Engine Oiling - Do I have a problem?

mosesthemonk · Post by **mosesthemonk** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:16 pm

Hi everyone,
I need suggestions urgently if possible:
I have a 1992 Range Rover Classic which I recently rebuilt the heads on and replaced the tin gaskets with composite ones as the gasket had gone. I bolted it all back up and it fired fine, after a few issues with the fuel rail leaking I ran it for a little bit and it seemed fine. I did however look under the rocker covers and there does not seem to be much oil flow. I do not have an oil pressure gauge, but the oil warning light extinguishes fine.
At idle, the oil flow at the rockers is not visible through the oil filler, when revved to 2000rpm or so there is a visible trickle of oil coming down the valve spring etc. but the rocker arm is fairly dry. Is this normal? I thought that the oil would be positively splashing out of the rocker assembly. The engine seems to be running ok otherwise, though it stalled once or twice (I think the distributor is the problem here). I also considered priming the oil pump but I am not sure this is necessary as I loosened the plug/bolt on the oil pump which led oil to spray out, before I tightened it up again, so flow seems high.
I really need to use the car for a long run tomorrow and am very nervous about doing so.
Can anyone give me any advice?
Can I run the engine with the rocker covers off to observe the oiling?

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:25 pm

Sounds OK to me, basically you won't see much oil flying about, if you see some up in the heads then the oil system must be working OK. The one thing you can get wrong is to fit the rocker shafts the wrong way round, i.e. 180 degrees out. This will mean that the oil holes under each rocker will be in the wrong place. If you removed the rocker shafts and the rockers as one unit then just refitted them the same way then they will be the right way round.

You can run the engine with the rocker covers removed, you still won't see much oil! (fun to watch the valves bobbing up and down though!)

mosesthemonk · Post by **mosesthemonk** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:38 pm

Thanks so much sidecar, I'm a biologist by trade and only dabble in engines when mine dabbles in problems so I'm not familiar with these things. Ok well the rocker shafts were removed from the old heads with rocker arms and pedestals in tact, they were checked for damage or wear, but seem fine, are they specific to a head or does that matter? I just refitted them as I laid my hands on them (IE the relationship between the rocker pedestal and shaft and arm are all the same, but this assembly might be in a different head).
Right, I'll put it all back together in the morning and get on my way.
Thanks again for the reply, I was expecting eruptions of oil like the top of a leaking oil rig! Mind you, she feels a lot torquier (if that's a word) with the new valves in.
Cheers!

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:58 am

The rocker shafts are not handed.

As sidecar says, the best way is to remove a rocker cover and run the engine. You will get a dribble of oil coming out between each rocker and the pedestal it is next to. If that's happening, you're oil is reaching the right place.

Chris.

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:30 am

ChrisJC wrote:The rocker shafts are not handed.

As sidecar says, the best way is to remove a rocker cover and run the engine. You will get a dribble of oil coming out between each rocker and the pedestal it is next to. If that's happening, you're oil is reaching the right place.

Chris.

Maybe I did not explain well enough, I don't mean 'handed' as in left or right but they can certainly be fitted 180 degrees out. This would mean that the oil holes for the rockers are pointing up into the air, they should be pointing down towards the valley.

mosesthemonk · Post by **mosesthemonk** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:17 am

I thought that's what you meant alright but wanted to be sure. Right, so I'll pop the rocker covers off and have a look. I'm 99% sure my stalling problem is electrical, because that's usually what a stalling problem has been. If I get the money I will put it on an EDIS system.
Thanks so for the advice!

DaveEFI · Post by **DaveEFI** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:07 am

mosesthemonk wrote:I thought that's what you meant alright but wanted to be sure. Right, so I'll pop the rocker covers off and have a look. I'm 99% sure my stalling problem is electrical, because that's usually what a stalling problem has been. If I get the money I will put it on an EDIS system.
Thanks so for the advice!

On mine, which is high miles, if you rev the engine with the rocker covers off, there is a very obvious amount of oil flowing.