Skip Navigation Links.
 |  This may be a real stupid one...here goes -- ponyboy, 07/11/2003
What did ford do differently from the 352 motor and the 390? Ive beed told by some, that my big block (now in a mustang), is a 352, others think its a 390. and I don't know.
Thanks guys. |
 | 390 Truck vs. 390GT -- Packman, 07/10/2003
What specifically are the differences between the 72 390 truck engines as compared to the 66 Fairlane 390GT engine besides the 4 barrell carb and intake?
I have a 390 Truck and want to make it perform more like the 390 GT I remember in my old fairlane. What do I need to do to my truck engine? Any help is appreciated. |
 | nopower/overheating problem -- Potter, 07/10/2003
I have a 71 f100 4x4.It has a 360 Fe engine /np435 manual transmission/3.50 gear ratio/33” tires. When I climb steep hills it has a problem.Recently I pulled my 16' camp trailer up a grade and I have to take that hill in 2nd and third gear.Some places I was doing 20 mph. It had no power I had my foot in it most of the way and could not get any faster than 35 mph.Then the engine overheated and the transmission got extemely hot and began to leak. I did a test and climbed the same grade with just the truck and could only do 55mph with my foot in it.What could cause this problem?? Could it be my clutch is slipping and needs adjustment, or maybe my engine is just wiped out or possibly the gear ratio?? I have been told that the gear ratio is fine. Can anyone help me here??
|
| 428 CJ Start Problem -- Tim, 07/10/2003
OK... 69 428 CJ.. When engine is hot,it cranks over super slow as if batt. is weak.. Batt,alt,timimg all ok...This is a Mach 1 with stock exhaust manifolds.. Should there be a heat shield between the starter and the manifold?..or do I need a new starter or ??... .............. Thanks!! |
| | What kind of battery? N/M -- Royce Peterson, 07/10/2003
|
|  | There are two solutions. -- Dave Shoe, 07/10/2003
I've found that rebuilt starters just don't have the torque to crank a performance FE when it's hot. A new ministarter will allow cranking when hot. I prefer the three bolt ministarters specifically designed with the FE in mind, but many places will sell a 2-bolt starter in an FE appkication, since they are the common 302/460 type of starter and they work fine.
An alternative which will let the stock starter crank when hot is to install an ignition amplifier which has a circuit which retards the ignition timing while the starter is activated. MSD and others offer this feature on higher-end modules.
Historically I've always used my double pumper Holley to intentionally flood the motor when hot so it'd crank easy and spin up to speed, whereupon it's start everytime. This always worked, but was a mediocre solution, and the rebuilt starters never lasted more than a year or two.
I run heavy gauge battery cables and a high capacity battery (lots of lead), so current availability was not the problem.
Shoe. |
| Timinig chain cover -- Mike, 07/10/2003
I read an earlier post about the correct location for the timing chain cover bolts. Please give more detail as I am installing mine this weekend and do not have a reference to go by. thanks for the help |
| | It's fairly self explanatory, except... -- Dave Shoe, 07/10/2003
...for the four oil pan bolts which come up from the undeside.
It also depends on which year engine, as bolt lengths varied.
The front eight bolts are pretty self explanatory - just make sure the bolts thread into the block at least maybe six turns, but are not so long that they bottom in the block and bust through the cast iron.
The two outside oil pan bolts on the underside must not be the long style or they will smack into the lower front side bolts. That's really the only caution. Don't run the threads so deep they hit obstructions.
Shoe. |
| | | Also... -- Allen, 07/10/2003
The only other words of caution I have heard are to make sure that the cranksnout is centered in the hole of the timing cover correctly, or the seal will wear prematurely and you will get a leak (I've never had this problem, but other people have). Also, if you replaced your timing chain, be absolutely sure that you did not install the original spacer in front of the cam gear if your new gear had the spacer cast on the gear. The guy who owned my 67 Galaxie before me did this, and it pushed the camshaft back about .5 inch...enough to cause the lifters to take large chunks out of the lobes next to them. This may not be a problem if your timing gears have already been changed since original. |
| | | | RE: Also... -- Steve Gray, 07/10/2003
I just read your cautionabout installing the original cam spacer with new cam and gears.I just finished my 390 and i installed the spacer with new cam and true roller timing set. My motor is still on the engine stand. Is there any easy way to tell if I HAVE MESSED UP? |
| | | |  | Take a look inside the fuel pump hole. -- Dave Shoe, 07/10/2003
If you look inside the fuel pump hole and notice the chain is not parallel with the front of the block, but instead stands out about .050" more on top, the spacer washer that is sometimes sandwiched between the cam and cam gear was not needed because the manufacturer of the timing gear had it machined onto the back of the cam gear.
