Engine and Transmission Tech

What follows below the Oil Path drawing is information & pictures from Wayne Kube on identifying the oil passages on the Buick/Olds 215 & all Rover V8 bare blocks. Make sure that all of these are cleaned thoroughly when rebuilding.

All of Wayne's pics can be double clicked for larger viewing.

Oil Path


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From Wayne Kube

Following some of the questions from last week, I took a closer look at the old Buick 215 block. From the numbers cast into the side, it’s definitely a Buick 215 from 1963. Pictures below.
I do not know if any of this was changed by Rover after they bought the licensing from GM and did their own production. (Edit - This all applies to the Rover V8, as well. - Carl)

In these photos, I drilled a hole in the iron plugs that cap the
drill passage holes, intending to remove them, but I don’t have a slide hammer that will work here – so I used brass rods to show the pathways.

In this Buick 215 block, all main bearings and cam bearings receive lubrication from the right side lifter oil gallery (even number piston side), no oil is routed anywhere else from the
left side lifter oil gallery.

Hope this helps to clarify the oiling.


First, the question about whether the two drillings intersect in the lifter valley – yes, they do. They intersect as shown here. This photo is the top front of the block. The brass
rods touch on the way to the right lifter oil gallery and the oil pump outport (hole on the right in this picture) and the left side lifter gallery (hole on the left in this picture).





This photo shows again the drill path from the oil pump output into the block where it intersects with the lifter gallery. I’ve added text for the drill path to the front main bearing. This is the
front side view of the above photo.





View from the bottom of the block, with a brass rod inserted into the drill path. The path intersects at the lifter gallery bore, just behind the iron plug in the end of the gallery in the photo
above. The drill path also intersects the side of the cam bore, to feed oil into the cam bearing. When the cam bearings are installed, the hole in the bearing is aligned with this intersection.
Although the hole for the main bearing oil is at the top of the bearing journal, it’s drilled at an angle to intersect with the lifter oil gallery and the cam bearing bore.




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2020 09:37AM by MGBV8.

Wayne's info continued:

Front cam bearing punched out, showing the intersection of the front main bearing oil passage to the lifter oil gallery and with the cam bearing bore.





Top view of the lifter valley. Front main bearing and front cam bearing oiled as shown in the above photos. Main bearing #2 and cam bearing #2 oiled from between pistons 2 & 4.



Oil passage source for the remaining cam and main bearings.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2023 08:43AM by MGBV8.

Thanks, Wayne!


Wayne Kube's MGB V8
[www.britishv8.org]

Thanks Carl. Excellent data to share.

The rest of the SBB line deviates somewhat from this, and production line changes are evident. Note the oil sender hole on the left of the block across from the #1 cam bearing.



The iron block SBB engines share this feature and I believe the Buick V6 does as well. Can't vouch for the 350 and V6 but the 300 and 340 both feed the mains from the right side lifter galley like the BOPR aluminum block engines. However, the oil feed to the left side lifter galley is past the #1 cam bearing, through a groove in the camshaft journal. This supplies the right side lifters and rockers and perhaps the thinking was that a restricted oil supply would cause more oil to go to the mains, or maybe the engineers felt that much oil was enough. And someone should check a Rover block to see if there is any sort of restriction in the crossover on those. In any case, TA sells a double groove bearing for the #1 position that increases this oil passage size and allows more oil to the right side. There may be some rumors that the 350 or the BBB oils one or more main journals from the right but I wouldn't be able to confirm that.


At any rate the iron engines to not have the casting inside the lifter valley. Here's a "stealth" photo of a 300 masquerading as an aluminum block.

Jim





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2023 10:18AM by MGBV8.