rocker arm oiling problems on Y block

ajohn

ajohn

Senior Member
Surely someone here has had oiling problems with these engines. I never had a Y block that didn't have oiling problems. The cam bearing would turn in the block, blocking the oil hole, someone didn't change the oil often enough, or whatever might have caused the problem. There were line kits available at parts houses that sort of solved the problem. Am I all alone on this one? I currently have a 1956 Fairlane Town Sedan with issues. Pull the engine and completely rebuild it might solve the problem . Put an outside oil kit with hollow valve cover retaining bolts used to work till the car sold. What did you do when faced with the oiling issue? ajohn
 
If you have the type with the groove in the cam, you can have that groove machined a little deeper and wider.
 
The FYB had oiling issues throughout it's production life. There are many ways to correct the factory design defects.

Are you just not getting pressure/volume to the valve-train?

Shown Below Is A True-Fire Remedy -
 

Attachments

  • Rocker Arm Lubrication Mod _1.jpg
    Rocker Arm Lubrication Mod _1.jpg
    56 KB · Views: 72
they didnt spin cam bearings.as was said there are ways to fix the problem during a rebuild.in all the old y blocks i had only one quit oiling.
 
In the late 50's, early 60's my late father-in-law raced a 1939 Ford coupe with a
Y-block 312 c.i. engine. He corrected the spun cam bearing by machining a grove
in the cam bearing back in that time before it was realized a problem.

BTW: His driver was future NASCAR star Lee Roy Yarborough.
 
KULTULZ said:
The FYB had oiling issues throughout it's production life. There are many ways to correct the factory design defects.

Are you just not getting pressure/volume to the valve-train?

Shown Below Is A True-Fire Remedy -
Click to expand...

Is that a kit you ordered from somewhere? I thought the issue was the rocker arms? I guess you have to remove the motor to install that setup, due to the shavings when you drill?

How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?
 
Gene F said:
Is that a kit you ordered from somewhere? I thought the issue was the rocker arms? I guess you have to remove the motor to install that setup, due to the shavings when you drill?

How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?
Click to expand...

That is fabrication Gene for extreme use, although if I were to build a nice street engine, it would have it.

It by-passes all the Mickey Mouse engineering on oil supply to the heads found on the Y-BLOCK. It can also be done the old fashioned way.

A high detergent oil is needed on one of these if no PCV SYSTEM is installed especially (IMO).
 
Gene F said:
How effective is frequent oil changes in lieu of this?
Click to expand...

Better multi-viscosity detergent motor oils and preventive maintenance seems to go a long way. The lubrication system feed with a single bearing wasn't the best design, and in those days people were using these cars and trucks as daily drivers. Frequent short trips will "load up" with sludge and condensation. Once there is a restriction or pressure drop it's all over, the damage to typical Y-Block rocker arm bores/rocker shafts has to be seen to be believed. Engines are tough and will put up with all kinds of different abuse, but "no oil" is not one of them.
 
Crankster said:
Better multi-viscosity detergent motor oils and preventive maintenance seems to go a long way.
Click to expand...


I also agree with this. I mention it because I've seen a school of thought out there (in prominent places) that recommends using non-detergent oil (which I think some single viscosity oils are) in old running engines that haven't been opened up in decades...or maybe never. Their thinking is that detergents will dislodge sludge or semi-hardened oil particles which will then go to places in the engine they shouldn't. I suppose that is a risk, but I've found that using modern detergent oil will work if you change the oil every 100-200 miles for the first five oil changes. Oil could be filthy and filled with clumps in that first 100 mile oil change. Maybe the second one, too, but gradually the used oil will look better in subsequent oil changes. I personally have little confidence in using non-detergent oil...in fact I was kind of surprised to hear it's still available, but it was about 15 years ago that I'd heard of this so maybe things have changed since then.


My 54 y block has no rocker oiling issues. I don't believe it ever had any.
 
I seldom put 500 miles ay ear on my 57. And I change the oil and filter at least 1 x per yr. I use Lucas Hot Rod Oil, and usually use a Motorcraft filter.
 
