Oil restrictions for the FE

[convincor]

it's not a "have to do".

[rjewkes]

Boy!the parts guys/gals sure push those mellings HV pumps though, Wonder if they buy 'em like mcdonalds does their pies?

i mean i have noticed a small lake or maybe its just a pond in the top end during idle with the VC's removed on a stock FE with stock pump. i think this is what cuases some blowby when mixed with the drainage problems and the weak valve seals.

is it possable to, and would it work to increase the drainage holes diameter any, and if so how much before you'd be in trouble? would this help with restricting by draining back down better?

[Doug Comer]

Like Calvin said, "Anyone got a good how to"? I'm interested too.
Doug

[427]

On my 427 its a 64 center-oiler. Im running 68 Cobra Jet heads that were set up for hydraulic camshafts. Im running a solid lift so we threaded the oil passage hole an used a set screw with a hole drilled through it. If you want to you could take the screw out and go back hydraulic. We also shimmed the piston spring behind the block,Its been so long i dont remember how much.Hope this helps,Brian.

[robroy]

My new engine has a Melling high volume oil pump in it. I'm going to check with the builder (Proformance Unlimited) to see if they did anything to restrict oil flow to the heads.

Just today I called Steve at Proformance Unlimited and asked about this. He said that indeed, without updating the heads somehow you will get a lake of oil up there with a high volume pump. He said that on their heads, instead of restricting the flow of oil up there, they open up the return shafts enough to take care of this problem.

So this must be a fairly well known issue! And at least now we know it's possible to cure it by enlarging the return passages. But it might be harder to do it this way unless the heads were completely removed from the engine.

Robroy

[mrtleavitt]

Here ya go guys, sorry the formatting didn't stay but with the numbers you can follow it.

FE Ford Oil Galley Plug Kit

This kit is for use on all Ford FE 390, 428, 427 engines. This Kit includes (10) ¼” pipe plugs for galleys. (2) 1/8” pipe plugs for Solid Lifter Conversion. (2) Threaded Oil Restrictors with a .090” hole for the cylinder heads. Instructions to follow.

Standard Passages
1. Remove all press-in oil galley plugs. For best results use a center punch and slide hammer. There are a total of up to (10) plugs. (2) on the front of the block: (4) inside the lifter valley (2 in front, 2 in rear): (4) at the rear of the block near the cam. Note: Some early or marine blocks may have never been drilled for Hydraulic use and have less plugs front and rear.
2. Drill all holes out to 7/16”
3. Ream all holes with ¼” Pipe reamer.
4. Tap all holes with ¼” pipe tap. On most holes a regular length tap will work. On the Driver Side front galley near the distributor hole, a 6” extension should be used. Tap this hole deep enough so the plug does not interfere with distributor. It should be at least flush when tightened for easy distributor installation.
5. Hone of sand the first lifter hole on the driver’s side to eliminate the burr. Test the lifter to make sure it slides freely.

Solid Lifter
6. If you are planning to use Solid Lifters then you need to block off the Hydraulic Lifter passages. These are located in the lifter valley at the rear of the block underneath the (2) ¼” pipe plugs previously mentioned. To block the oil feed to the lifters, you need to be ½” below the ¼” pipe plugs, on the opposite side of the main lifter galley. It is not necessary to drill these holes prior to tapping, since they are the correct size for 1/8” pipe tap needed to do this. Tap these (2) holes with 1/8” pipe tap. Make sure to tap both of these deep enough so that the plugs once installed will be flush and not partially block the galley. Make sure to tap these (2) passages now, so if you want to switch back and forth between solid or hydraulic lifters you can with ease (solid plugs in, hydraulic plugs out).

