get the mind out of the gutter guys.

this is all gunked up. i think the other side might be too.

 

Is that the drivers side rear of a 350 or 455?

 

its a 455. it would be the drivers side i believe. that pic is of the rear. but there is also one on the front (same side)

 

Looks like an oil drain from the head

 

i may be way off but i think it is just a spot where the casting did not form perfect. i am sure there is a technical name for it but i don't know what it is. i have seen spots like that in other spots on engine blocks. most of the time i see them is a corner like that. i figure that the heat or air may affect those kind of areas when they are formed. i am no expert on the subject but i am sure a true expert will give a better explanation.

 

Have you tried picking out the gunge with a sharp probe? If it is an oil drain it should clean out by doing that. I don't have any experience with 455's. But from the picture, it looks like it's sloped to the center of the valley so I don't know that it would be that effective as an oil drain, it seems to high up.

Is there any of these on the passenger side?

 

That is the oil drain back from the valve train. More than likely the gunk you see is hardened or baked oil. This needs to be removed or oil will be trapped in the valve train are. Just try and not let the gunk fall into the engine when you remove it.

 

i guess i will have to look at one of my engines again. i just don't remember there being an oil drain there.

 

Just looking at the picture it appears to be up near the head instead of down near the bottom of the valley. I wouldn't expect a drain in that location. Am I seeing this photo wrong?

 

I believe it to be a rare,but potentially deadly form of Squamous Cell Rust Cancer, though this can only be confirmed with a biopsy. If proven to be such, it will require a wide excision,and careful followup to prevent recurrance. And you "mechanical" guys thought I had nothing to offer by way of helpful insights! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.Dr.D.

 

lol that is definitely the oil drain back hole, while you're at it you might as well open it up a bit too...

 

doesnt it slightly curve? how would one open it up more?

 

That is for sure a drain back oil hole. There is one in each corner. You need to clean it out for sure. Try not to let the dirt fall into the engine.

Gene

 

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ease-help.html

Check out this thread with some pictures of the same hole that I modified to insure quick drain back........That one you have has some issues.

 

????????????????????

 

OK... maybe I need new glasses but this looks like it's right under the head. The only thing behind it would be the water jacket. Aren't the drain back holes down near the bottom of the valley near the lifter bores? rtpassini can you post another photo but pull back so we can see the whole lifter valley?
John

 

I am thinking the same thing 2blu. I looked closely a couple of times. BigJerr's pictures show the drainback holes he modified which are definitely in a different place. In the first picture rt showed that hole is just below the block/head mating surface which is much higher in the block. I think that is part of the distributor in the picture that is kind of out of focus. It looks like corrosion to me. I think the Dr. was right.

 

THey look like the same thing to me. Only difference is BIGJERRs picture is at the front of the engine instead of the back. These drains are at every corner if memory serves. I don't know if oil drain is correct though do to the location. Possibly a PCV hole for crankcase pressure from the lifter vally.

 

X3. This is a casting flaw, probably caused by a loose piece of the sand core. The oil drainback holes are in the lower corners of the heads, on the exhaust side. This is on the intake side. Gravity doesn't flow uphill.

 

thanks joe. i was beginning to think i was loosing my mind

 

The oil drain hole is in the lower left in this picture, below the lower head bolt hole. It's a little hard to see, but it's just to the right of the lower "h" on the Mechanix glove.

 

i circled the hole for you

 

Us old folks have a hard time with these new-fangled computers...

 

nice "circle" but we know what you mean.....it's tough to draw freehand with a darn mouse.....

 

i was proud of it. that is the first time i ever tried it. i just seen a guy at work use paint and found out that my computer has it.

 

new pics.
the holes are at all four corners. so basically you just cut off that chunk?
i suppose you have to take the heads off to do that?

 

Boy, do I feel like an idiot!

Clearly I screwed up. The hole I pointed out (that was so nicely "circled" by jensenracing77) would be under the accessory boss at the bottom of this picture. As we can now see in this photo, the oil drainback hole in the head is angled and does, in fact, empty into the valley.

DOH! Sorry for the misinformation. It's been a while since I had one apart.

As noted correctly by others above, that casting flash needs to be ground out eventually, but not with the engine together. In the meantime, you can clean the caked oil out of the drainback hole with a stiff wire or drill bit. Be sure to collect all the debris. I would suggest using a shop vac while you chip out the blockage.

 

if i just clean up around that edge with a dremel, do i need to take the motor apart. obviously he did a lot more work to his motor, but if i just clean it up, will it be ok?

 

I have faith Joe.

The Wiki has stuff about that and how to do the holes for better flowback. Those external oil return lines would eliminate any worries.
It's in buildups under oiling if anybody wants to look.

http://www.oldsmobilewiki.com/index.php/Main_Page

I had a 312 Y block Furd and those things got no oil to the rocker arms.
You had to run copper lines from the oil filter adapter to holes you drilled in the valve covers to get some oil up there, very common fix and they sold kits to do it at every parts store back in the day.
I ripped the boat anchor out and put in a 390 a la an old Hot Rod magazine I found at the Goodwill.

 

 

showes how much i know. maybe i should just keep my mouth shut. i even forgot that i had one sitting in the basement that i could have looked at.

I'm not a smart man

 

tell that to your wife!!!

ya, you are 2. Don't get hand dog down on us now. You have a 455 sitting in your basement? How many of ya did it take to haul it down there? If I pulled that with my wife, I'd be living in the storage shed. YOU DA MAN!!!

 

i have a gun torn apart in the living room. haha. just got done working on a carb too. my g/f is pretty cool. i got lucky.

 

so, was the gun in case the carb didn't cooperate???? Nice g/f especially if you got lucky

 

The problem is preventing any chips from getting into the engine.

 

ill just put a magnet by it. i dont even know if the motor runs. so im not too worried.

 

The other trick is to use a shop vac to suck up the chips as you grind.

 

Something to think about, I saw this at the Chev dealer in the parts section just a week ago. They now sell a custom magnet for your oil filter so it will keep any metal shavings or filings that happen with normal engine wear from being recirculated through the block. It was pricey. Do any of you do this? Put a large magnet along the side of oil filter the same way? It doesnt fall off and the results I saw at the parts counter were quite impressive...

 

Nice to see that there are humble guys in the forum who are willing to admit they can be wrong sometimes, makes me proud to know you all. Sniff, sniff, now I can go out and grind down my oil passages with confidence now that I know for sure were they are located.

 

Once a year ain't bad Joe. Don't be so hard on yourself. I do it hourly [at least]