Fixing a common problem on my Chevy 235 straight-six (pt 1)

[@daveedson8607]

I love watching Chevy 6 cylinder engine repairs. Our older family car was a 59 Chevy wagon ;with a 235, so I worked on it. My first job (as a high school coop student) was at the oldest operating engine plant in the world at that time, Chevrolet Motor Division in Flint, Michigan (down in the hole). I worked in Quality Control and we tore down engines for various quality audits. I could take the 230, 250, and 292's apart and put them back together again with my eyes closed. We even built up a performance engine for "testing" purposes" that was put in a 69 Nova hitched to a 4 speed manual. Fun car.

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

Good that you pinched that discharge tube shut. Ford Y blocks had that type of setup as well, and, you guessed it, lack of oil to the rockers was a problem. Detergent oil was around, but many folks, myself included, wouldn't use it, as it wasn't all that great until the 70s. It sometimes would separate. By the 80s, was satisfied that it was good.

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

When removing the rocker shaft, you should start at the ends and work toward the center. To install it, you start at the center and work toward the ends. Going from end to end can warp the shaft.

[@stevemason6850]

When you change oil on older cars add a Zinc additive. Its been removed from modern oil,and older cars still need it to combat wear.

[@dailyclassic]

Yep, I always keep a supply of ZDDP on hand. I generally add a bottle to a 5 quart jug and mix it before adding any oil to my vehicles.

[@fiddlerpin]

Just use shell Rotella 15w-40. Already is a high zinc oil.

[@ralphwood8818]

Im an oil filter guy. Started with a Frantz oil cleaner and Delo w 30 in 1963. All I knew was Delo was for diesel engines and sold for 29 cents at the discount stores. There are over the road trucks with over 1 million miles using Rotella 15 40 and Gulf Coast filters. I dont remember Rotella being in the discount stores. I used Delo in my Rambler. The American with the flat head 6 came with a spin on bypass filter. None of the spin on filters are any good. At one time you could get cotton filter elements for the old canister filters. They have mostly converted to nearly useless pleated paper. Dont remove sludge.

[@coilmotorworks]

Use 30 weight diesel oil. Diesel oil can be gotten cheap and has more wear protecting additives.

[@davidboatner3115]

@@fiddlerpin that’s what we use on the 4 liter jeep motors

[@madmac1073]

I have a mechanically all original 56 210 235 w/hyd lifters 3 speed and was having tappet noise issues, put in an oil press gauge and was less than 20 psi at idle. Ended up doing an oil pump change and no trouble since, also had the grooved rocker shaft like yours and found better one at salvage yard. I have 125k on the odometer.

[@ravenfeather7087]

Had that engine in a 63 2-wheel drive pick-up with three on the column. Positrac rear end. Got about 21 mpg and ran forever. Eventually the frame rotted away. Great engine. The only thing I ever did on the engine was adjust the valves.

[@johnboutchia2349]

I had a 78 ford Granada with a straight 6 that wasn’t getting oil, I added a little kerosine and ran it for a few minutes, it cleaned it out, I got another rocker assy. At the salvage yard & changed the oil & filter.

[@budsodalsky]

Love that sewing machine sound if those stovebolts

[@chipstuff4777]

great video - having same issue with my 235 in my 54 pickup and this definitely helps!!

[@kfl611]

Your car has a pretty color. You explained everything very well. I like Rislone 4102-6PK Engine Treatment Specially Formulated for High-Mileage Engines BG 44K, EPR, MOA And especially Marvel Mystery oil. All three should really keep your engine clean. The bg products work well in my opinion to clean your rings, and the rest to help keep your engine clean.

[@MrGlenferd]

Those shafts has a flat machined along the bottom to spread the oil across the bearing. Once they wore the flat is gone. I found this on my car with only 80 thousand miles on it. I took a grinder and just cut a small groove most of the way across the bottom of the bearing area of each lifter to restore the oul spread.

[@rainriderpnw6259]

Great vidio, reminds me of the 57 I had when I was about your age. They are a tank to drive.

[@thomasbradley512]

If that 235 is equipped with a manual transmission those generally had solid lifters. Definitely check the lash settings on there. You're correct about the oil issue but remember those are solid lifters and there's a lash that has to be set on those and they will still clatter a little bit after they're set.

