I just installed a new cam in may car and adjusted the valves in the standard fashion (until quiet + 1/2 -> 5/8 turn).
On all of them oil would kinda squirt out of the rocker at the pushrod end until it was properly adjusted then it would just dribble. On one of them (cyl 1 intake) it kept squirting. Will this cause any problems? Could the pushrod be in upside-down (i never heard of them being directional). They are factory roller pushrods from an 87 305.

 

You should be getting squirts of oil out of every rocker. Serious squirts! Something doesn't sound right there if you're only getting dribbles. I've always had to use the rocker arm, oil hole covers to keep oil from squirting all over the engine compartment and driveway!

 

The oil shouldn't just dribble out. Did you adjust all the valves with the engine at operating temp. Maybe the oil thinned out by the time you got to #1. You didn't mention what engine you have but the pushrods may be to long or short which would cause the oil holes to not line up when adjusted. Allan you don't have to buy anything to keep the oil off the ground or exhaust. Just put a 6 inch tall piece of cardboard around the inside of the valve cover rail. No mess to clean up.

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82 z28 350cid, vortec heads, comp 262h cam, Holley 600cfm carb, 2in twice pipes, MSD ignition, turbo 350 trans, 3.73 posi

 

I guess "dribble" was an under-statement. They all appear to be getting enough oil, just the one is getting more. I had the idle really low when adjusting them (<500) so i could hear each one stop clicking as i adjusted them. I did all the valves on that side twice without any change. The only other thing i can think of is the oil hole on the side of the lifter. I appeared that it didnt matter which way it went in (ie facing towards the other lifter from the same cyl or away) because of the groove around it, but i could be wrong (?)
The engine is an 87 TPI 305. It had the peanut cam which i just replaced with an LT1 cam from a crate motor. Everything in the longblock is stock except the cam. It has about 60000 miles. I usually use mobil 1 5-30, but i just put in castrol synthetic 5-50. It seems to run nicely, i just dont want to damage anything.

 

Merl,

If the pushrods were upside-down, the lifters would suck all the oil from the valve area back into the cam bearings! (No, they are NOT directional on a standard SBC. If you've got aftermarket rockers with ***** at the rod ends, you might have cupped push rods, but not factory.)

Depending on the cam selection, you might have to adjust the final hot lash to something less than 1/2 - 5/8 turn. My higher-ramp Comp cam required me to adjust to 1/4-1/2 turn to get quiet operation and adequate oiling. Lobes profiles with more ramp tend to compress the lifter more than the stock cam before the check disc seats in the lifter body, so a little more space for oil in the lifter body is required.

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Later,
Vader
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"Make Me Bad"
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