I have just purchased a 73 Camaro with a 1966 396 that has sat for 11 years in a heated garage.The guy said it only had 1000 miles on it when he parked it and had problems with the rocker arms working loose.
I got it running and everthing works fine but the lifters wont pump any oil to the rocker arms. I checked the oil jurnal with a lifter out and no oil was running through the journal.The motor is very clean and I and the lifters are fine. I think there is a bearing that dont line up eith the oil jurnal and was wondering if anybody knows the path the oil take from start to finish to the rocker arms. The motor is very claen and has high volume oil pump holding 75PSI at startup.Just looking where to start I think next is to pull the cam out?I guess the guy said he had to have a groove machined into the back of the cam for oil in that year motor


jl_zimmerman


[This message has been edited by jl_zimmerman (edited 09-02-2001).]

http://www.geocities.com/mystikkal_69/Diagrams/SBCOil.jpg

Heres the SBC Oiling Diagram. hope this helps
Copy And Paste The Link If It Doesn't Work.

[This message has been edited by mystikkal_69 (edited 09-02-2001).]

I would check to make sure that the three oil galley plugs are in the front of the block. The middle one supplys the cam and the other two go to the lifters. If there not there than the oil just drains back into the oil pan via the front of the block. If the rear were out you would have a puddle of oil real fast so i assume those are in place. Also do you have oil pressure on a guage because the oil pump drive could be missing and the engine would still run.

If i where you i would pull the motor tear it apart and put it back together the right way. Who knows what the old owner did to the engine.