[@tacoheadmakenzie9311]

Also, be aware that worn rocker arm tips can give an inaccurate reading when setting the lash, unless a narrow feeler gauge is used.

[@MrGlenferd]

In 56 both standard and automatic cars had hydraulic lifters. In 55 only automatics had hydraulics.

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

Truck, though, kept the solid lifters with manual trans

[@josephmclennan1229]

@@angelitavaldellon7600 I have a 261 in my 58 Fleetside all solid lifters . I think for the low end torque

[@charlieharper4975]

This car looks exactly like my first car as a boy of 16 in 1971. Yep, 235 with 3 on a tree. NOTE: That black box on the fenderwell glows red if you hotwire the car.

[@garybrown7044]

a trick i used was to remove the 1/8 pipe plug on the head between the 3rd. & 4th cylinder. use 1/4" copper tubing with fittings from this opening to the oil filter on the other side of the engine. this helps with a cronic problem with old engines with sludge everywhere. they were designed to run with straight 30w non-detergent oil, frequent oil changes are a must. if it doesn't have an oil filter, install one. i use the modern spin on filters with braided lines. your old 235's will thank you for it.

[@dailyclassic]

I actually came across these as modification kits when I looked up the oiling issues I was having. This engine also has a cartridge filter.

[@ralphwood8818]

Its a lot easier to keep the oil clean than allow the oil to get dirty and suffer the consequences. After all the work cleaning a neglected engine dont let it get sludged up again. About 1966 I put a Frantz oil cleaner on a Suburban with the 292 big 6. The last I heard it had over 350 K miles on it. Over 300 K with no oil drains. He changed the Frantz every 2 K and added a quart of Delo 100 20 weight. Delo was a diesel rated oil. Couldn't use multi grade in a diesel in those days. I think its mostly 400 now. Not so sure I would do it now but I used a Frantz adapter that eliminated the full flow filter. He was my boss at Ford. Before I left Ford I put a Motor Guard on his Plymouth Fury. He ran a Mustang dragster with a Chevy engine and Chrysler transmission. Sponsored by Chevy. I have a Jackmaster filter coming in from Australia. I have 12 depth bypass filters. Never saw a.Jackmaster but I have to see if they are as good as I have been hearing. I like the top loaders. Also there are over the road trucks with over a million miles with no oil drains using Shell Rotella 15 40. Good in the old Chevy with proper filtration. I dont mean allowing the oil to get dirty wear and foul the engine then draining it. The trucks are using the Gulf Coast filter.

[@ralphwood8818]

The spin on filters dont clean oil. The ones that clean oil have depth. Frantz Gulf Coast Motor Guard Jackmaster

[@MrGlenferd]

You used to buy a bypass kit for this purpose. We had one on our 56.

[@clintdenman3037]

For the record I had a buddy's car that had a bad gallery and we drained the oil and ran some diesel through the engine and it seems to be okay.

[@daledavies2334]

When I worked on Detroit Diesels, the Series 92 had wet liners. The o ring seals had to be above the intake ports and had the tail end of combustion hot gases heating the cylinder walls. This cooked the seals which let coolant get into the oil. Coolant is real bad news for engine bearings and the oil system had to be cleaned out. Detroit recommended adding a cup of butyl cellosolve to the 30 oil after the overhaul. Run for about 15 to 30 minutes and change the oil and filter. Run that for 15 to 30 minutes and change the oil and filter again. This was to flush the coolant out. My ex had a Chev with a neglected 350 in it. Change oil and in two days it looked like it had not been changed for a year. After about 8 oil changes and a couple with a quart of ATF and still filthy, I brought about a 1/4cup of butyl cellosolve home, put it in the car and went for a short drive. You do not want to put high load on the engine while doing this, but you want the oil warmed up good. Changed the oil and filter and went for a half hour drive and changed the oil and filter again. After this the oil did its job cleaning the engine but was not black as coal.in two days. Butyl cellosolve is a component in some industrial cleaners. It has a rather distinctive odour. It will clean the sludge out of your engine, but use caution on how much and do not load the engine heavy. A bit of a drive around the neighborhood at 30 MPH is good with the butyl in the oil. After that is drained and refilled some higher speeds to say 50 MPH for 5 to 10 minutes will get that oil warmed. After the last oil and filter change it should be almost like a new engine.

