Rocker Shafts - Right or Left Hand?

keynsham1

keynsham1

Active Member
I am rebuilding the top end of my V8 P6. Everywhere I read that the rocker shafts are handed and that the notched washer must be at the front on the right and the rear on the left. I cannot see why these assemblies are handed as you have to turn them around to fit them on the opposite side and so the notched washer will always be at the front on the right and the rear on the left whichever way you put them on. I am concerned as I see warnings about oil starvation if they are not assembled correctly. I have stripped one of my old rocker shaft assemblies and it has the same oil holes at each end so either way it is fitted, it will still supply oil. Anyone know why they are supposed to be handed, or what it is that makes them so?
 
There is a notch in one end of each rocker shaft. On the RHS the notch faces the front, on the LHS the notch faces the rear. This placement ensures correct alignment of the oil feed holes within the rocker shafts so as to ensure the maximum unrestricted oil feed.

Placing the shafts in a different configuration will ensure that the oil feed holes within the shafts are in the wrong poition, and an oil feed restriction will result, along with engine damage.

Ron.
 
Thanks for the reply. I understand the notch position, but if you take the right hand assembly with the notch at the front, and turn it around so it has the notch at the back, it will now fit on the left hand side. Conversly, if you take the left had assembly and turn it around, it now has the notch at the front and will fit on the right had side. It seems that both assemblies will fit on both sides in accordance with the notch rule, and as the shafts themselves have the same holes in on each end, I still don't see how you can identify wich is which if they are really supposed to be handed?
 
The two rocker shafts are identical when placed in the same orientation. Each cylinder head is also identical. The Rover V8 heads are not sided.

Oil flows up through the block and into each cylinder head through a 3/16" feed hole, passing up through the first rocker shaft pedestal and into the rocker shaft itself. The alignment of the hole in the rockershaft with the hole in the pedestal will only be correct if the rocker shafts are placed in the correct position in relation to each cylinder head.

Ron.
 
Thanks Ron, that makes sense. So the reason to make sure the notches are in the correct place must be to ensure the rocker shafts are the right way around. Considering the difference between the pushrod end and the valve stem end of the rockers themselves, you would really have to be not concentrating to get that wrong! Thanks for your help. Richard.
 
You have the front/rear positions for the notch correct, but it must also be at the top of the shaft, not on the bottom.
 
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