pre-oil issues, reman engine

trekuhl · October 1, 2005

jsut installed a reman engine, first time doing this so its been a slow process.

i am using a drill to get the oil pump primed, and the left bank is all functional (cyl 1 is first in line on this side), oil coming out of the pins on all 6 rockers.

The right bank is not working however, oil is not coming out of ANY of the pins, it is only coming out the hole below the the last set (very back, beside firewall)

Any bright ideas?

trekuhl · October 2, 2005

i have a mech. gauge hooked up to the spot next to the distributor, and the max pressure i am getting is around 35 (with one drill, that one started smoking though...yuck)

the other drill is older and slower, so at that speed max pressure around 25.

seems that the pressure level is ok as far as i can tell (but then again, i know just enough to be dangerous, not enough to be deadly)

i dont have and pics of that area and its late and dark.

im just worried that there is a serious prob with the left head and i dont have time nor patience to pull it out, house just went on market and i have tons of stuff to be dumped and cant really do that without the truck. this thing is also a rust bucket, arguably not worth putting a new engine in (just put new tires and new exhaust from ypipe back a few months ago, so have invested a bit recently) I dont even want to imagine the bill if i get it towed to a local shop and they have to pull this new engine and get it swapped for another. was trying to save every penny i could.

i would think i would have gotten oil through the pushrods after 40+ min of turning the pump...but then again its all shooting from out the drainhole on the left bank, so it may not be reachin the right area...

GM-Tech · October 2, 2005

35 psi is good, as is 25 psi. There's nothing wrong with the head. The heads have no pressured oil passages. Oil is not fed to the heads themselves in any way. As I said, the only oil that gets anywhere near the head is what's pumped up the push rods to lubricate the valve train, then it simply drains back down via gravity.

trekuhl · October 2, 2005

right, the pressure seemed good, which had me really confused. you think it may be ok? i'd feel 110% better if oil came out the pushrods...

and then i was even more confused when the left bank (cyl 2/4/6) no oil was coming thru the pushrods, but it was coming out of the drain back hole below the rockers for cyl #6.

im seriously debating what to do. i could button it up and try to run her and see what happens...

or i call a local place monday and see if they can tow it and finish it up.

if i finish it myself and something happens, im most likely screwed since im not a certified mechanic and i believe the warranties for most reman engines call for ASE cert mechanic installation. then again, maybe she runs fine, and im all good.

if i take it locally, they say its A-Ok and finish the job (just put all the accessories back on and whatnot) i prob end up paying close to a grand (im guessing)...but if soemthing happens the shop is liable.

if they say it is something wrong with the engine, i have them call the guys i bought the engine from and get it replaced. im guessing if this happens i can expect to see well over $1000, maybe even almost $2000 for removal/installation.

i'm stuck. if there was a severe problem, wouldnt the PSI be way low (or non-existant)?

builderpaul · October 2, 2005

http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat....&page=1#1322506

Read this thread sound a lot like your problem.

GM-Tech · October 2, 2005

i'm stuck. if there was a severe problem, wouldnt the PSI be way low (or non-existant)?

One would think that pressure would be low if you had a large leak somewhere. And the thread pointed to in the above message... that's a real possibility too. Haven't looked at a 4.3 distributor in some time, but it's quite possible it's involved in an oil passage. After all, it needs lube too.

trekuhl · October 9, 2005

*EDIT: etex211, by right side, you mean the even numbered cylinders? if so that would completely explain my situation.

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well, i put this thing on hold all week and yesterday it was pouring rain..

i am priming with a drill and a cut off screwdriver, i am not using an old distributor - perhaps this is the problem as was suggested.

i tried turning the crank, to see if that would impact the issue, but it did not.

what i did notice and i couldnt tell last week is that the oil is NOT coming from the drain hole, but rather seeping from aroudn the hole the pushrod is in. This would be cylinder 6 on the firewall side, and i think its the intake valve (not one closest to back of block/firewall).

as previously stated, this is a reman engine, so the heads were already on the block and it was supposed to be ready to go. i didnt change anthing the valves nor adjusted the lash, etc.

since i got the engine whole, i dont want to rip off the heads on that side, and yet i may have problems getting it replaced unless i take it to an ASE mechanic because i believe the warranty says they have to install it.

etex211 · October 10, 2005

Yes, that is exactly what I mean by the right side....the driver's side is the left and the passenger side is the right.

etex211 · October 8, 2005

I've built lots of small blocks over the years, and I think the 4.3 is virtually identical to the small block V-8.

Oil can not get to the valve train on the right side of the engine unless the distributor is installed. With the distributor removed, you can see the oiling holes in front of and behind the distributor that feed the right side. There are two bosses on the distributor housing that seal these when you install the distributor and thus allow the oil to pass through to the valve train on that side.

If you are using one of the primer rods that is commonly sold by someone like Moroso, then it would not be able to prime the right side valve train. A homemade primer that is made from an old distributor would allow full oiling.

If you just use a squirt can on the right side rockers or coat them with some whitelube prior to assembly, then this shouldn't really be a problem. The main purpose of the priming is to lube the bearings with oil and also to get the filter full, so that pressure comes up quickly when the engine is fired for the first time.

Hope this helps,

Mark

GM-Tech · October 1, 2005

No bright ideas here. Pins? Do you mean the push rods? I'm not sure what hole you're talking about below the last set.

Perhaps the lifters on that bank are air bound and will only begin to allow oil up the push rod once it's running and the lifters are operating and the air is purged.

trekuhl · October 1, 2005

::this is a 4.3 (92 K1500 vin Z) by the way::

yes, the pushrods - those are the holes they are coming out on the right bank (cyl1 bank)

i have been runnning a drill on that thing for a total of an hour all together (about 40 minutes straight at one point, had to stop and switch drills the first one had smoke coming out if it).

the left bank i have still gotten no oil out those pushrod holes...it only comes out one of the channels below the last set of rockers (the hole from the head into the block itself).

i believe what i am saying is that there are the drain holes from the head to block, so the oil comes out the pushrods, leaks down and drains back down the larger holes underneath the rockers and back into the engine. i have oil spurting out the drain hole in the head underneath the rockers for cyl #6

i dont know if this is normal, i thought it should only be coming out the pushrods.

GM-Tech · October 2, 2005

i have oil spurting out the drain hole in the head underneath the rockers for cyl #6

NOT normal. The only way oil gets anywhere near the heads is what comes up through the push rods.

The only thing I can imagine is a major leak past one of the cam bearings or lifter bores, allowing enough oil under pressure to splash up to the head. That would be a MAJOR leak.

When you're running the drill, do you have oil pressure? Have someone look at the gauge with the key on if you are far enough together to have that hooked up. Or, hook in a mechanical gauge.

This doesn't sound good, though I'd know better if I could see what you're talking about.