Yes you are right they start out as raw castings from Edelbrock and LWA machines them out. I think they play with the valve location for bigger valves, 2.25" intake and 1.75" exhaust.
Nova Gasser
- Thread starter 409gang
- Start date
If you can’t use the studs ...... if it will make it hard to get put the headers on........ you can use a combination, maybe you only use two studs just to help you get them started ........Or just on the bores that you’ll have a problem with
Saw that..good idea.
Well a minor setback, engine back out of the Nova and ready to go back to Morleys tomorrow. Top end not oiling, used small block cam bearings and its possible #5 bearing did not get drilled. I can't take the chance and I will not be able to sleep until I know for sure the #5 bearing has been drilled properly. I have known about this for a couple weeks but had to get a little caught up with our move, also the engine comes out pretty easy with the tilt front end.
Damn
And Double Damn!!!!And a dozen or so other foul words about the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well John pulled the cam today and #5 cam bearing was drilled with all oil holes properly aligned so we are scratching our heads as to why the valve train is not seeing oil. After backing all valve spring pressure off and removing all 4 plugs in way of the lifter oil galley's we looked inside through the oil galley as we rotated the cam and watched the lifters. The oil band around the lifter completely closes off for about 55-60 degrees of cam rotation through the high point of lift, almost like I have the wrong lifters. How does oil get to the front when the oil galley is completely closed off for that long? I need to call Comp Cam in the morning as this has got me puzzled. It almost appears that the lifters I have are for a cam with a smaller base circle. Has anyone else had any problem with getting the valve train to oil when priming?
It took a long time to get oil to the top end on the 409 in Toms 62 SS. The cam doe's turn twice as fast as the crank.
You are running a distributor adapter, could there be a problem there?
You are running a distributor adapter, could there be a problem there?
The only difference with the distributor adapter is there is no dam in it and allows oil to flow all the way around the distributor. A factory distributor has a dam that forces the oil to only flow in one direction. I was priming the engine with a priming tool I made from a truck distributor that has the dam, also we ran the engine for several minutes with the rocker covers off 2 different times and no oil.
Does the cam core have the grooved rear journal ........There have been many entries here for the same thing no oil to the valve train at priming
http://www.348-409.com/forum/search/190992/?q=Cam+oil+groove&o=date
http://www.348-409.com/forum/search/190992/?q=Cam+oil+groove&o=date
Have you just run a drive to the oil pump and watched for oil flow in the distributor hole?
All “3” holes aligned......You can get 2 and not get the third
Keith the cam does have the groove in #5 journal and we verified with a light and a wire that all three holes are open and aligned. The only thing we can think of is that the lifters are the wrong lifters they appear to be for a cam with a smaller base circle. I don't know if anyone has ever checked before but is the oil band around the lifter supposed to close off 100% at any time through the cam rotation? The oil band on my lifters close for 55-60 degrees of rotation at the high point in the lift and at the low point there is about a 2/3's of the oil band showing almost like its not going down all the way, cams with a higher lift would have a smaller base circle.
Last edited:
Yes will or the oil band would have to match the lobe lift. That ban is not that wide.
Talked with Comp Cams today to verify the correct hight the oil band on the lifter should rise above the oil galley through a complete cam cycle. They said that at no point thru the cycle of the cam should the oil band completely close off. My lifters are closing off the oil galley for 60 degrees of cam rotation, photo #1 shows just how much my oil galley is being closed off at the highest point of lift. Photo #2 shows the distance from the bottom of the lifter wheel to the lower part of the oil band.
Photo #1
Photo #2
Even though the oil band completely closes off that still does not explain why the last 2 exhaust valve rockers are not oiling, something else is still not right that we haven't figured out yet. All 3 oil holes in cam bearing #5 are open and the oil groove in cam journal #5 is aligned with the holes. Tomorrow I will check to see if the weep hole in the side of the lifter body feeding the push rod rises above the top of the lifter boss, if that is happening that could be some of the problem.
Photo #1
Photo #2
Even though the oil band completely closes off that still does not explain why the last 2 exhaust valve rockers are not oiling, something else is still not right that we haven't figured out yet. All 3 oil holes in cam bearing #5 are open and the oil groove in cam journal #5 is aligned with the holes. Tomorrow I will check to see if the weep hole in the side of the lifter body feeding the push rod rises above the top of the lifter boss, if that is happening that could be some of the problem.
Last edited:
The Crower roller lifters I have the oil band is at .958 from the roller tip.
This is compared to a big block roller lifter.
This the paperwork that cam with the 409 Crower roller lifters. Note is says that at no time should the oil feed hole be in the oil galley.
This is compared to a big block roller lifter.
This the paperwork that cam with the 409 Crower roller lifters. Note is says that at no time should the oil feed hole be in the oil galley.