When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a new to me 1964 98 with the 394 Rocket. Just doing some general maintenence on it and started it up today from being in winter storage. I noticed a quite excessive ticking that wasn't there before (or at least I didn't notice it before) Sounded like lifter ticking. I took the valve covers off just to inspect and it seems aweful dry under the valve covers like there isn't any oil getting to them. I've been reading some past posts on valve train oiling on the 394. I understand that they are oiled through the rocker arms and not the pushrods on these engines. I let it run for quite a while and still don't see oild coming out from the valve train. Its pretty sludgy in there. Whoever owned this before me did not take good care of it at all. I'm wondering where to start before tearing into it too much further. It doesn't have an oil pressure mechanical gauge installed yet. Just the dummy light that isn't lit. Maybe the passages are just gunked up, I just don't know where to start looking.
I attached a pic of the driver's side head. This is after it ran for a few minutes just before I took the head off. Basically dry as a bone in there. None of the rocker arms are loose and there is no play in any of the rockers or pushrods.
...I've been reading some past posts on valve train oiling on the 394. I understand that they are oiled through the rocker arms and not the pushrods on these engines...
It might depend on which year 394. The one pictured shows drilled holes at the rocker ends where they meet up with the pushrods. I highly doubt that the engineers expected oil to flow into those holes from the outside towards the pushrod ends.
Chevys and AMCs used stamped rockers of which were oiled by the pushrods. Therefore, there was no need to feed oil from elsewhere.
In your case, as well as in every other case where engines use rocker shafts, there's an oil gallery under one of those shaft pillow blocks. I'd, in this case, unbolt the assembly and then run either a brazing rod, coat hanger or whichever thick wire through the port. Poor maintenance used to be the cause of sludge build-up
Don't expect a lot of oil under the rocker cover . This isn't a Chevy .
If you want to check the condition of the rocker arms , remove the entire shaft assembly .
Pull a couple of arms off the shaft and measure it with a micrometer .
If the shaft is worn more than .002 then replace it .
Measure the rockers with an inside mic , if they are more than .002 out of round , replace them too .
When you re-install the shafts make sure to torque the bolts according to the 1963 Oldsmobile Shop Manual .
Last edited by Charlie Jones; January 24th, 2021 at 05:18 PM.
It might depend on which year 394. The one pictured shows drilled holes at the rocker ends where they meet up with the pushrods. I highly doubt that the engineers expected oil to flow into those holes from the outside towards the pushrod ends.
Chevys and AMCs used stamped rockers of which were oiled by the pushrods. Therefore, there was no need to feed oil from elsewhere.
In your case, as well as in every other case where engines use rocker shafts, there's an oil gallery under one of those shaft pillow blocks. I'd, in this case, unbolt the assembly and then run either a brazing rod, coat hanger or whichever thick wire through the port. Poor maintenance used to be the cause of sludge build-up
None of the 394's were oiled by the pushrods .
The oil was metered by the camshaft and flowed by passages in the block and head to the hollow rocker shaft .
The hollow shafts were plugged on each end .
The oil flowed to each rocker thru holes in the bottom of the shaft .
January 23rd, 2021, 08:32 PM
