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Low pressure to camshaft and lifter galleys? (please help)

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talonsnwbrdr

10+ Year Contributor
71
0
Sep 26, 2010
New Britain, Connecticut
Where do I start? I don't often post in the forums with questions to bug you guys with, but I'm really stumped on this one...
Late fall or early winter last year, I was on my way to pick from a parts car. Once I got home I noticed a real annoying ticking sound coming from the engine bay. Sounded like bad lifters but a little worse. So I got it checked out, and sure enough... slightly bent valves (two of them). Turns out that when I got my engine rebuilt the builder just threw in a couple 1g lifters aside from the 3gs I had sent them. They broke/collapsed and led to the bent valves. (Or that was our assumption at least)
So i got the head rebuild, oil port mods #1 and #2 done, cleaned everything out about 5 times and threw it back on the car with some new lifters. Still ticking like a mo-fo. Took the car on a short drive to try and pump them up, but no luck. So i checked pressures at the oil galley port (small one behind the thermostat) and at the stock turbo feed location, while keeping an eye on pressure coming from the OFH (running an evo 3 16g off the stock feed, and Kiggly HLA regulator). Idling at operating temp, I was seeing about 20psi from the OFH, about 30psi from the turbo feed, and only 7/8Psi from the head oil galley! (cold start showed 60psi OFH, 35psi turbo feed, 15psi solid at oil galley as expected with the Kiggly). Im running 10-30w oil, with a little lucas, as I have most of this cars life (before head rebuild was running Rotella for a little). The only thing I changed, that I can think of, around the same time was switching the turbo feed from the OFH to the stock location when my buddy, who has been around these cars longer than me, recommended I do so.
What could be causing this? Please someone chime in. There might be something I missed or forgot to mention so feel free to ask questions...
Also, is it possible that going back to the stock feed location and opening up that channel (getting rid of that block-off so to say), I reduced the flow, pressure, or volume going to the rest of the head? However unlikely that may be...
I don't know, I'm stumped and frustrated. Again please someone help...
Thank you
 
It's sounds a little low but not too bad. Mine reads about 12-13psi off the oil galley right next to the stock turbo oil feed. I am feeding off the head running rotella w/oil port mod,3G lifters and no balance shafts, but I do not have the kiggly hla regulator. I've been feeding my turbo like this for a couple years with no problems. Hope this helps
 
not sure if you did this or not, your post doesn't state it. Did you soak your lifter in oil for 24 hr that's how they get preloaded.

and your pressure should deop to to the expansion of the oil hole, since now it has more clearance.
 
This is what good oil pressure to the lifters should look like a steady stream of oil to the rockers. If you are getting this and are Still ticking as stated above you have some failed lifters. Video tape and let us see how it look in there.

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It's sounds a little low but not too bad. Mine reads about 12-13psi off the oil galley right next to the stock turbo oil feed. I am feeding off the head running rotella w/oil port mod,3G lifters and no balance shafts, but I do not have the kiggly hla regulator. I've been feeding my turbo like this for a couple years with no problems. Hope this helps

I does give me feedback about the fact that the setup I had been running (same as yours, I also have balance shafts removed by the way) shouldn't cause me any problems, which I figured was the case. In other words, yes, that does help a little, thank you. However I'm still seeing almost half the pressure you are, which still kind of bothers me...

not sure if you did this or not, your post doesn't state it. Did you soak your lifter in oil for 24 hr that's how they get preloaded.

and your pressure should deop to to the expansion of the oil hole, since now it has more clearance.

I had cleaned the new lifters I just put in with diesel (filled them up till incompressible by hand, bled them down until compressible by hand, repeat a few times), and then after drying "primed" them by doing the same with oil. I did not let them soak in the oil for a whole 24hrs. as I didn't feel it was needed.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/how-to-replace-lash-adjusters-lifters.265060/
The pressure drop was a theory of mine...

Remove the kiggly hla and reinstall the stock one and see if your situation improve.

Already tried that, with a JDM regulator, with same results. Worse pressure control than the Kiggly though.

Your under the assumption that you have low pressure, based on lifters...
It may just be your lifters... and when they fail They collapse, thus not pushing the valves down.

Do you have A pressure gauge?

Please fully read the post. I pulled out the mismatched lifters that were in there (2) and replaced those two new ones. Rebled and primed all lifters again and reinstalled with same results. Lifters weren't holding pressure, figured they were destroyed in the mishap. Ordered a new set of 16, cleaned, bled, primed, installed. Same results with brand new lifters. I used a pressure gauge (2 actually), I did not just make up those numbers in my head.

This is what good oil pressure to the lifters should look like a steady stream of oil to the rockers. If you are getting this and are Still ticking as stated above you have some failed lifters. Video tape and let us see how it look in there.

I do not have the ability to record video and post it up, I'm sorry. I do get a steady bathing of the cams and rockers though. I would agree with you about the failed lifters, as thats what I originally thought. But (as originally stated) I just threw a whole brand new set it with the same results.

My next trial will be to rebleed and prime the lifters, this time maybe letting them soak pumped up overnight, and change the oil with a thicker weight maybe. I'll see if that does anything and post the results... Might as well experiment a little right?

Did also get this reply from Kevin(Kiggly), via e-mail.
"Hi Dan,
The port you are testing should be the lifter supply port. The pressure you are seeing is just fine. That pressure simply supplies a feed to the lifters. The lifters have a low and a high pressure chamber internally. The pressure to feed them supplies the low pressure chamber. The high pressure chamber is beneath the low pressure chamber and has an internal check valve (ball and seat with a return spring). When the lifters are not primed, this is the lower section having air trapped in it."

Interesting that 7/8 psi idle does not seem to be an issue according to him, but I trust him. I do not think the lifters are the root of the problem I'm seeing like I first did with the last set, just an effect. Then I thought it was the low pressure I was seeing after I replaced them with a new set and got the same result. This now makes me wonder though if my oil is somehow getting aerated before it makes it's way through the system, or if there is yet something else thats causing my problem.
 
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