The only car I have that has a modified oiling system is my Model-A. The center bearing has a very small oil feed tube piped into it. I can hardly believe that Ford built them with nothing other than splash on that center bearing.

I have also heard that the Packard straight 8s had an oiling system that was "iffy" if you didn't keep the oil changed.

I had a 1956 Chevy with a I-6 when I was a kid. No oil filter period. I guess an oil filter was an option in 1956, and the original owner opted to skip it.
 
On the bottom side of each head there is a shallow groove with two 90 degree turns in the oil passage up to the rocker arms.

This small area is very likely to have sludge buildup, which eventually blocks oil flow to the rocker arms. Especially back-in-the-day when non-detergent motor oil was commonly used.
 

Attachments

  • oil groove in head.jpg
    oil groove in head.jpg
    56.9 KB · Views: 13
Gene F said:
Yep, I have heard if you have your heads milled that needs adressed again.
Click to expand...
It probably doesn't help that the (oil soaked) material of the head gasket tends to expand into the groove.
.
 
Last edited:
Their thinking is that detergents will dislodge sludge or semi-hardened oil particles which will then go to places in the engine they shouldn't. I suppose that is a risk, but I've found that using modern detergent oil will work if you change the oil every 100-200 miles for the first five oil changes. Oil could be filthy and filled with clumps in that first 100 mile oil change.
Click to expand...

The FYB had a very poor crank-case ventilation system design and when combined with the oil quality of that period would cause sludge and waxing in the engine. Modern oils will eat at that and the main problem is it's coming loose and blocking the oil pump pickup and resultant no pressure.

If you have an old one that was not serviced properly, it is best to monitor oil pressure with a mechanical gauge. If no oil to the valve-train, there is a blockage and there are cures for that before major engine damage.

Yep, I have heard if you have your heads milled that needs adressed again.
Click to expand...

Or having the block decked.

TED EATON has a multitude of TECH ARTICLES covering all of this.
 
Gene F said:
I had a 1956 Chevy with a I-6 when I was a kid. No oil filter period. I guess an oil filter was an option in 1956, and the original owner opted to skip it.
Click to expand...


Interesting. My '50' Plymouth flathead six had no oil filter either, but I know the filter option was available in '50. In fact...filter/no filter were the only engine choices available '50 for Plymouth!:D In terms of economy of features, I think Plymouth was even more of a budget car than either Chevy or Ford. It wasn't in Crosley or Henry J territory, but I think it was the lowest price full sized American car of the early '50's. With that in mind, it doesn't surprise me that Plymouth offered an engine without a filter.
I am surprised that you could still get a Chevy inline six without a filter six years later, though. I wonder how much money a person would save by forgoing the filter option? Eight dollars? Ten dollars? Hardly seems worth it...in either the Chevy OR the Plymouth. I.E., I'd rather have the extra protection for the engine than the 10 dollars.
 
Last edited:
The picture above showing the lines is overkill.


There are better and easier ways to provide a good oil flow to the rockers:


There are special bearings that have a groove in the backside so no matter where the bearing is you get oil


Another way is to groove the block behind the bearing so no matter where the bearing is you get oil. This method is used by a well known YBlock engine builder


As was stated above, poor maintenance and terrible oil conrtibuted to most of the oiling problems Y's had.
 
But, it's also true that other engine designs of the time had the same poor maintenance practice (with the same terrible oil) and they didn't have the upper valvetrain problems. Definitely a weak spot on these Y-Blocks, the rocker & shaft assembly is otherwise pretty stout.
 
paul2748 said:
The picture above showing the lines is overkill.

There are better and easier ways to provide a good oil flow to the rockers:
Click to expand...

Of course, the above statements are IN YOUR OPINION ONLY, correct?

The photo I showed was being facetious. Still, it is a better method than ENGINEERING came up with back then.

How are things in NORTH JERSEY these days? Seems to be a lot of malcontent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top