Ford Lehman, No Lubrication to the Top End

[ppmeis]

The front four valves on my Ford Lehman are dusty, rusty and dry. The rest of the rockers and rods show some lubrication but not much. Running the engine at 2,000 rpm with the valve cover off shows me No lubrication, none. This is an issue I have been dealing with for 2 years. last year I replaced the rocker shafts and cleared the oil passages, they were badly "gunked". I had lubrication for about 20 hours of run time but at the end of the season last year there was a distinct "squeak" coming from the top of the engine so I suspected the problem had returned. Yesterday confirmed it. Even with new adjusting screws I can not get the front valves to spec. The shoulder of the adjusting screw bottoms out before the valve gets tight enough. This causes me to suspect that the cam or at least the lifters in front are showing significant wear. Before you ask, Less than 5,000 hours, good oil pressure from a manual gauge on the block.

A trusted local diesel specialist suspects a bearing or bearings on the cam have turned blocking an oil passage. Brian Smith agrees that there must be significant cam or lifter wear, the cam needs to come out. Not really an option while the engine is in the boat. Brian says the engine most likely will have to be turned upside down to get the lifters out. Thats almost as much effort as pulling the engine. The local guy says that it is difficult or impossible to properly install cam bearings while the engine is in the boat.

So the engine needs to come out, Dang.. Does anybody have any advice? It's in a 1978 36 foot Albin.

thanks, pete

[jleonard]

That sucks big time.
Sounds like you already have an idea of what has to be done.
Might be worth looking into a rebuilt Lehman. At least check availability and cost it might be less than repairing what you have because you don't know the extent of the damage.