Just got my fresh built 455 / 496 stroker back in my 72 cutlass.

upon break in hi pitch noise started coming from passenger side head.
i pulled valve cover and on that side only the number 2 cylinder rocker were getting oil.
If any one has any advise on anything I can try please advise , I really don’t won’t to pull this engine again.

496 stroker, aluminum heads, atomic EFI. Roller rockers

All these parts worked fine for a year, then I spun a bearing, I then had machine shop do rebuild using 496 stroker kit.

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She's likely toast. Not much you can do, but tear it apart and assess the damage.

 

Tear whole engine apart ? Should I start with pulling rockers / intake apart ? can rocker adjustment cause this problem?

engine has good oil pressure is it possible to have internal bearing / oil galley problem causing lifters not to get oil and still have good oil pressure reading ?

 

I recall reading a while back about lifters that didn't have an oil hole in the internal disc, so that may be one thing to check.

 

If spin oil pump drive should I be able to see oil come out of push rods ?

 

Most likely you didn’t get all the bearing material out of the oil passages.
Cut your filter open and see what you have.

 

Yes

 

Checked oil and filter, Filter clean / oil clean, block was vatted and cleaned by machine shop when stroker kit was installed.

is there a oil passage that if blocked could block oil to the cylinder 4, 6 and 8 lifters ?

 

You should probably check that the passage (thru hole) in the pushrods are open.

 

Check the above as suggested and yes lifters can cause this, although it seems odd that all the dry rockers are in sequential order. Seeming more like a blocked galley.

​​​​​​I'd dig into it before pulling the complete engine apart.

Good luck!!!

 

I think the machine shop would be my first call. But it does not sound good Did they find a cause for the original spun bearing ? Did you preoil it before you started it ? If so was there oil getting up there at that time ?

 

Found this diagram

 

machine shop did not touch engine till after bearing spun.

I was reading article about some Pontiac engines not having oil to passenger side rockers due to missing galley plug, is this the same with Oldsmobile ?

looking at the oil path in this diagrams it is strange to me that cylinder 8,6, & 4 rockers are not oiling and cylinder 2 rockers are, because if the right main galley was blocked it seems to me cylinder 2’s rocker would be the last one to get oil. Please let me know if my logic on this is off.

 

Engine noise

If you did as told with the initial start up (breakin) I would not tear into it. I would pull it and return it to the shop that built it. You put a wrench to it, “ you are on your own! “

Break-in: Oil with zinc and cam additive, Prime with adapter and drill till oil is visible on all 16 rockers. Install valve covers and distributor. With ignition off, crank till you read oil pressure. With ignition on start, set timing stock setting is fine. Bring up to 2000 rpm for twenty minutes monitoring oil and temp. After cool down change oil, get that junk out of there. Always I mean always have a muffler connected. So this doesn’t happen... Good luck

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Did the shop install a matching set of lifters? If they used Chevy lifters in those holes there will be no pressure to the pushrods due to the lifters having the pressure hole to far toward the top of the lifter and bleeds off pressure every time the lifter is on the top of the cam lobe.

 

How was the oil pressure ? Was there any lifter noise before the screeching started ?

 

break in by the book

the only thing I am not sure of was oil to the rockers when pump drive was spun by hand to prime, was reading 50 PSI when spinning pump by hand.

when engine was started for break in cold was about 80 PSI, 50 PSI warm.

noise was pretty immediate I first I thought it was a pulley making noise by the time break in was over I knew it was coming from the rockers.

 

Then they probably never got oil.

 

Oil path is from back to front on the passenger side crossing over at the front and then from front to back on the driver side. One of the front oil gallery plugs has a small orifice to squirt oil to the timing chain and the rear oil gallery plug on the drivers side has an orifice to squirt oil to the distributer gear.

 

You have oil to #2 rockers. Therefore the oil gallery isn't blocked at the source.

You don't have oil to the rockers behind it. Seems odd that six lifters--the first in line for oil pressure--would go bad at once.

What are the chances that this is one of the dreaded Olds blocks that came from the factory with OVERSIZE LIFTERS in some holes, and you didn't put oversize lifters back in? I know Olds did this, but I don't know what model years. Maybe that's a "big lifter" problem and so 455s aren't affected.

You could "prime" all damn day and not get oil to the rockers. Don't worry about that. Some guys insist on "priming", turning the crank, "priming" some more, turn the crank...and I guess if you want to make a career out of it, maybe you could oil the fenders that way.

