Last summer and at long last I got my Sprint engine rebuilt and last weekend set about its first startup.
I’m not sure if there may be an issue with the oil supply to the rocker fingers and hope a few members can offer some advice.
I’ll start with what’s been done to the engine first.
Full rebuild, new +20 pistons, crank grind -10 thou, vandervell and AE bearings, brand new old stock AE oil pump, unipart filter - metal ends, STR91 cam.
After all machining was done, the head and block where fully cleaned out, all oil ways blasted with brake clean and 120psi air line after, checking everything coming out was clean.
I took the rocker shaft apart, which was the cars original with virtually no rocker wear to the pads, all fingers individually cleaned and oil holes blown through, I was going to use a new rocker shaft but found it had no plug in the end so decided to keep the original. I used our works degreasing tank and a very small bottle brush which went the full length of the tube and basically scrubbed it internally until no more black sludge came out, I then left the hose in one end with the degreaser being forced out all the little holes in the tube until I was satisfied all the dirt was out. This was then brake cleaned and blown out with and air line.
So, getting to the point, engine reassembled using thick engine assembly lube, it’s stood during winter, before cranking I wanted to prime the oil ways so welded a rod on to an old oil pump drive and used this on a drill to prime the engine, slow rpm, 2 or 3 turns per second. After a minute or so oil started appearing from the holes in the rocker fingers other than number 7 ( towards rear ). There seemed quite a reasonable flow from the others.
I then cranked the engine ( drive and dizzy back in ) but still seemed the same, so back to the drill, this time no oil seemed to be coming from some of the other rockers.
Eventually I just went for a start up....with the cam cover off! It looked like there may have been oil coming out of number 7 but very difficult to see and messy. Incidentally, the chain was absolutely flinging oil everywhere - normal? For the chain to have this much oil on it?
I then refitted the cam cover and ran it at 1500rpm max for about a minute, when I took the cover off number 7 hole appeared full of oil.
Any ideas on a flow check? Air line up the oil filter outlet, see what comes out? Normal some flow better than others?
I have a brand new Smiths electric oil pressure gauge which cold with running in oil read just under 50psi at approx 1500rpm, I assume this is good?
Any advice, thoughts, tips would be well appreciated, just don’t want to wreck newly built engine. It’s also a pain you can’t just unbolt the rocker shaft in a few mins and stick an airline down it! So looking forward to moving it under its own steam, it last ran in about 1995!
Look forward to some thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance,
Chris.