FE engine oil pumps
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FE engine oil pumps
What oil pumps do the 360 and 390 engines usually need to have at rebuild time? Will a high volume oil pump hurt anything? I matched the block oil entrance to the stock pump gasket... has anyone really paid attention to how mismatched the size of the inlet hole is? Thanks Tom
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Joined: Jun 1999
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FE engine oil pumps
Hi Tom-yeah holes are off, also small. Typical procedure is to enlarge the inlet and outlet passages, and install Hi-Volume pump. I did 20K mile ago and no problems, it does not raise the pressure though, I didn't research that and wish I had more pressure, if it wouldn't hurt anything, because I do find that with Mult-Viscosity Oil I have Zero press at Idle, so I search out the few remaining bottles of straight 30W whenever I can
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FE engine oil pumps
The oiling system on FE motors is their weakest link. Ford learned of this while racing the FEs in the early 60s, which is why they revamped the oiling system on 427 blocks - giving us the famous "side oiler".
The big problem with all "center oiler" FEs is that the crankshaft gets the oil last. It goes to the camshaft and lifters first, whatever pressure and flow remains then goes to the crank. Not a good idea. The "side oiler" blocks lubricate the crank first and then the cam (with no oil to the lifters because almost all side oilers had solid lifters).
I have a 428 I need to rebuild for a '68 Mustang and I will install a high-volume and high-pressure pump.
Two things to do on the center-oiler FE is to enlarge the hole in the block that receives the oil from the pump. Also, make sure all the oil passage end plugs are properly swaged into place. A better solution is to have your machine shop thread them and install screw-in plugs with blue locktite or a good thread sealer.
Hope this helps.
Bruce
The big problem with all "center oiler" FEs is that the crankshaft gets the oil last. It goes to the camshaft and lifters first, whatever pressure and flow remains then goes to the crank. Not a good idea. The "side oiler" blocks lubricate the crank first and then the cam (with no oil to the lifters because almost all side oilers had solid lifters).
I have a 428 I need to rebuild for a '68 Mustang and I will install a high-volume and high-pressure pump.
Two things to do on the center-oiler FE is to enlarge the hole in the block that receives the oil from the pump. Also, make sure all the oil passage end plugs are properly swaged into place. A better solution is to have your machine shop thread them and install screw-in plugs with blue locktite or a good thread sealer.
Hope this helps.
Bruce
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FE engine oil pumps
.....and I'd like to add:
restricting the amount of oil that is so freely pumped up into the heads (needlessly), after the cam bearings is better rerouted to where it is needed (pressure to main bearings) by placing a one inch long piece of either 8mm stud (with threads) or 5/16 stud (with threads), in the passage **underneath the rocker stand** where the oil passage is in the head. This allows adequate oiling to the valve springs (cooling) and I eliminated the stem seals (valve guides are near new/good condition) with no ill effects!
CW
PS/if you live in a very cold climate, using a High Volume Oil Pump "may" create enough pressure on start-up/cold (cold oil=thick oil) to loosen an oil passage plug, or even blow oil your oil filter seal!! High volume pumps were meant for High RPM usage, or lack of pressure due to worn bearings.
restricting the amount of oil that is so freely pumped up into the heads (needlessly), after the cam bearings is better rerouted to where it is needed (pressure to main bearings) by placing a one inch long piece of either 8mm stud (with threads) or 5/16 stud (with threads), in the passage **underneath the rocker stand** where the oil passage is in the head. This allows adequate oiling to the valve springs (cooling) and I eliminated the stem seals (valve guides are near new/good condition) with no ill effects!
CW
PS/if you live in a very cold climate, using a High Volume Oil Pump "may" create enough pressure on start-up/cold (cold oil=thick oil) to loosen an oil passage plug, or even blow oil your oil filter seal!! High volume pumps were meant for High RPM usage, or lack of pressure due to worn bearings.
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FE engine oil pumps
A high volume, standard pressure pump, will provide higher pressure at idle and low rpm; a good thing in a work truck. High rpm pressure would not be effected much since all that happens is more oil flows past the relief valve. Some pumps come with a high pressure spring that can be installed on the relief valve. The only down side of high prssure pumps is they may wear the distributor gear a little faster. I put a high volume/pressure pump on a 351W and get 60 psi at idle and 80 psi at 2000 rpm. High pressure pumps are more suited for high performance applications.
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