Projects Another 283 with no oil to the rockers plz help!

Got my car running and noticed no oil to the rockers except 1 maybe 2, it’s a 57 283 with newer heads and solid lifters. After trying a few things I took the intake off, had oil in the valley, and ended up taking a lifter out in #1 looks like it’s getting plenty of oil as well. I heard about the cams in 57 may need a notch, if the wrong cams in it would I be getting oil to the #1 lifter. Or another problem. Cars a 30 roadster old build never had the engine apart car started with 60lbs oil pressure with about 40? With the primer on a drill. Did notice with the intake off looks like oil is seeping past the lifter From the bore but not sure if that’s normal or not

 

You're sure it's a '57 engine? If it's a '56 block, the incorrect distributor oiling problem comes into play.

 

i know i'm no help but my inner adrian monk has to point out the your carb scoops aren't straight, they need to be the same..
anyway, a bump for you

 

not sure if true or not, but was told early 60's 283 had a hole in the distributor to oil the lifters too. if not i'm sure someone will set me straight.

 

Maybe start by IDing what you are working with. Is the code still stamped on the right front pad, is the casting number on the left rear, does the block have provisions for side mounts? Any of these should help determine where to start or help eliminate stuff.

 

Only 55-56 265's had pulse oiling to the lifter bores. In 57 chevy converted to constant flow for all engines.
You can use a late distributor in an early engine [splash lube]
but if you use an early distributor in a later engine it will pump oil into the dist cap


If your engine has no side mounts it needs casting number 3731548 to be a 57 283/265 [otherwise it is an early 265]
If you have a 55-56 block with a later camshaft you will have no oil to the R/H lifter gallery
All Chevys with side mounts have constant oil flow to the lifter galleries .

Also if you didn't get oil to the lifter bores while priming ,there could be your problem.
You need a proper priming tool or an old distributor cut down to seal the R/H lifter gallery

And if you are using an early [55-56] pressure feed distributor, it must be clocked correctly or you won't have oil pressure in the R/H lifter gallery [late distributors can rotate 360°]

 

If you haven’t rotated the engine at any point only the pushrods where the lifter oil hole is lined up with the gallery will be getting oil when you are using a priming tool

 

How long was it running for?

I had the heads off of my 455 Buick for several months. Got it back together, and had no oil to the lifters, maybe a squirt here and there on either side. Since it oils through the pushrods, it took a while to fill them back up. After confirming it had oil pressure and was getting oil, we ran the engine with the valve covers off while oiling the lifters with an oil can. After about 10 minutes, I got oil at the lifters. It took WAY longer than me and the 2 automotive mechanics that were helping me thought it would.

 

Here’s what all that looks like.

 

This is how you convert a 265 block to constant flow oiling [to use a later model camshaft and distributor]
I prefer to do it this way than chop into the camshaft

 

As the others said, Post the block casting number and the suffix number (or the whole number) stamped on the pad in front of the right side head so it can be clarified as to what block you have.

Have you looked through the push rods to make sure that they are clear and clean inside? A few years back some folks stuck a couple of pipe cleaners in the Chevy push rods to slow down oil getting to the top end and keep it down on the bearings and after sitting for a while that may cause too much restriction of that was done, not an issue if you can see straight through them.
Again on any mix and match engine you start checking to see if the mixed parts actually match and function together. If you had the distributor out and it is a Delco it should have a number on it that tells you what engine it was originally built for.

This is the screenshot out of the GM Heritage center archives 57 Chev vehicle info kit showing the 57 engine suffix codes. The second one is the codes for 57 truck engines.

 

So got home, no side mounts, I’m running a Mallory distributor full circle, when I ran it was like 5 minutes I just posted the engine numbers and biggest update I swapped a solid lifter with a hydrolic and that one’s getting oil now so I’m assume bad lifters or wrong ones

 

Why does your oil look milky? Water in it?

 

Your engine could either be a 57 265 or a 57 283 [Chevy used the same casting number on both.]
But the good news is it has full flow oiling to the lifter galleries.

pull the distributor and make sure you have a 57 or newer dist.
If you have a 55-56 dist it could be clocked wrong

On early distributors the groove at the bottom [red] is not 360° and could partially block the R/H gallery if clocked wrong.


This photo explains the clocking issue

 

Pull a couple and compare them side to side with the hydraulic. Something has to be different.

 

thank you sir.

 

Last year I had the same issue with six rockers in a used 283 I thought that I was going to put in my 40.
Pulled the pushrods, made sure the passages were clean, same with the rocker arms. Still nothing.
Engine guru in our club said “Yep, just back off those dry rockers a turn or more and you’ll get oil.”
I did and whatta ya know! Started with a slow weep and grew to a gusher like the others.
Tightened them back down until they quieted down and they stayed wet as normal.
Magic!

 

The one on the right is the one I took out

[/ATTACH]

 

I don't if this info will help at all, but many years ago I owned a 61 Impala hardtop and rebuilt the 283 in it. Not long after the rebuild, I had valve clatter very loudly. I started looking for what was wrong and found the wire bale distributor hold down had slipped partly off the distributor flange and allowed the distributor to move up just enough to block off one side and no oil was flowing to the lifters it took me awhile to see the problem and replaced the wire bale hold down with a solid steel unit and never had another problem. They was over 50 years ago and I always replaced those wire bale hold downs whenever I saw one.

 

You have the correct distributor [it can be clocked 360°]

Those are edge orifice flat tappet lifters, Change them and your problems will go away.


Chevy went to constant flow/ pressure ,but metered the flow at the top when the pushrod lined up with the hole in the rocker. [which is why we use restrictors with roller rockers]