Cam Plug Oil Hole?

[BN-2B]

That small passage between the cam plug and greater valve area was all blocked with gunk. The bottom half of the plug was packed with gunk. This is the drivers side. Oil had been leaking there for some time.

Unfortunately I did not discover the existence of this hole before sealing the passenger side and did not look to see if it was clear. That side was not so nasty and did not leak.

What is the deal with that hole?

 

[spartacus]

That small passage between the cam plug and greater valve area was all blocked with gunk. The bottom half of the plug was packed with gunk. This is the drivers side. Oil had been leaking there for some time.

Unfortunately I did not discover the existence of this hole before sealing the passenger side and did not look to see if it was clear. That side was not so nasty and did not leak.

What is the deal with that hole?[/QUOTE]

I am not a 100% but i think just an oil passage to keep that end of the camshaft lubricated.

 

[Joelzy]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the heads are the same just flipped and the cams go in opposite. So they're made to be able to flop to either side with minimal hardware changes. That said, I would imagine the hole is only for oil when the cam protrudes out of there and unimportant when its the plugged end. Hell, you could probably seal it if you wanted as its just lubricating the your sealed plug.

 

[phattyduck]

That hole is there to clear the oil from the area between the last cam bearing and the cam seal (some oil escapes each side of the bearing). If it is gunked up, you will get pressurized oil behind the seal, forcing it to leak. The seal isn't designed to hold pressure...

-Charlie

 

[gamefreakgc]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the heads are the same just flipped and the cams go in opposite. So they're made to be able to flop to either side with minimal hardware changes. That said, I would imagine the hole is only for oil when the cam protrudes out of there and unimportant when its the plugged end. Hell, you could probably seal it if you wanted as its just lubricating the your sealed plug.

The heads are not the same, there a differences in the shape. Even the cams are not the same, they only fit into one slot which is great when you're like me and mixed up your camshafts because you have too many in your garage and can't remember how they came out lol!

And yeah, you don't want that passageway blocked or that seal will leak again. You don't want ANY oil passageway blocked. Have you considered running an engine flush item or switching to sythetic oil? Either of those will help start to break down all the sludge you have in your engine.

 

[Joelzy]

well there ya go:bolt:

 

[BN-2B]

Check Your Oil Holes

That hole is there to clear the oil from the area between the last cam bearing and the cam seal (some oil escapes each side of the bearing). If it is gunked up, you will get pressurized oil behind the seal, forcing it to leak. The seal isn't designed to hold pressure...

...yeah, you don't want that passageway blocked or that seal will leak again. You don't want ANY oil passageway blocked.

Thank you. Makes perfect sense. The write-ups and videos I referenced before this valve cover gasket replacement did not mention oil holes. Due to my extreme slowness however, I learned about their existence between day one and day two of the job.. Interesting how dibree was neatly packed into the cam plug when it couldn’t recirculate. Like a deliberate trapping system, which led to a leak and maintenance.
My engine may be grimier than most. The rescue process from P.O.neglect is a long road. Made the switch to synthetic oil two years ago, thinking strong detergent flush in the crank case may remove ‘beneficial resin’. ...:fro:

 

[19963.4lsr5]

It's a drain hole. Keep it clean.


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[gamefreakgc]

Thank you. Makes perfect sense. The write-ups and videos I referenced before this valve cover gasket replacement did not mention oil holes. Due to my extreme slowness however, I learned about their existence between day one and day two of the job.. Interesting how dibree was neatly packed into the cam plug when it couldn’t recirculate. Like a deliberate trapping system, which led to a leak and maintenance.
My engine may be grimier than most. The rescue process from P.O.neglect is a long road. Made the switch to synthetic oil two years ago, thinking strong detergent flush in the crank case may remove ‘beneficial resin’. ...:fro:

After I bought mine, the oil was as black as night. The mechanic who looked it over advised using TWO oil flushes it was that bad. I also bought a sludgey engine.

After running synthetic oil for 30k miles over 4 years, the sludge is almost completely gone. It really does work. There's just a little bit of varnish on the corners of the heads.