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Let me start by saying that I am a complete novice.
My Toro has a bad tick. Upon removing valve covers and spinning the oil pump I found there is almost no oil coming up on the drivers side ( passenger side looks good)
First question is how I may be able to improve flow to drivers side without pulling the motor to access the oil pump and pan.
Secondly, my machinist thinks the cam can be reground, but I'm not sure what size lifters I need. I have a parts car, but don't want to tear the motor apart not knowing if the parts will match. Is there a way to tell from the outside of the motor? I believe both motors are original, but can't be positive.
My apologies if this should have been two threads or if this is the wrong link,I'm new here. Just need some help because I'm stuck.
Your oil problem may be something as simple as plugged pushrods. Have you tried pulling the pushrods and running a wire through them with solvent?
As for the reground cam, yes, that is possible on any cam. Why do you think you need to do that? The ticking is likely due to worn rockers or pushrods on the side with poor lube. Inspect and replace those parts FIRST. Note that regrinding a cam results in a smaller base circle on the cam lobes. With the non-adjustable Oldsmobile valvetrain, that means you need custom-length pushrods to get the valvetrain geometry back to the correct relationship. I suspect your mechanic is Chevy-centric and unaware of the differences in Olds motors.
Thanks for the advice..
Is there somewhere I can get specs on those parts? The first set of lifters I got had too large dia. My mechanic seems to be having trouble finding the right parts
Thanks for the advice..
Is there somewhere I can get specs on those parts? The first set of lifters I got had too large dia. My mechanic seems to be having trouble finding the right parts
Olds had some confusing parts combinations in the 1966-67 motors. Non-Toro 425s used 0.841" diameter lifters on a 45 degree bank angle. The Toro 425s used 0.921" diameter lifters on a 39 degree bank angle, so cams, lifters, and pushrods are unique to the Toro motors in those years. You said you originally got lifters that were "too large". If those original lifters were 0.921", they would have been correct for a 67 Toro motor. Is it possible that your engine has been replaced at some point with one from a RWD car? The Toro and RWD blocks interchange. If the 0.841" lifters are the ones that fit the motor, it's not an original Toro motor. Note that a lot can happen to a car in half a century.
Thank you for the replies, Joe.
The lack of oil flow on driver's side was with the lifters out.
Is there a way to possibly 'back-flush' the block?
As there is good flow to the passenger side I presume the oil pump is satisfactory and it's inlet is not plugged.
I would love to find diagrams on the oil flow in this motor. BTW we measured the old lifters at over 0.910" so I'm inclined to believe it is a Toro motor. Not sure why he said the 0.921" was too large.
Damaged lifters have damaged the cam shaft which is why we are leaning toward a new cam shaft and lifters, however it seems poorly advised to invest in the new parts without resolving the oiling problem.
Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome. My old baby wants to get back on the road :-)
You give conflicting info, without lifters in the drivers side bores, how can you determine "almost no oil comes up the drivers side"? And if the cam/lifters are worn bad enough the engine valve train will develop a tick. My advise, get a new mechanic that knows Oldsmobiles and you will probably end up replacing the cam and lifters. If the lifters measure out at over .910 they just about have to be the .921 sized lifters. A good mechanic will determine that easily. Just saying......
Thank you for the replies, Joe.
The lack of oil flow on driver's side was with the lifters out.
Is there a way to possibly 'back-flush' the block?
As there is good flow to the passenger side I presume the oil pump is satisfactory and it's inlet is not plugged.
I would love to find diagrams on the oil flow in this motor. BTW we measured the old lifters at over 0.910" so I'm inclined to believe it is a Toro motor. Not sure why he said the 0.921" was too large.
Damaged lifters have damaged the cam shaft which is why we are leaning toward a new cam shaft and lifters, however it seems poorly advised to invest in the new parts without resolving the oiling problem.
Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome. My old baby wants to get back on the road :-)
As others have noted, your statement doesn't make sense. Oil flows from the pump to the lifter galleries. Each lifter is filled with oil. Oil flows out the top of the lifter into the hollow pushrod, which is how oil gets to the rocker arms. Without the lifters and pushrods in place, there is no way for oil to get to the valvetrain.
Sorry for the confusion.
With lifters out there is almost no oil to the galley. I fear a blockage on between the pump and galley. Don't know from where the galley is fed. Would like to try back-flushing the feed before running solvent through.
Are there free diagrams available on-line as to where the oil feeds into the galleries?
Oil from the pump flows through the filter then feeds the RH oil gallery. From there it flows down to the main bearings and up to both the cam bearings and the LH gallery. This is why the oil pressure sender is in the front of the LH gallery. That should be the lowest oil pressure spot on the motor.
If it was mine, I would not be comfortable with a partial fix. If it has oil flow issues at all then pull it and rebuild it. What do the main bearings look like? What does the cam look like? How clogged are the oil passages in the block? The answer is you do not know.
Why spend money that can just be wasted. If you put a cam and lifters in it and it runs a little while and eats another cam and lifters do to bad oil flow then you will have wasted your money.
In my opinion there is only one smart choice. Pull the engine and do a tear down and full inspection. Repair what is needed and rebuild the engine.
Thanks again for the input.
Since it looks like the motor has to come out, I'll probably swap it out with the one in my parts car and worry about this one when finances allow.
December 21st, 2016, 01:26 AM
