Engine: V8 oiling system question.

[gordr]

I am messing with a "junk" 259 that spent several years out in the weather. Was taking all the threaded plugs out of the block today. Noted the little passage from the rear of the rearmost cam bearing, that runs up diagonally, and then dumps into the distributor tower. Am I right in assuming that its purpose is mostly to provide an escape for oil that escapes from the rear cam bearing, so as to prevent oil pressure from pushing out the can plug? I don't think this passage communicates directly with a pressurized oil gallery, does it?

And both rear water jacket plugs, and the outside plugs on the oil galleries were extremely tight. I hammered scrap nuts onto them, and stick-welded the nuts to the plugs. Wasted three nuts to get the block plug by the oil filter adapter out, but now all are out.

[gordr]

Update: Ran the cylinder hone in the bores, and found some nasty pits. This block will need to be rebored, for sure. But I got it nice and clean, at least. Put it in the old truck body down at the bottom of my lot, and found another disassembled 259 already there. So I hauled that one up, and put it on the table, and will give that one a checkout. It has the "rib" pattern on the inboard surfaces between the block deck and the valley cover. Does that have any significance?

[doofus]

Gord, looks like that "Waste Oil" is used to lube the distributor shaft like you suspected. good luck with it, Luck Doofus

[oilnsteel]

Some regard the rib pattern blocks with disfavor. It is said that connecting rod bearing failure is more prevalent with these blocks. I have yet to find out why. If anyone knows whether this is true or not, please add to the discussion.

JT

[altair]

Just to say, there are square sockets available to remove the square end plugs. Some of the water jacket plugs are square and some are hex. The distributor shaft is lubricated by it's own lift cap oiler.

[gordr]

The square sockets are hard to find, unless you mail-order them.