5 toward the end of the cam distrib. Side.the guys at crane were blaming the malfunction on improper oil, but I still don't believe that it would affect both cams on the same lobes,

[355shortbed]

The lifters came in the cam kit from crane,... The pick up. On the oil pump came tacked on

[DnStClr]

JMO-It's possible that the two lifters are binding because the valve train is too tight. Also,If you look at the cams that were wiped out, and the back of the timing cover to look for an indication of wear, can you tell if they may have been moving back and forth (walking) in the bearings? Another thing to consider is whether those lifter bores are misalined or worn, and a teardown is needed to check them and repair.

[355shortbed]

dntstclr.  yea man thats highly possible  i didnt send it out an have it machined, i just checked the main areas like bore taper, out of round and the rotating parts. Ive spent to much  money on this build now i cant send it to a machine shop. i picked up a 68 327 and im going to have it done then build it for my isuzu pick up once i get the bank built back up, the motor we are dicussing about was going in my 77 scottsdale, but the original 350 only had 114 thou on it so im goin to just put the heads i had redone for roller rockers on it and stick it back in for now n consintrate on the cancer spots, thanxs guys for all the answers, i was just curious.

[HAULIN IT]

So there is Two wiped cam's worth of metal floating around in the engine? Anytime you have a problem like a cam going flat, you need to disassemble the intire engine & clean out all of the oil passages, check the bearings & oil pump gears, ect. The metal from the cam lobes & lifter bottoms has floated around in the oil...possibly gouging up the bearings, crank, ect. & may be collecting in some of the oil passages.
  Also, the metal could get beside the lifters & valve stems & stick them. I would also be very cautious & double check the cam bearing holes, coil bind on the valve springs, ect. When you prime the engine to see that all of the rockers are getting oil  before you start it. Good Luck with the adventure! Lorne