[@lancejenkins9908]

Great looking 56

[@jamesparker6017]

Coral Gables 🌴🇺🇸 Good luck. Had this issue on ours and couldn't resolve it 😢 🏄

[@desertbob6835]

Have you set the valve lash properly? Sure doesn't sound like it. Intakes. 006, exhaust .018, set when hot.

[@tonycolca2241]

In1956 chevrolet went to hydraulic lifters in both maual and automatic 235. Assuming it has the original engine

[@sundayhinojosa8114]

Maybe reaming that feed oil tube to rockers with a thick gauge copper wire would help clear it really good along with your brake clean.

[@gimpygardner3377]

What is the car in the background??? I used to own a 1953 Chrysler Windsor 8 passenger that was modified when new to be a "sedambulance". Mine was even the same color.

[@waynegood9233]

My 56 did the same thing about 2 years after I had it in 1965

[@adamvalenzuela6626]

Thats a really nice shirt to work on the engine. Dont you have an old one?

[@ralphwood8818]

Its caused by not keeping the oil clean. I use the Gulf Coast filter and the Motor Guard oil filter on the Ford. The Ford 6 was bad about that. It's best to have the sludge in the filter . Had a 235 once that sometimes had a miss. Part of the valve guide broke and dropped down on the valve head. As long as the guide went up into the bore it ran good. It's better to keep oil clean than allow it to get dirty wear and foul the engine then draining it.. I gave up that system in 1963. Put a Frantz oil cleaner on a 292 big 6 about 1966. It went over 300 K miles with no oil drains using Standard Delo 100 20 weight. It got a filter change and a quart of new oil about every 2 K. Mostly highway miles pulling a Mustang dragster. Chevy Suburban about 1963 model. The reason I use two depth filters on the Ford is I keep the ATF clean also. The Delo was a diesel rated oil. It had the additives we need and was beautiful on the dipstick if you kept it clean. Multi grade oil didnt hold up in those days. Couldn't use it in a diesel.

[@hm-wm8sw]

thanks for the video this was the problem i was having seen your video this morning and i went and took that little oil part out it was clogged with crud cleaned it up put it back and it works well but not getting much oil to the front of the head like yours but plenty to the back dont know why ?but thanks for posting

[@thecynic807]

Take it to a machine shop have it machined down and then have sleeves put inside the rockers.

[@CarolinaCustomClassics]

Hey man, just found your channel. We seem a lot alike, I'm young and mess with classics too. Good video, gonna subscribe.

[@kfl611]

Your Chrysler looks pretty too.

[@JamesGibbons-i2m]

Next oil change substitute one quart of auto trans fluid for equivalent engine oil Will clean oil passage system.

[@notebender5073]

Run some some brand of engine flush through the motor long enougn to do it's job, then change the oil. That'll help.

[@rogercote5151]

Have 2 dr. ht. 235 auto. matching no, has hydralic lifters

[@josephmclennan1229]

I have run a quart of diesel in my oil to clean it up but just for 5 minutes ,then fresh oil

[@bengrosser8722]

Oil should be coming up through the push rods to

[@edwardberwind8544]

Do the job once and do it right. Buy yourself a Motor manual. You should remove the coil and the plugs so when you put it back on with a new gasket it just fits and seats. Any other way and the gasket will be destroyed. Anything that is missing (Springs) need to be replaced.

[@hildysworld]

I'd take those push rods out one at a time and clean them out if they are hollow

[@rcampbellpb]

Hi.... I'm building the same engine. The block I'm using was missing this part. What size is that Line? Thanks. - REC

[@dailyclassic]

I believe it is a 1/4 inch line that goes into a 1/8 inch pipe fitting on the top and a special oriface in the rear.

[@rainriderpnw6259]

Thats a 5/16 steel line

[@ferminmontoya243]

@@dailyclassic hey SR i have a 1947 fleetline with 235 engine 6inline for me is hard to find spark plugs .can you tell me spark plugs for my 235 engine .thaks

[@dailyclassic]

@@ferminmontoya243 I have AC Delco R435 plugs in the '56 that I got from O'Reilly's. I'm not sure what a '47 would take, so I hope what I have helps.

[@fiddlerpin]

It’s a 3/16 line . Has an orifice fitting at the bottom near the lifters .

