3406B normal lubrication under valve covers; rocker arm and lifters?

Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by PeteLogger, Aug 16, 2024.

  1. PeteLogger

    PeteLogger Bobtail Member

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    Jan 31, 2021
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    It's a Caterpillar 3406B in a 1993 Peterbilt. S/N 3ZJ36794. It has a PacBrake.
    I had a chirp noise that ended up being #4 intake lifter had a flat spot and was pitted. The camshaft also was work funny. I just put in the new camshaft and lifters. When idling under the front valve cover there is clearly oil seeping mostly from the front and in a minute or so the entire "floor" of the valve area is covered in oil. Lifters look good and lubed. Valve side has oil all around them. A small flow seems like it is seeping out a small hole of the rockers onto the top of the push rods to lube them.
    Under the rear cover, even after a couple minutes, the oil quantity wasn't very good (youtube link shows this). The passenger side where the valves are seated didn't have a noticeable amount. Lifter area didn't look like there was ample puddling. It almost looked like there was some oil trickling onto the top of the push rods at least.
    I watched a youtube of a guy with a gas V8 punching out the rocker arm rod's plugs and cleaning out gunk. I just wanted to hear some thoughts on where and how much oil should be coming from the different areas.
    It had a new headgasket and everything 90k miles ago. I assume if I take the pacbrake off and see oil squirting everywhere that it's just the rocker arm that needs cleaned up. Oil pressure i think was 70-80 psi. Oil pump is shimmed up for the dual nozzle piston oilers in the lower end.

     
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  3. Sons Hero

    Sons Hero Road Train Member

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  4. wore out

    wore out Numbered Classic

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    CHASIN THE DEVIL'S HERD
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    Push the Jake solenoid tops at idle. It the spray the same amount of oil and sound like they are hitting about the same front to back the supply tube that feeds the Jake has been knocked in too far and cut oil flow to the rocker shaft. The rockers are supplied by a passage in head that feeds into the front rocker stand of each set. The feed for Jake doubles as a dowel pin. It doesn’t go all way through shaft only bout halfway. Oil comes out of head into front pedestal fills shaft them into Jake supply tube.

    I would not even consider cleaning a rocker shaft on a B. If it’s been run long enough and not serviced enough that is has carbon build up in I promise you it’s #### near wore in two. Rocker shafts are a weak link on a B they start by wallowing out the dowel pin hole and oil feed. Then they break right on the end try to spit it out but the rocker box catches it which in turn gets the geometry of the whole bidness outta whack. Your biggest hope is it just bent a push tube and not chip a valve face
     
    Oxbow, aaron1995, BoxCarKidd and 6 others Thank this.
  5. PeteLogger

    PeteLogger Bobtail Member

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    Jan 31, 2021
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    Yeah both engine brakes hit the same when I touched the 12v wire to it. Shot oil out 15' to the passenger side when released.
    Pulled brakes off and dowel's looked the same distance and everything. Pulled rear rocker arm assembly. Dowels were tight so i just pulled the outside rockers to see how it worked, popped off 1 end cap to see that it was clean in there, and then blew air through it with some soapy water from a spray bottle to see bubbles coming out all the spots that oil was supposed to. Everything looked good in that regard.
    Upon reassembly and firing her back up same thing happened. I looked closely this time to the front one and it was trickling oil from underneath the pacbrake electric solenoid. So that is why it was getting oil covering everything fairly quickly. So what I do not know is if that is the design to trickle oil to get everything coated or if the front one is actually the problem leaking too much oil out and the rear one is normal? The small holes on the rockers drip oil onto the pushrods and then it runs down onto the lifters. Maybe that's all it needs. The only hesitancy with that is there doesn't look like any significant amount of oil is getting it's way up to the valve spring area but I don't know what is normal and how much they need... and of coarse when oil heats up and thins maybe it acts way different.
     
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