rocker arm oiling problems on Y block

[ajohn]

Surely someone here has had oiling problems with these engines. I never had a Y block that didn't have oiling problems. The cam bearing would turn in the block, blocking the oil hole, someone didn't change the oil often enough, or whatever might have caused the problem. There were line kits available at parts houses that sort of solved the problem. Am I all alone on this one? I currently have a 1956 Fairlane Town Sedan with issues. Pull the engine and completely rebuild it might solve the problem . Put an outside oil kit with hollow valve cover retaining bolts used to work till the car sold. What did you do when faced with the oiling issue? ajohn

[ponymare]

If you have the type with the groove in the cam, you can have that groove machined a little deeper and wider.

[KULTULZ]

The FYB had oiling issues throughout it's production life. There are many ways to correct the factory design defects.

Are you just not getting pressure/volume to the valve-train?

Shown Below Is A True-Fire Remedy -

[Gene F]

Originally Posted by KULTULZ

The FYB had oiling issues throughout it's production life. There are many ways to correct the factory design defects.

Are you just not getting pressure/volume to the valve-train?

Shown Below Is A True-Fire Remedy -

Is that a kit you ordered from somewhere? I thought the issue was the rocker arms? I guess you have to remove the motor to install that setup, due to the shavings when you drill?

How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by Gene F

Is that a kit you ordered from somewhere? I thought the issue was the rocker arms? I guess you have to remove the motor to install that setup, due to the shavings when you drill?

How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?

That is fabrication Gene for extreme use, although if I were to build a nice street engine, it would have it.

It by-passes all the Mickey Mouse engineering on oil supply to the heads found on the Y-BLOCK. It can also be done the old fashioned way.

A high detergent oil is needed on one of these if no PCV SYSTEM is installed especially (IMO).

[Crankster]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by Gene F

How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?

Better multi-viscosity detergent motor oils and preventive maintenance seems to go a long way. The lubrication system feed with a single bearing wasn't the best design, and in those days people were using these cars and trucks as daily drivers. Frequent short trips will "load up" with sludge and condensation. Once there is a restriction or pressure drop it's all over, the damage to typical Y-Block rocker arm bores/rocker shafts has to be seen to be believed. Engines are tough and will put up with all kinds of different abuse, but "no oil" is not one of them.

[JimNNN]

Originally Posted by Crankster

Better multi-viscosity detergent motor oils and preventive maintenance seems to go a long way.

I also agree with this. I mention it because I've seen a school of thought out there (in prominent places) that recommends using non-detergent oil (which I think some single viscosity oils are) in old running engines that haven't been opened up in decades...or maybe never. Their thinking is that detergents will dislodge sludge or semi-hardened oil particles which will then go to places in the engine they shouldn't. I suppose that is a risk, but I've found that using modern detergent oil will work if you change the oil every 100-200 miles for the first five oil changes. Oil could be filthy and filled with clumps in that first 100 mile oil change. Maybe the second one, too, but gradually the used oil will look better in subsequent oil changes. I personally have little confidence in using non-detergent oil...in fact I was kind of surprised to hear it's still available, but it was about 15 years ago that I'd heard of this so maybe things have changed since then.


My 54 y block has no rocker oiling issues. I don't believe it ever had any.

[paul2748]

The picture above showing the lines is overkill.


There are better and easier ways to provide a good oil flow to the rockers:


There are special bearings that have a groove in the backside so no matter where the bearing is you get oil


Another way is to groove the block behind the bearing so no matter where the bearing is you get oil. This method is used by a well known YBlock engine builder


As was stated above, poor maintenance and terrible oil conrtibuted to most of the oiling problems Y's had.

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by paul2748

The picture above showing the lines is overkill.

There are better and easier ways to provide a good oil flow to the rockers:

Of course, the above statements are IN YOUR OPINION ONLY, correct?

The photo I showed was being facetious. Still, it is a better method than ENGINEERING came up with back then.

How are things in NORTH JERSEY these days? Seems to be a lot of malcontent.

[paul2748]

Not only mine and I agree that the engineering was not the best.

Malcontent in North Jersey ????