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

You should drop the pan and clean it out. This engine is too dirty. You don't want to plug the oil pump screen. That would cause sudden death to your engine.

[@djreminise1]

Question.. where does the house from the choke on your rochester connect to..I can't figure it out.. it's bolted down on a 53 chevy 235.. looks just like you set up.. help please?

[@dailyclassic]

There is a plate that wraps halfway around the exhaust manifold with a hole in it. This acts as a baffle to draw air from between the plate and exhaust, up the tube, and into the thermostat housing. I've been thinking of making some videos explaining some features like this, so this might make a good topic.

[@gregwanner2543]

Fill the crankcase with same amount of diesel instead of oil and run it. It’ll flush everything.

[@timerickson7056]

Change oil a quart of ATF instead of a quart o oil drive it for no more than 3000 repeat until the detergent in the ATF eats the gallies clean

[@BillySBC]

Wow lots different than the later 194/230/250 straight sixes.

[@1575murray]

The later generation six cylinder was completely different and is oversquare unlike the 216/235/261. There is some similarity with the V8 engines made during the same era (the 230 has the same bore and stroke as the 1968-up 307 V8).

[@patrickostrom2762]

This is useful,just bought a 51 chevy with 55 -235 6cyl and the ? Is that engine with hydraulic or solid lifter's thank for your video!

[@nunyabinnis6417]

Should be hydraulic in 55 but its easy to tell, look at the top of thr lifters. If it has a dimple in it its hydraulic. If it's flat its manual

[@dailyclassic]

For 1955, if it has a manual transmission it will have solid lifters. If it has a Powerglide, it should have hydraulic lifters. In 1956 they went to hydraulic lifters for both, so it's a common modification to just put in hydraulic lifters.

[@davidward9487]

@@dailyclassic actually they went to hydraulic lifters fully in 54. 53 had the two different engines. I know because I own a 53 power glide engine. They had the hydraulic lifters, aluminum pistons, full pressure oiler like this engine and watching him I had done the sane thing when I found 7 bent pushrods and the engine still ran perfect no ticking at all. But i digress. The other reason I know this is that the general rule of thumb is if the valve cover has the two bolts on top it's a solid lifter babbit pounder engine unless it's a53 power glide. Which you can find out by running the numbers. The beauty of those hydraulic lifters is they're easy to set. The oil will dribble out of the top of those rockers once it's clean.

[@savethem59]

@@nunyabinnis6417 my 55 235 loadmaster truck engine has solid lifters

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

Manual trans used the solid lifter engine.

[@rogercote5151]

A 1952 2 dr ht with 235

[@Jacoby559]

You sound exactly like Drew peacock

[@55classic1]

carb cleaner would have been a better choice

[@fiddlerpin]

Why don’t you make it easy on yourself and pull the distributer and coil off the engine first?

[@ralphwood8818]

Ebay tells me they expect my Jackmaster depth bypass filter to be here April 9 from Austrailia. Anxous to see what it looks like.The reason your engine is fouled is your filter is no good or you dont have a filter. You need a Frantz Motor Guard Gulf Coast junior or a Jackmaster. I like dirty oil filters better than dirty engines. Im an old guy with 60 years of experience. Do some research. Dont stay oil filter ignorant.

[@dailyclassic]

Very true. First thing I did with this engine when I got it was replace the oil filter and change the oil. This car sat and was worn out long before I got it. I am just doing what I can to make sure it doesn't get worse before I rebuilt it properly in a few months.

[@dehoedisc7247]

You might have clarified the issue of whether you have an engine with hydraulic lifters or not, and whether the oil filter is a full flow or partial flow. Your delivery of information is rather half-hearted.

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

The Chevy 6 cyl didn't get a Full-Flow oil filter until 62.

[@buckjank]

If you watch this, please do not follow his advice. First off, never take out a head bolt. Head bolts are not reusable and you will never get the torque right. But even more importantly if you remove you rockers always follow the recommended removal process. Usually start in the middle and work your way out. The way he did it probably bent the rocker shaft and that why it sound weird.

[@brettpowter6010]

they didnt use stretch one use head bolts in these engines....

[@angelitavaldellon7600]

Head bolts are indeed reusable. They didn't use Torque-to-Yield head bolts in the 50s and 60s. The reason you should never remove a head bolt is because they are supposed to be installed and torqued in a specific sequence.