Camshaft Oil Spray Bar Redesign and Rebuild

[Captain Obvious]

I don't remember the difference offhand, but here's a pic showing the difference between the regular and the high flow:

 

[Captain Obvious]

And as for the mechanical gauge, I think you could put a couple wraps of teflon tape around the  1/8th-27NPT gauge and be OK enough for a test. It might seep a little at the joint, but not enough to affect the pressure reading. Just don't crank it down so much that you deform any metal on the threads.

I would test fit one of your gauges and see if you get a couple good turns on the gauge before it starts to tighten up. If you get a couple turns, I think it will be fine for a temporary test.

[zKars]

A BSPT male to NPT female adapter is pretty easy to find. I know McMasterCarr has them, and even Autometer has that part as well. 

https://www.autometer.com/1-8-npt-to-1-8-bspt-pressure.html?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo9unBhBTEiwAipC113yoh0IxbFAi4AbHjmRRP0yeHW3MdROua1aBNLXI9UrOlpXXf4pvgxoCdDAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Even Amazon.ca has them next day delivery. Hunt for Autometer 2269

[grannyknot]

I got the carbs, header and cylinder head off this afternoon, there was some muck in the oil passage just above the oil jet, not sure if it was enough to cause the problem but I'll take anything I can get. I don't believe there is a a blockage in the block anymore considering how free and easy that jet of oil came out in the video, I did it several times to be sure, it even hit the ceiling on one try and never got the drill above 1000 rpm.

The cam is new, the cam towers are not, the towers have some wear on the tops of the bearings, didn't have time today start measuring but will tomorrow, it could be I'm losing the pressure on the cam bearings.  Do they still make those towers?

 

[Captain Obvious]

Haha! Nice fountain!

You could do the same test again with the head installed but without the spray bar. See how much oil comes out sideways from the cam towers where the bar attaches. Should be a substantial amount just like your fountain.

[grannyknot]

7 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Haha! Nice fountain!

You could do the same test again with the head installed but without the spray bar. See how much oil comes out sideways from the cam towers where the bar attaches. Should be a substantial amount just like your fountain.

I hoping, last time I did that test it was a dribble.  It is kind of a convoluted route the oil has to take to get to the oil spray bar with changes in direction and obstructions. The head is going back on tomorrow so my fingers are crossed.

Also figured out  the oil pump is the stock variety, not the high volume type.

[Zed Head]

You might turn the head upside down and fill the passage with oil to see if it's leaking from the cam journals like you mentioned earlier.  Or some lighter fluid like kerosene/diesel/heating oil.  That was a thought that seems on target.

You could also just blow compressed air in and see what happens.

[grannyknot]

1 hour ago, Zed Head said:

You might turn the head upside down and fill the passage with oil to see if it's leaking from the cam journals like you mentioned earlier.  Or some lighter fluid like kerosene/diesel/heating oil.  That was a thought that seems on target.

You could also just blow compressed air in and see what happens.

Yeah, be doing that tomorrow, seems the running clearance between the cam journal and cam tower bearing is: 0.038-0.067 mm, on tower 3, 4 and 5 I have 0.11 mm.

[Patcon]

That's a big difference !

[Captain Obvious]

Before you put the head back on, take a real good look to try to make sure the passages are clear in the head. Compressed air. Carb cleaner blast. Something.

Also, you can take the lids off the distribution blocks on the spray bar and get a better straight on carb cleaner blast down into the tubes. Not sure if you did that, but if you are only getting a dribble out of the cam towers with the bar not even installed, then your problem is somewhere further upstream.

So how about the obvious... Head gasket has the proper holes in it for oil to get up to the head?  Cam tower shims without a hole in them? Cam towers installed in the correct orientation? (Is it even possible to put them in backwards?) Wadded up pieces of paper towel stuffed into the oil holes in the head so it didn't dribble all over your workbench?

[grannyknot]

7 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Before you put the head back on, take a real good look to try to make sure the passages are clear in the head. Compressed air. Carb cleaner blast. Something.

Also, you can take the lids off the distribution blocks on the spray bar and get a better straight on carb cleaner blast down into the tubes. Not sure if you did that, but if you are only getting a dribble out of the cam towers with the bar not even installed, then your problem is somewhere further upstream.

So how about the obvious... Head gasket has the proper holes in it for oil to get up to the head?  Cam tower shims without a hole in them? Cam towers installed in the correct orientation? (Is it even possible to put them in backwards?) Wadded up pieces of paper towel stuffed into the oil holes in the head so it didn't dribble all over your workbench?

Check, check and check, all the oil passages are flowing well with brake cleaner and compressed air, made up some new gaskets for the distribution blocks on the spray bar, even polished the cam tower hold down bolts( oil going to the spray bar has to flow around the outside of the those bolts to get where it is going)

ATM, all fingers are pointing to the cam towers and too much clearance for the cam bearings.

[Captain Obvious]

When you run your oil pump with the drill, do you see a bunch of oil oozing out from around the cam journals?