In case you're wondering what the spacer washer looks like, it has a cutout in it to clear the dowel pin, so the spacer is a "C" shaped washer, not a full circle.
Shoe. |
| Performance from a 390 -- Andy Mullins, 07/09/2003
Im wanting to get more performance out of the 390 in my 64 Galaxie 2dr. Ive have a holley 4bl and a c-3 tranny with stock rearend, do these things have any pickup off the start? or are they just to dang heavy to move? |
| Intake torquing -- Gord, 07/09/2003
I just replaced the gaskets on the Intake manifold to fix a water seepage problem and had a buddy helicoil a rotten thread in the head. Question is, should I retorque the manifold after a couple of heat and cool down periods or leave it alone?
TIA |
| | RE: Intake torquing -- James, 07/10/2003
Wouldn't hurt. Those Fel-Pro gaskets are so soft you will be retorqueing them all the time though and noticing an oil consumption problem. That was my experience anyway. |
| | Not usually. -- Gerry Proctor, 07/10/2003
If the intake gaskets do go bad, retorquing isn't going to make the situation better. If the intake installation was fine and fixed your leak and you have no new leaks, you can re-check the torque once the engine has cooled but you'll probably find no difference. |
| installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Chad, 07/08/2003
in my 76 f-150, which has a 360. I want to install a different cam (a comp xe256h). my questioned was. I should be able to install this cam with the engine in the truck right? If you can, what are the tricks so I don't screw anything up. next.
Also I have a 428PI intake. There is a big difference in the intake size. if i were to gasket match the heads to the intake .should I leave the head side a bit smaller?
thanks for any info. |
| | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Barry B, 07/09/2003
Don't try to match those heads to that intake, just run it as it is. The big mismatch is on the floor of the port, the heads have a raised floor. If you try to lower the floor, you'll hit water right away. If you must grind, just do the top and sides but I don't think it will buy you much. You might want to dry-fit the manifold without gaskets first to see if it has been cut and how big the gaps are.
|
| | | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Chad, 07/09/2003
thanks for the heads up. are there any tricks on installing a cam in my truck, or just go for it. |
| | | | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Gerry Proctor, 07/10/2003
No real tricks. You may have to remove some obstructions like the grill or support but those things become very evident at you start working on it. Be very careful in removing the old cam and installing the new cam. Go slow as you pull the old cam to ensure that you don't nick the cam bearings with the lobes and that the cam is coming out and going in perfectly straight. Use a new timing chain assembly and pay attention to which bolts went where in the timing cover. They are not all the same. Put some cam assembly lube on the distributor drive gear so that you don't gall the cam gear as the two gears get friendly with one another. Follow the cam break-in instructions to the letter. It's usually a good idea to do the break-in outside so that you can run cool water from a hose over the radiator core to keep the engine from overheating and to top the radiator up as the coolant circulates.
Doing a cam is not all that difficult and will usually be trouble-free as long as you go slowly and methodically and don't force anything if it doesn't seem right. |
| | | | | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Barry B, 07/10/2003
Hi, Gerry's got you covered. I checked my truck this morning and looks like the radiator has to come out and maybe the grille too, maybe not, it's close. Be sure you lube up the cam real good. Turn the damper to the XX mark (45* past TDC) before you tighten down the rocker shaft bolts. Tighten them a little at a time so not to tweak the shafts. The bolt for the oil hole is different, don't mix them up. After it's broken in change the oil. Good luck!