Originally Posted by KULTULZ

Of course, the above statements are IN YOUR OPINION ONLY, correct?

The photo I showed was being facetious. Still, it is a better method than ENGINEERING came up with back then.

How are things in NORTH JERSEY these days? Seems to be a lot of malcontent.

[darrell]

they didnt spin cam bearings.as was said there are ways to fix the problem during a rebuild.in all the old y blocks i had only one quit oiling.

[KULTULZ]

You have a distinct advantage as to your HOME-20, TYLER, TX.

Here is where you will find almost everything you will need-

https://www.eatonbalancing.com/

LORENA, TX.

[jayvee34]

In the late 50's, early 60's my late father-in-law raced a 1939 Ford coupe with a
Y-block 312 c.i. engine. He corrected the spun cam bearing by machining a grove
in the cam bearing back in that time before it was realized a problem.

BTW: His driver was future NASCAR star Lee Roy Yarborough.

[Gene F]

I seldom put 500 miles ay ear on my 57. And I change the oil and filter at least 1 x per yr. I use Lucas Hot Rod Oil, and usually use a Motorcraft filter.

[Gene F]

The only car I have that has a modified oiling system is my Model-A. The center bearing has a very small oil feed tube piped into it. I can hardly believe that Ford built them with nothing other than splash on that center bearing.

I have also heard that the Packard straight 8s had an oiling system that was "iffy" if you didn't keep the oil changed.

I had a 1956 Chevy with a I-6 when I was a kid. No oil filter period. I guess an oil filter was an option in 1956, and the original owner opted to skip it.

[JimNNN]

Originally Posted by Gene F

I had a 1956 Chevy with a I-6 when I was a kid. No oil filter period. I guess an oil filter was an option in 1956, and the original owner opted to skip it.

Interesting. My '50' Plymouth flathead six had no oil filter either, but I know the filter option was available in '50. In fact...filter/no filter were the only engine choices available '50 for Plymouth! In terms of economy of features, I think Plymouth was even more of a budget car than either Chevy or Ford. It wasn't in Crosley or Henry J territory, but I think it was the lowest price full sized American car of the early '50's. With that in mind, it doesn't surprise me that Plymouth offered an engine without a filter.
I am surprised that you could still get a Chevy inline six without a filter six years later, though. I wonder how much money a person would save by forgoing the filter option? Eight dollars? Ten dollars? Hardly seems worth it...in either the Chevy OR the Plymouth. I.E., I'd rather have the extra protection for the engine than the 10 dollars.

[craig]

Regarding oil filters, Y blocks had a full flow system, just like today's engines. The oil came from the pump into the filter and then on to the bearings.

The older "optional" filter systems were used on various engines, such as a flathead Mopars, flathead Fords and 216-235 as well as the first 265 Chevrolets. This system basically pumped oil into the filter from an available pressure port and returned it directly to the oil pan. Better than nothing, but in all reality it just dropped the oil pressure. In that time period the oil was terrible as compared to todays oil and the engines had very poor crankcase ventilation. If I were to have been buying a new car back then, I probably would have opted out of the filter and just changed oil more often and tried to stay away from paraffin based oils

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by craig

... The older "optional" filter systems were used on various engines, ... This system basically pumped oil into the filter from an available pressure port and returned it directly to the oil pan. ...

Some doofus downgraded to one of those bypass style oil filter setups (aftermarket Frantz brand) on the '57 312 in my garage. It had a fender mounted canister with a roll of toilet paper as the filter.
Bought a nice spin-on adapter to replace it.

[paul2748]

The spin on - aluminum? Where did you get it - haven't seen them for sale in quite awhile

Originally Posted by dmsfrr

Some doofus downgraded to one of those bypass style oil filter setups (aftermarket Frantz brand) on the '57 312 in my garage. It had a fender mounted canister with a roll of toilet paper as the filter.
Bought a nice spin-on adapter to replace it.

[dmsfrr]

On the bottom side of each head there is a shallow groove with two 90 degree turns in the oil passage up to the rocker arms.

This small area is very likely to have sludge buildup, which eventually blocks oil flow to the rocker arms. Especially back-in-the-day when non-detergent motor oil was commonly used.