Oilways

[njhucker]

Have installed piper fast road cam in my 350, duplex timing gear & new oil pump cover & rotors. I was unable to prime the pump using the vasaline method so purchased a priming tool. Have no problem priming the pump, but I only get oil emerging from the oilways under the front rocker pillars and not the rear ones, no matter how long I run the pump. My question is:
Does the oil emerge at the rear of the heads only if the engine is turning over? There is no wear on the rocker gear, so there must have been a good supply before the strip down . Is it safe therefore to put the induction back on and start it up?

[adam quantrill]

The oil supply to the cam is, I think, by drip down from the rockers. It can be dubious at best - I'm sure it caused one of the rear lobes to fail before I did my cam replacement.

You might be able to run the engine with the RHS rocker cover off so you can see what's going on, but maybe the air metering won't like it....

I would trust to fate and put it back together personally. Also, if you still have the valley gasket off, there is an oiling upgrade you can do - drill a 2 or 3mm hole from the front of the valley towards the timing chain so some oil drips in that direction. It's in the Paul Hardcastle book.

Incidentally your priming method sounds a little familiar ;^)

[350zwelgje]

Rotate the engine by hand and try again perhaps.
If no oil during the priming with the tool, I would not start it up but investigate further. Perhaps an oilway is blocked and needs freeing up first.

Rob

[GreenV8S]

I assume you have the rocker pillars etc all installed and shimmed to set the preload. Are the shims all the right way round?

[njhucker]

Woke up this morning with a clearer head,and the thought that the hole uder the rear rocker post could be a drain & not a feed. i e the oil feeds up through the hole in the front post, through the shaft & down the hole under the rear post. It's the only explanation I can think of, so am going to put it back together & run it.

Thanks for your comments guys

[thegriff]

Hi Nigel,hope the old girl starts back into life o.k again.I am thinking of changing my tappets,I presume you have put new ones in with the new cam.Any advise and costs? cheers Simon

[njhucker]

Hi Simon,
Got all the parts from RPI Engineering. All prices & other useful info are on their site:
www.rpiv8.com/homepage.htm

Nigel

[GreenV8S]

thegriff said:

I am thinking of changing my tappets

Any particular reason? One thing to watch out for is that components that bear on each other should always be replaced as a set, so cam+followers always replaced as a set, rocker arms and rocker chaft always replaced as a set, etc.

[Boosted Ls1]

The oil comes up via the front post and fills the shafts. After that it a total loss system in that it squirts out everywhere. There are no drains down through the posts. Have you fitted the shafts the correct way round?

One shaft is for the left bank and one is for the right bank. At one end of each shaft will be a notch or cut. This faces forward on one bank and rearward on the other bank. I think it's forward on the drivers side iirc. If there's any doubt that they may be fitted wrong I'll check the information for you.

Boosted.

[thegriff]

Hi Nigel,thanks for the address. Hello green v8s,the reason why I am thinking of replacing my tappets is when the motor has warmed up it sounds tapperty.The cam and tappets where previously changed about 5000miles ago,is it possible to have a faulty tappet or the pre-load not correctly done? cheers simon

[anonymous-user]

Nigel, I would be interested to know how much better you think the car is with the fast road cam? can do another post when you are up and running?

[Boosted Ls1]

thegriff said:

Hello green v8s,the reason why I am thinking of replacing my tappets is when the motor has warmed up it sounds tapperty.The cam and tappets where previously changed about 5000miles ago,is it possible to have a faulty tappet or the pre-load not correctly done? cheers simon

Just in case Peter isn't around I can say,

Yes it is, this could be because the oil is to thin, is old and has gone thin or the preloads weren't set correctly.

Boosted.

[GreenV8S]

If the cam wasn't fitted and bedded in correctly it could fail very quickly but before going for a full cam change I think you'd want to lift the valley gasket and look at the state of the cam. And before you do that I suggest you make sure it isn't simply a cracked exhaust manifold or blown gasket, they can sound very mechanical.

If you do decide to replace the lifters I think you'd be advised to change the cam too so this could end up being quite expensive as a speculative fix for a tapping noise.

[thegriff]

Thanks for your comments,when I bought the 400 it had a shed load of garage receipts showing oil changes and new cam.The garage was putting in mobile 1 oil which I have found out to be wrong as it is to thin,not designed for an old 1950"s designed engine,so I have now put in unipart green 20w50.The oil pressure has got better but not the tapping when warmed up. simon

[racingsnake]

That oil sounds like you have gone too far the other way (too thick). I would reccomend 10W50 or 15W50 for an RV8.
Mobil 1 Motorsport Formula is good it's 15W50 which gives better cold protection and longer life than what your using.
Available in Halfords too. Pricey but cheaper than tappets.
Are you using the correct filter with the one way valve?
I thought my cam was goosed - turned out to be an exhaust manifold had cracked.
Good luck.

[Boosted Ls1]

Rover are old engines, they usually like 20/50, perhaps not so good in the winter though. I used to use it all the time. I tried mobile 1 when it came on the market and my engine rattled like a right old banger.

Boosted.

[adam quantrill]

Unipart green is good, my 350i has done 50k miles on that.

Have you checked all the manifold bolts - as was said before, a gasket leak can sound like a tappet. You could also try pulling the spark plugs off - one at a time - if the tapping goes away, it's more likely the exhaust.

[thegriff]

Hi all,the tapping noise only occurs when the motor has warmed up,if it was a blowing gasket then I would of thought you could hear when cold as well.It"s more noticeable on tickover,prob because the motor is quieter then so you can hear it more? simon

[v8 racing]

there are 2 oils i would recomend for the rv8, one is motul 15/50 the other which i prefer is the 10/50 silkoline pro s, both ester based oils and the best you can buy at the moment! as green v8s said if the cam was not bedded in correctly or valve springs not changed, a cam can wear within a 1000 miles, also who fitted the cam? the only reason i say this is because when i fit cams i use the least amount of preload i can get away with, it helps with the followers not pumping up at high revs and sometimes they can sound slightly tappety on idle.

[greenv8s]

thegriff said:

Hi all,the tapping noise only occurs when the motor has warmed up,if it was a blowing gasket then I would of thought you could hear when cold as well.It"s more noticeable on tickover,prob because the motor is quieter then so you can hear it more? simon

Tricky diagnosing noises at long distance and it may be you're right about the cam, but exhaust noises can also come and go with temperature and load as the exhaust expands and flexes, it's worth eliminating the easy causes before performing open heart surgery on the engine. If you decide to investigate the cam yourself, it is fairly quick and easy to get in far enough to give the cam a visual inspection, so you can see whether the cam is the problem without committing to changing it. You're still looking at several hours work though assuming everything goes well, so worth checking the other possible causes first.