90nova

Purchased a used 454 last season and upon startup had blue smoke coming out of exhaust. Found exhaust valve seals leaking and excessive valve guide clearance. Decided to go with a new set of Merlin heads instead of rebuilding the old ones. Just got it up and running again and noticed no oil up to rockers at idle. At 1200rpm I can see A small amount of oil film and doesn't really show a steady trickle until 2000rpm. Oil pressure is around 75psi cold on my manual gauge and lifters are quiet. It's a mark IV block with retrofit roller lifters and comp steel roller rockers. Should I have any concerns about this? Don't want to wear out valve guides and seals on new heads from lack of oiling.

20-50w oil using stock mercruiser remote filter and earls 501ERL oil Tstat

90nova

90nova

dereknkathy

And this is with around 50 psi at 1200? There is plenty of pressure at the lifters. What lifters? Some may meter oil differently than otheds.

90nova

cam and rockers are from comp, so I'm guessing the lifters are as well. Didn't have any label on the link bar between them like most do.

sutphen 30

I'd pull the lifters and look where the oil feed hole is,if its to high on the lifter,it will restrict oil to the top end.know this all to well.

ICDEDPPL

iTrader: (1)

I don`t know what normal is since my spring oilers piss oil everywhere up top but this seems pretty dry too :

sutphen 30

thats not normal,,this is alittle better

dereknkathy

So this has to be a lifter issue, correct? If inadequate oil pressure at the lifter, it would be same throughout bottom end? Could too little or too much preload effect oil metering?

underpsi68

That is not normal. You should see oil coming out of the rockets st idle like I the video just about my post.