|
| | | | | | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Allen, 07/10/2003
And if the engine doesn't start up right away, don't keep cranking, or you'll wipe the lube off. This shouldn't be a problem if the only changes you made are the cam though, but jsut a heads up. |
| | | | | | | RE: installing a camshaft, and etc. -- Chad, 07/10/2003
thanks for the responses. This will be my first cam change, just trying to make sure I understand most of everything. |
| 67 galaxie 390 -- jeff jones, 07/08/2003
have a 67 gal.500 2dr. w/390 motor 2v.(mx trans.) with 67,500 orig. miles. oil pressure is 35 p.s.i. at 2000 r.p.m. seems low. after engine is hot ,oil pressure at 20-30 at 65 m.p.h. i have a quiet motor ,no lifter noise. compession at 145 except #7 at 130-135. uses very little oil,but leaks at rear seal. should i replace oil pump or just run it till i do upgrades or over haul? i use 10w30 oil, should i go heavier for the summer? |
| | RE: 67 galaxie 390 -- Travis Miller, 07/10/2003
A high volume oil pump will make up for the wear in the bearings. While this is not like an overhaul, it is more than a just a band-aid fix. Replace the rear main seal at the same time. 10W30 should be okay. Then settle back and enjoy the car for a few more years before it is time for the major overhaul. |
| | RE: 67 galaxie 390 -- Allen, 07/10/2003
I have virtually the same car and am going through an engine rebuild right now. Do you restrict oil to the heads? I am new to the FE motor, so you probably know more about it than me, but from my research, I have heard that the oil inlet hole to the heads is bigger than the outlet, so the heads fill up with oil. The solution is to put a holley jet (I've heard .090-.060 in size...I will be using .090) under the two rockershaft bolts which feed oil to the heads. I haven't done this yet, so I can't say how it works. The reason I am telling you this is because if your heads are not restricted, this will probably lower oil pressure. Also, the other thing you may check is that since your #7 cylinder is the one with low compression, make sure the #8 and #7 wires are not running parallel to each other. The are sequential in firing order and often induce spark in each other. Good luck and enjoy. Oh, and just to let you know, before I tore my motor apart, I was idling at about 5psi when hot, so your not that bad yet. |
| | | Lets get something straight -- Travis Miller, 07/10/2003
Restricting oil flow to the rocker shafts is a good idea. However it is not a cure for low oil pressure. By the way, the oil returns are much larger than the oil inlet passages to the heads. The heads do not "fill up with oil."
|
| | | | RE: Lets get something straight -- jeff jones, 07/10/2003
thanks , for restricting oil to heads, .060 is the ideal size.according to a old ford mechanic. i would only use a standard oil pump unless i went with a 7 qt. oil pan. at idle ,525 r.p.m. when hot 15-20 lbs. max.oil pressure,no noise from engine yet. to get the oil pan off on my 67 gal. w/390 i have to raise eng. according to shop manual. so far that has prevented me from pulling it. i just put a set of gauges on car (sun-pro) electric. i had a shop check out oil pressure and 35 p.s.i. at 2000 r.p.m.s. so gauge is accurate. does anyone know with of rim on my car 15" 6 or 6-1/2"? |
| | | | | wheels -- Jim, 07/10/2003
My '67 XL 390/4-speed has factory disc brakes and 5.5" wheel. I believe the station wagon and police cars were 6". |
| 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- Bo Fabre, 07/08/2003
Just fired up fresh rebuild on a 63 model 406 engine and and found oil pressure to be low, approx 20-25 cold idle, as low as 10-15 hot. Never saw pressure above 45 psi at any speed hot or cold. This is with high volume pump, 8 quart pan and fresh everything, crank turned 10-10, new bearings etc,etc. All clearences were checked and within specs.This block is equipped with the pressure releif valve at rear of main oil galley. Has anyone experienced problems with this valve causing low pressure? Used original spring that was with valve, could this spring be weak causing valve to releive early? Any thoughts or comments on what could be causing low pressure? |
| | RE: 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- Al Phillips, 07/08/2003
Did you test the spring pressure before re-installing it? How much is a new one or are they still available? OJW-old junk works---sometimes. JMO, what ever the problem is, go back to the relief valve & invest the time. |
| | | RE: 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- John Saxon, 07/08/2003
