A fairly new boat to us and have had all kids of head problems on starboard side motor only on the left bank. It has Merlin World heads with roller hydraulic lifters and roller tip rockers. After bent push rods and broken guide plates and bent rocker studs I finally learned that I needed to install adjustable push rod guide plates and also do a little die grinding on one adjustable plate at the bottom of the U to stop a gouging on the rod. Question: after reinstalling the exhaust manifold with no valve cover on it, I started the motor to see how it sounded and see how the oil was flowing. It took around 1 to 2 minutes to see the oil dumping into the head. I use Valvoline 20-50 VR1 oil and the oil pressure gauge reads 80 psi quickly at startup. The motor had not been started since the night before on a 60 deg F night. Should I be using a different oil? Im using a WIX filter. The motor has around 300 hours since it was professionally built years ago. It's in a 40' cabin cruiser so I dont think it's been hot rodded around. I believe the head problems have been kicked down the road through the past owners. Thanks for any advice

So which one was is 1 or 2 min ? ether way that's a long time to run a valve train dry, hopefully you preoiled the parts when reassembling

I wasnt timing it but I just used a stop watch and guessed the time. It was more like 1 minute. Yes it was pre oiled. Would the 20-50 be too thick?

I've ran that oil for years in my boats, here in the Midwest we boat in 65 to 100 ambient temps, dont know where you boat or temps but I think its an all around season good oil

so it had already been ran and lubed up the day before? If this was first startup after having it disassembled, somone forgot to.put holes in front galley plugs. I used to think their purpose was to oil the timing chain but I was wrong. I always put at least ine .040 hole in the main feed galley, I've seen holes in all 3. Without them, they can become air locked. A friend refused to put any in his 496 stroker for fear of loosing oil pressure, we primed that thing forever on my dyno and rockers were still not getting any oil. I told him let's just start it, it's primed at least part way but he got all elaborate and unlashed every rocker then pulled lifters up with a coat hanger while I primed it. That worked but was alot of work. Makes me wonder when the air bleed hole or holes are ommited if it takes longer for oil to reprime to the rockers after sitting , smitty

the hole in the plugs started in the mid to late 60's when they were first going big on hydraulic lifters especially with the big blocks. people were complaining about lifter noise on start up that took a while to go away. they figured out that as you said, a hole in the plug let air out fast and got oil to the lifters faster to quite the lifters down. before that so many motors were solid lifter so the noise was there regardless but with the selling point of hydraulics as quite and smooth people did not expect to hear anything.

Good to know.
I run solids with no holes in the plugs and it takes forever to prime with drill on fresh rebuilds. Once I see oil getting to a couple rockers I do douse all components with oil I will then fire it up. Oil then isn't too far behind.

The only thing I had off was the #5 intake rocker to die grind the U deeper on the adjustable push rod guide plate. The motors have been ran for years, but very little.

Fwiw back to the 496 mk 4 I dynoed for my friend who refused to put any bleed holes in his galley plugs, it's "loud" valve train wise for 10 to 15 seconds or so when he fires ot up after it sits, I suspect it's the lack of bleed holes. It doesn't do it if it's sat a few hrs after running, it's probably not really hurting anything since he has roller rockers,. Your bleed holes were probably omitted too and it just takes longer to get oil to the top, smitty

some people get hung up on the bleed holes thinking they will lose oil pressure but the reality is the hole is so small and the amount of oil by volume that they bleed off is minute compared to the amount of oil a pump is moving. a buddy of mine was cleaning his floor up when I walked in one day, I asked why he dumped oil everywhere and he said he went to prime the engine on the stand and just as he felt the drill load he realized he had not put the oil filter back on and before he could let off the drill it dumped all 5 quarts on the ground.