No oil to the cylinder head

Ryno

Ryno

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Howdy all,
I've been having some ongoing issues with my TJ. Hoping someone can lead me in the right direction with solving the problems. First I had a loud chirp/squeak coming from the engine. Discovered there was a rocker arm that was dry and rusted. Changed that pair of rocker arms and pushrods. No more chirp but also discovered that no oil is coming up through any of the pushrods. Also, there's a crack in the head between cylinders 3&4. A very small amount of gunk at cylinder 4 valve. No build up anywhere else on the head. Oil pressure is good. Checked it with a manual gauge. I've run seafoam through the oil. Checked the oil. Oil looks good and clean. There is a light lifter tick. I have not been able to find any sort of definite solution or series of things to check. Is it likely all the lifters are clogged up? Any education about this is greatly appreciated!
 
If you see a crack in the cylinder head your troubleshooting is likely complete. I'd disassemble & replace at that point.
 
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Job sucks, but probably what needs to be done. If you are looking for HP, or plan to later. Get and eldelbock head. More expensive. But means your bigger TB/ported intake would actually work. (You’d still need a tune)
 
I've had the cam bearing spin on an engine (Pontiac 400) where the oil passage was now closed off, and no oil was getting to the rockers. Fantastic oil pressure when tested, but rockers were dry as a bone. Might be something to look into...? 🤷‍♂️
I'd hate to replace a head, only to still have the (lack of) oiling issue.
 
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Squatch said:
I've had the cam bearing spin on an engine (Pontiac 400) where the oil passage was now closed off, and no oil was getting to the rockers. Fantastic oil pressure when tested, but rockers were dry as a bone. Might be something to look into...? 🤷‍♂️
I'd hate to replace a head, only to still have the (lack of) oiling issue.
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Yeah, a thorough inspection is what needs to happen when it comes to oiling issues, I guess what grabbed my attention was the OPs assertion that he found a crack which is no-bueno if that really is the case. Maybe he'll post up some pics so we can have a gander.
 
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Really appreciate all the responses! I'm including some pictures. The rocker arms will look somewhat oiled because I oiled them to run the engine so I could observe. I included a pic of the crack also. If I reasonably thought the cracked head was causing the oiling issue, I'd replace it. I'm hesitant because I think the oiling issue is a separate one. Coolant has leaked into the engine but to what degree, I'm unsure. There aren't any indications of significant sludge at the head. Oil flows from top to bottom easily.
 

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Dang, I was really hoping after that last post someone would have some brilliant guidance. I think in the next couple weeks I will drop the oil pan to check the pump and look for a possible blockage. Any other suggestions while I'm doing that?
 
Ryno said:
Dang, I was really hoping after that last post someone would have some brilliant guidance. I think in the next couple weeks I will drop the oil pan to check the pump and look for a possible blockage. Any other suggestions while I'm doing that?
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Sorry, pictures are hard to tell by. I would say drop the pan and have a look around. Check the pickup and the pump. Check for and clean out general sludge, if that doesn’t work you’re in for a head. That would be my guess anyway because of the coolant in the oil. But never hurts to try the cheap stuff first.
 
Really don’t think you will see anything by dropping the oil pan to solve you oiling issue based on you stating you have good oil pressure. I would suspect a problem with the lifters or plugged pushrods.
 
You are not getting oil pressure to the top end because you have a wasted cam bearing. The crack in your cylinder head
allowed coolant to seep into the engine which in turn wasted a cam bearing. Chances are you will not find coolant in the pan mixed with oil. It is usually a small amount, but it is enough to get to the #3 cam bearing and cause damage over time.
 
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Howdy everyone, thanks again for all your insights. After exhaustive research I have come to the conclusion that it's time for a new engine. Given the combination of issues it'll be cheaper to replace than repair. For the time being I may heavily coat the rocker arms with a high heat grease, use a sealant to try and seal up the head, and drive it till it dies. Anyone got a reasonable objection to this plan since I'm looking to replace the engine in the future? Would I be risking something I'm not considering? Thanks again! You all have been a great help.
 
Ryno said:
Howdy everyone, thanks again for all your insights. After exhaustive research I have come to the conclusion that it's time for a new engine. Given the combination of issues it'll be cheaper to replace than repair. For the time being I may heavily coat the rocker arms with a high heat grease, use a sealant to try and seal up the head, and drive it till it dies. Anyone got a reasonable objection to this plan since I'm looking to replace the engine in the future? Would I be risking something I'm not considering? Thanks again! You all have been a great help.
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I mean, if your gonna replace it, why not drive it until it blows. Just ignore all the bad noises, and so long as you can afford to gets stuck somewhere. Turn up the music and keep going.

if you do this you probably want to have a plan for a new engine, diesel swap, stroker (cheap more power) OE/used.
 
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