A guy gave me a call a few years ago asking about the same problem with a freshly rebuilt 427 topoiler after having him describe how he installed the relief valve plunger and spring and consulting some ford drawings we decided he must have installed them incorrectly,he had to drop his tranny and pull his flywheel to get to them but found that they were indeed installed incorrectly and proceeded to reassemble it the right way and presto he had 75lbs of oil pressure.I will try to dig up the drawings of the back of the block and how the relief plunger and spring are installed and try to get access to a scanner to post them,hopefully Shoe will read this and he may be able to post it quicker,I don't even know where to look for a scanner to use.This guy had exactly the same problem though,new 427 with 7-10 pounds of oil pressure at idle. |
| | | | RE: 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- John Saxon, 07/08/2003
P.S. Don't rely on this until some drawings confirm it but if I remember correctly the spring goes in first then the plunger goes in with the spool end to the spring and skinny end faces out against the galley plug. |
| | | | | RE: 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- Bo Fabre, 07/08/2003
John, It could be my problem, I watched my machinest drop the plunger in first with the long skinny part towards the rear of block, then the spring and then plug. The machinest is very good, but like most, deals with brand X and 302-351 types. Although he removed parts from block and should know how they came out, I know for a fact that he had never seen one before. I haven't been able to find any drawings on correct assembly so if you can at least verify assembly and post same I would be grateful. Thanks for the reply. |
| | | | | | RE: 406 Oil Pressure Relief valve -- John Saxon, 07/09/2003
Bo I found the pictures showing the installation.If you have access to a Ford muscle parts catalog it is on p.62,the same picture also shows up in How to rebuild your big block ford by steve christ on p.125 and in the ford performance book by pat ganahl on p.64 there is also a picture of a guy holding the plunger and spring in the correct order next to a block.It goes in like I thought it did,the spring first and then the plunger with the big end against the spring and the skinny end next to the galley plug. |
| | | | | | | Looks like the relief valve is installed wrong. -- Dave Shoe, 07/09/2003
I agree, the relief valve appears to be improperly installed.
The block relief valve in the 406 is supposed to regulate the engine's oil pressure, and the standard bypass valve in the oil pump is specially calibrated extra high to only permit bypassing at the pump when the oil is cold and thick.
Lotsa folk defeat the block pressure regulator by locking it in the shut-off position and then install an ordinary performance oil pump in the block, relocating engine oil pressure regulation to the standard location inside the pump. Either "stock" or "defeated" seems to work well if the oiling system is well planned out.
It sounds like you'll be pulling a flywheel soon. Be sure to take care that the reinstalled oil plug is properly sealed, as these suckers can leak at the darndest times if care is not taken.
Shoe.
 |
| | | | | | | | RE: Looks like the relief valve is installed wrong. -- John Saxon, 07/09/2003
There you go Bo I knew the Shoe could get the picture posted. |
| | | | | | | | | RE: Looks like the relief valve is installed wrong. -- Bo Fabre, 07/09/2003
John and Shoe, thanks for the info. Looks like I'll be pulling the 4 spd an clutch/flywheel this weekend, but it's sure better than having to pull the engine and tearing into it. Thanks again, Bo. |
| | | | | | | | RE: Looks like the relief valve is installed wrong. -- Bo Fabre, 07/09/2003
Shoe, looking at the picture you posted, I noticed the cam plug installed backwards as opposed to say block freeze plugs being the other way. My cam plug is installed the opposite way. Should I correct this when I pull the flywheel or does it really matter? I would think it can go either way as long as it doesn't contact the rear of the cam. |
| | | | | | | | | You gotta fix that. -- Dave Shoe, 07/09/2003
A backwards cam plug (as your is) can rub against the cam and generate debris which eventually finds it's way into the rear cam or main bearing. Many engines have failed from this.
The cam plug is tapered differently than coolant plugs, and it should only be installed facing out. You'll need to replace the plug with a new one. Again, they need to be carefully sealed. Slow leaks on the rear face of the block are a pain.
Shoe. |
|