R69 oil circulation

[Jack Creegan]

How much oil should be pumped to the cylinder head? I have just completed a rebuild and on startup up with the valve covers off there was not any oil circulating.With the engine stopped there is a drip of oil from the head.Any suggestions?

[Allan Atherton]

I have not run the engine with the valve covers off, but I have heard that you should be able to see some oil emerging and dripping. The rockers do not get much oil, however.

You do not say how long you ran the engine, and how much oil dripped when stopped. If you only ran the engine a few moments, then perhaps the oil was just begining to get into the rockers.

Perhaps you should use an oil can to apply oil to the rockers, and then run the engine for longer time to see if more oil appears.

[Brian Caro]

The oil gets to the head area by running down the pushrod tubes. It gets to the tubes by running over the cam followers. Oil gets to the followers by slinging from the crank, hitting the cam, running off the cam onto the followers, through the followers into a little hole and into the pushrod. Oil also flings onto the follower bushings and gets to the tubes there. As you can see, there is no "flow" in this system. The valve area does not need much lubrication. It is not oil cooled. As long as your R69 is getting oil to the slingers, the timing gears and the top of the piston bore, you should be okay, the rest of the lube is from oil fog and slinging off the crank.