Missing cam oiler bar section

[1984]

 

New to the forum, new to 240zees. 

 

So I recently acquired a 1972 240z that has been sitting in a field for 20 years. It of course has the typical rust. 

 

Over the last couple weeks I've been identifying and researching it's components (engine, transmission, differential, cylinder head, etc.). 

 

So I decided to remove the valve cover to check the camshaft oil spray bar. I found that it is missing the section closest to the timing chain. All other joints in the bar are loose and the bolts on each end were very very loose. The cast aluminum parts that take in the oil are chewed up pretty bad as well.

 

See pictures.

 

I guess my main question is: where is the missing piece of tubing from the oiler bar? I didn't see any damage inside the valve cover but this is uncharted territory for me. Any advice, suggestions, things to look for are greatly appreciated.

 

Here's what I've identified:

-L24 engine

-E31 cylinder head

-close ratio 5 speed transmission

-R200 differential 

 

 

 

 

[jonbill]

I expect the missing bit is in the sump. 

I'm sure you'll be able to epoxy it all back together.

The cam lobes look ok, thats the main thing to check out with the spray bar broken.

I've never seen those bits made of cast ally, mine have all been pressed steel.

[1984]

I wasn't sure if it could make it through all the timing chain stuff. Not familiar with these engines or really any engine. 

 

And I think the earlier models had the cast blocks on the bar. Here's a picture of the two types from another forum.

 

I can only seem to find one aftermarket spray bar and it is $265. There's one of the newer spray bars (bottom in pic) on ebay for $250. And I don't particularly want to glue my current one back together as it is very worn. 

I'm surprised that no one is making these.

[NewZed]

Look down the front cover area where the chain and sprocket are.  The piece might have stuck on its way down.  A magnet should be able to grab it if you can see it.

 

I think that another way to fix that would be to braze it or use a high temperature solder.  But an epoxy like SteelStick would probably work well too.  You'll want to reinforce the joints that haven't failed yet also.  It's a common problem with the early spray bars.

 

Here's a whole long discussion about them on a different forum.

 

https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/41895-camshaft-oil-spray-bar-redesign-and-rebuild/#comment-377051

 

 

 

 

[calZ]

1 hour ago, 1984 said:

I'm surprised that no one is making these.

 

You used to be able to get a billet spray bar from Larry Hassler. I'm not sure if he's still making them or not. 626-358-2885 was his number. If you give him a call, please report back and let us know what his current price/availability is. It's always nice to know the options. 

[1984]

Thanks for the replies. I've read many many posts on several forums about this. It's a very common problem, which is why I'm so baffled that almost nobody is making them. I saw some posts about Larry but they were pretty old and I assumed that the oil bars were expensive. 

 

I fished around in the timing chain area and through the oil drain plug with a magnet. It's got to be somewhere down there.

 

I've decided that I'm going to have a go at making one since mine is nearly beyond repair.

 

2 hours ago, NewZed said:

Look down the front cover area where the chain and sprocket are.  The piece might have stuck on its way down.  A magnet should be able to grab it if you can see it.

 

I think that another way to fix that would be to braze it or use a high temperature solder.  But an epoxy like SteelStick would probably work well too.  You'll want to reinforce the joints that haven't failed yet also.  It's a common problem with the early spray bars.

 

Here's a whole long discussion about them on a different forum.

 

https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/41895-camshaft-oil-spray-bar-redesign-and-rebuild/#comment-377051

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, calZ said:

 

You used to be able to get a billet spray bar from Larry Hassler. I'm not sure if he's still making them or not. 626-358-2885 was his number. If you give him a call, please report back and let us know what his current price/availability is. It's always nice to know the options. 

 

 

[NewZed]

Any L6 spray bar up to and including 1977 will fit.  Looks like you could buy a junk cylinder head and save money if it comes with a spray bar.  Don't forget the early 810's.

 

Another option, if you can find all of the parts, would be a drilled camshaft.  1978 and later, including the ZX's.  But you'd need the rocker arms and lash pads and it could still add up to a lot of money.

 

Before you get too far you should probably inspect those dry cam lobes carefully for damage.

[1984]

I'll make sure to take some time and really inspect them but I think they're good. I'm not sure how long it was driven in it's current state but it seems like everything was still getting oil. There are still puddles of oil in all the head bolt heads.

 

I'm planning on making a simplified oiler bar out a piece of 1/2" square tube. The only concerns that I have are that it holds a larger volume of oil so it'll take longer for oil to reach the head and it will be probably 3/4" further from the camshaft. 

 

I'm kinda thinking that both of these issues might not be a problem. 

16 hours ago, NewZed said:

Any L6 spray bar up to and including 1977 will fit.  Looks like you could buy a junk cylinder head and save money if it comes with a spray bar.  Don't forget the early 810's.

 

Another option, if you can find all of the parts, would be a drilled camshaft.  1978 and later, including the ZX's.  But you'd need the rocker arms and lash pads and it could still add up to a lot of money.

 

Before you get too far you should probably inspect those dry cam lobes carefully for damage.

 

[bunkhouse]

 When a stock oil bar is clean. solid and working correctly, the oil coming from the oiler holes lands on the cam lobes at idle.

[1984]

Good to know. I'm getting one of the newer versions of the oiler bar to compare their function. 

 

9 minutes ago, bunkhouse said:

 When a stock oil bar is clean. solid and working correctly, the oil coming from the oiler holes lands on the cam lobes at idle.

 

But here's a video I found of pretty much exactly what I'm going to make.

 

 

 

[AydinZ71]

FWIW, I just bought a used cam oiler bar in useable condition for $50 plus shipping two weeks ago. Just posted a “wanted” ad on Facebook and had someone ship it to me in less than a week. Could give it a shot. Try the S30 classifieds for sale/wanted group.

 

I also have one fabricated by Mike Yoes, but have not used it yet. That was $200 new. 

[1984]

I actually found one locally today from a Datsun guy. I still plan on making one so it'll be nice to have an original to compare it to.

 

The oil output on the Yoes bar is the same distance from the camshaft as the one I plan to make so that is encouraging. They're going for $265 + $20 for shipping now. 

46 minutes ago, AydinZ71 said:

FWIW, I just bought a used cam oiler bar in useable condition for $50 plus shipping two weeks ago. Just posted a “wanted” ad on Facebook and had someone ship it to me in less than a week. Could give it a shot. Try the S30 classifieds for sale/wanted group.

 

I also have one fabricated by Mike Yoes, but have not used it yet. That was $200 new.