"I" would pull the non-oiling rockers, pushrods, and--eventually--the lifters, keeping everything in order. See if the oil holes in the rocker arms are plugged, see if the holes in the pushrods are plugged. If you find an easy solution, great. Otherwise the lifters come out--and apart, one at a time. If you find a problem there, great. If not...you're stuck tearing down the engine until you do find the problem.

 

Good advice ^^^ Methodically remove one item, inspect it, keep it in order all the way to the lifters. You could try priming with the first lifter out that should receive oil to see if oil flows into its bore.

Had this on a friend's SBC about two years ago. It was the lifters,t blocked the oil passage. BTW it was a crate motor and the rockers were torn up everything else was ok.

​​​​​​Good luck!!!

 

I have a video of car running with valve cover off I will try to post via link.

Seems like a more than normal amount of oil is coming from the number 2 cylinder push rod.

it seems hard to believe but I can not see what else it could be asides from lifters or push rods if I have oil pressure and number 2 and good pressure at my gauge.

 

This Happened to my refreshed 72 350 I put assembly lube on all of the rocker arms at the pushrods during the rebuild, when I was priming the Engine I noticed several of the rockers were not getting any oil. I pulled one of the rockers apart and cleaned off all of the lube. I pulled the Pushrods and flushed them with Brake clean, put it back together.
Primed it again and the one I cleaned starting pumping oil, so I went back and pulled all of the Rockers and Pushrods and cleaned and flushed them
Put it all back together and Primed it again and I had oil at all the Rockers
I guess the Lube must have thickened up and the Oil Pump couldn't force it out. Good to go now

 

What did the engine builder say when you called them today ?

 

i sent him vidieo, he then check a Olds block he had to verify oil path. He doesn’t understand why they are not oiling he is hoping lube in the pushrods but doubts it.

He told me to pull rocker inspect, then inspect push rods, call him, then he might get me to pull intake to look at lifters before I pull engine and bring to him.

 

Here is a picture I will try to post a link to video later

 

It's unlikely to be the lube on its own. That stuff does thin down, especially once the engine warms up.

Now, junk in the pushrod? Oh yeah. Pushrods need to be thoroughly cleaned, even new ones.

Oil runs from the back to the front in that galley, and that galley feeds the main bearings. So if there was a problem in the galley then it would be knocking like a tractor.

Just start inspecting parts. Pull a rocker and make sure the oil hole in the pushrod cup is clear. Then pull a pushrod and make sure the center hole is clear. If all of that looks good down the line (or as far as you can get if you have an A/C housing), then it's the lifters.
I've gotten into the habit of disassembling and cleaning lifters. Note that all of the parts of each lifter are precisely fitted, so keep everything in order! Learned that the hard way. I've had big name lifters with junk in the piston, drilling swarf on the inside of the main bore, some even assembled in the wrong order.
Never Trust Anything.

 

I just looked at a 455 block I have sitting here. The oil pressure sending unit takes its reading from the front of the passenger side oil galley so that means that oil is getting all the way through it. This almost has to be something having to do with the lifters on up. I wonder if the builder adjusted the rockers too tight or loose and that is causing part of the problem ? I have seen some lifters that are very picky about preload. Either way it probably should not have hurt anything else other than the valve train.

Should be interesting what you find.

 

I still say the lifters are not correct. Check the lifter on the full lift of the cam to see if they are coming out of the bore and losing pressure.

 

Making progress but still baffled.

i removed number 8 intake rocker and push rod, removed push rod I made sure passages were clean.
re installed with 1/4” after zero lash.

started engine up and the massive amounts of oil that was coming out of cylinder 2 push rod went down to a normal level and I saw some oil on all others.

i went a 1/4 turn ccw on all passenger side rockers and now the oil flow on top of that head seems normal.

i still hear a sweak but maybe this is from damage to a rocker from earlier no oil problem ?

i noticed some smoke from passenger side exhaust pipe, but hopefully from oil penarating header gasket ?

if I check plugs for oil how can I tell if oil has been on it ( what color dose Burt oil leave on a spark plug )

 

WOW! Maybe start over with valve adjustment on 4 6 8 with valve closed at zero lash, then 3/4 turn. Start watch and listen, if oil appears shut down. I would adjust the others the same way. Once you adjust all 16, button it up. No need to adjust while running not with your valve train.
Good Luck! Keep us informed.

 

What is concerning is this sweaking noise I have never hear anything like it, but engine seems to be running fine.
the small amount of smoke from passengers tail pipe and this noise makes me wonder if there is something that could be wrong with the way the springs are seated or valve guides.
I barly know how heads function.
any advise on if there anything else I can check as I adjust the valves ?

 

Adjusted rockers all are oiling

re tighted header bolts noise is gone.

thank for all the help guys