Cylinder Head Oil Restrictors
7. There are many different FE Ford Heads out there. There are (2) oil passages, (1) in each head located next to the rocker bolts over the #3 &#6 intake ports. There are (3) different oil feed passage sizes among them. Included in this kit is (2) .909” threaded restrictors as per your order. Listed below are a list of the common FE heads and the passage size and correct tap size to use:
For 390, LR, CJ Cast Iron Ford Heads: The oil passage is 5/16”, the correct size for a 3/8: x 16 tap. No need to drill, just tap.
For MR, TP, HR Cast Iron Ford Heads: the oil passage is ¼”, the correct size for a 5/16” x 18 tap. No need to drill, just tap.
For Edelbrock Aluminum Heads: The oil passage is 3/16”, the correct size for a 12 x 24 tap. No need to drill, just tap.

Plug Installation
8. Prior to any plug installation, make sure to clean all passages from debris. Use whatever you have available. Wash or clean out with cleaners or soap and water, use bristle brushes in the passages. Blow every passage clean and dry.
9. When installing the block plugs, use liquid Teflon or equivalent on threads. This acts as a thread lubricant and sealer also. Do not use Teflon tape since many times it will come off and end up in your oil system.
10. When installing the head restrictors, use a mild Loctite liquid. These plugs do not need to have sealant, just have them stay in place.
If you have any questions or problems do not hesitate to call (Precision Oil Pumps).

[montana_hiboy]

it's not a "have to do".

EXACTLY!!! in a stock FE, in a truck that will rarely see over 3,000 rpms it's not a "have to do" by any means but if it makes you feel better by doing so then by all by means proceed.

[mrtleavitt]

That is true. And some high performance places don't even bother with it. I know survival motorsports don't with their stroker kit. So ya, if you want to go for it and make yourself feel better, if not, don't.

[averagef250]

I've had some experience with this stuff and my opinion no, it's not at all necessary on a stock or close to it FE with a stock volume pump and stock style rockers. But for the 10 minutes it takes to do it sure doesn't hurt anything, will probably drop oil temp and lesson valve cover leaks if you have any and valve oil consumption.

The issues happen when you run a HV pump (which is a BAD idea in almost anything FE except a race engine) or change the rocker arms to something aftermarket. When you run rocker arms with needle bearing fulcrums there is no longer a restriction to oil flow at the heads and even with .090" restrictions you'll still see a big drop in oil pressure at idle and have a lake of oil under the valve covers.

Like Robert mentions, a big part of the problem is parts guys pushing HV pumps for these engines. Something that hasn't been touched on in this thread is the strong likelyhood that your fancy new HV pump will shear the OE oil pump drive because of increased load. These engines are perfectly happy and live long, glorious, very abused lives with 5-10 PSI per 1000 RPM oil pressure. They aren't like other engines that need extra oil, FE's don't unless you're running much higher than designed RPM's. In those case ford went to the side oiler design which was entirely different and not even comparable to the standard FE oiling design.

Bottom line, HV pumps are a considerable source of parasitic loss for no gain in most situations with FE's, they put extra strain on already undersized oil pump drive and oil restrictors are almost always a good idea, but not required on stockish engines.

[mkpj1]

FE's oil cam bearings before the mains. big problem and the HV helps make sure the mains don't starve. It's a known problem which why the side oiler was designed and Shelby designed a new block to address oiling mains first. Also, an HV pump will make up for more poor bearing clearance issues in old engine blocks. Keep oil on the bearings. Return issues are solved by running a bigger pan with a windage tray and an extra quart of oil. No way your mains starve which is an FE problem more so in racing engines,..agreed.

Anyhoo, if your just a cruiser below 3000 grand, probably no issues. Thing is, my truck does see more than 3 grand on a regular basis. So HV pump(HD pump shaft ) bigger oil pan with windage tray, oil mods, restrictors, and extra quart of oil,....extra 250 bucks. security while pulling, hauling, and occasional dragging,...priceless.

[mkpj1]

I got questions about bigger baffled pan. Here is a link:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... &N=700+150+

Canton makes one as well.

[Fordnatic]

Also, the crank journals are huge on an FE compared to almost any other block. This makes for a much higher than normal bearing speed, and more oil to the crank is ALWAYS a good idea on an FE. For example (just made up numbers, not mathematical) 3000 RPM on an FE might equal over 5000 RPM of bearing speed on a small block Chev.