Thread: Question about restricting oil to my rocker rails on fe390 using high volume oil pump

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Hello friends. I just wanted to make sure i'm doing this right as it frightens me a little to drop metal rods down holes in my engine. I was told that a good old school trick to lower the amount of oil getting into my rocker rails that seems to be a problem with the FE motors design was to take a push rod from a small block Chevy and cut off a 3/4 inch section at the end having a flat side and the round side at the other end. I was then instructed to remove the rocker rail on each head assembly, find the oil feed hole that is at an angle in the place next to the rail bolt hole that is thinner than the rest to allow oil flow, then drop the 3/4" rod piece inside the hole with the round part facing up. This will restrict the oil flying into my rocker/valve area and help to keep more oil down below. It will also help I'm told with my motor smoking problem and oil that keeps getting blown out my breather on the valve cover. The rods on a chevy have a hole in them which allow less oil to pass through. This is also why when my oil gets a little low the oil pressure gauge fluctuates. This info was taken from some good folks who apparently worked on many FE motors over the year. Since I don't have the head off when doing this I wanted to be sure the rod piece I drop in stops somewhere along the oil feed channel and doesn't go down in my engine somewhere causing major horror. I appreciate very much anyone's advise on this before I commit to THE DROP. I do have a high volume oil pump by the way as this car was raced in the past and has solid lifters, a race cam and is bored .060 over with a recent over haul. Many thanks in advance.

As long as there is enough oil getting to the top to cool the springs, I guess it should be OK. I have heard of stranger things through the years.

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Never heard of this one. Doubt I'd even consider trying it too!

Have you ever proven that you are actually getting to much oil to the top? If so.. How? Did you run the motor with the valve covers off?

Or are you assuming that because the motor "burns" some oil and leaks some oil on the valve cover that you're pumping to much? I vaguely remember you've been chasing this for awhile. Is that correct?

If you're convinced that you're pushing to much oil to the top, swap the 2 bolts (1 on each side) that are specially tapered/narrowed to allow the oil to the rocker shaft. Use a standard bolt, grade 8, with the same measurements but without the narrowed area, go for a quick ride and see if the problems persist. Don't keep these in there permanently, unless you pull the valve covers and ensure there is oil flow.

I wouldn't be comfortable dropping metal parts to float per se... that just "feels wrong"... HTH

Rather than restricting the oil flow I think I'd be looking at being sure that the drain back provisions to get the oil back down below are all optimized. It just seems more logical to me - hard to have too much oil flow for lubrication & cooling.

Thanks folks. I have already dismissed the idea and have the parts back in place. This motor's block had a lot of rust formed inside of it from sitting for many years outside pathetically covered up inside the engine compartment that had a hood with a hole in it for the scoop. Heads were in the leaky trunk. Even though the block was bathed twice while first being honed then bored we were still getting some rust specks out of the coolant passages once it was on the engine stand and being spun around. Maybe there is some slight blockage somewhere. I stuck a wire down in the end drain holes in the heads a bunch of times hoping that mabe there is a slight clog but I don't understand why the head bolts are running right down the center of each passage which probably makes the oil drain pretty slowly to begin with.

I would reconsider the oiling mod. Several of the well know engine builders recommend the oiling restriction to the rockers. Running a stock pump may not be a an issue, but with a HV pump that changes. Some go as far as drilling the block and tapping the oil feed hole for an allen screw with the desired feed hole. Easier is the rod with a hole drilled in it, Easier yet and another common practice are Holley jets with the desired hole size dropped in the head oil feed hole. I've seen recommended the oil hole size in the rods & jets from .060" to .110"

Jay Brown's Book: The GREAT FE INTAKE COMPARO shows he used .070" restrictors in all his Dyno Mules
Barry Rabotnick's Book: HOW TO BUILD MAX-PERFORMANCE FORD FE ENGINES has a section on the oil restriction mod.

If this is a performance engine, and your going to pulling from 6,000 to 7,000 rpm, a HV pump will pump a lot of oil into the heads without any restriction, starving the bottom end for oil, which is what happened to me loosing a rod bearing.