oil pick-up tube on a 390.

[johnnyreb]

tHINK FOR A MINUTE---You try an push a big pole into a small hole--it won,t go----SAME AS PUSHING TO MUCH LIQUID THROUGH A SMALL HOLE---IT WON,T GO.

 

[Jimbo26]

tHINK FOR A MINUTE---You try an push a big pole into a small hole--it won,t go----SAME AS PUSHING TO MUCH LIQUID THROUGH A SMALL HOLE---IT WON,T GO.

Ya gotta get her hot & bothered before ya stick it in- works great!

 

[johnnyreb]

Ya gotta get her hot & bothered before ya stick it in- works great!

Got that right Jimbo. I even took the pump apart and their is NO scaring or damage to the pump. I even talk to the tech guy--Dakota at mellings and he explained it all to me---and FROM WHAT i SEEN THAT DID HAPPEN.

 

[johnnyreb]

Now taking the oil pan (front sump) off. All I did was got a few pieces of wood and jacked the motor up buy the harmonica balancer and the pan came out the back. I had to do a little jiggleing because I have a single exhaust header pipe on it. I DID NOT HAVE TO UN-HOOK THE HEADER PIPE. Now I can,nt tell you about a 2 wheel drive pick-up . I,m working on a 78 Bronco

Then pan was brought out from the back of the motor--NOT FROM THE FRONT--AS YOU WOULD THINK. Unless if MAYBE YOU DROPPED THE DRAG LINK AND STEERING ROD OFF. I NEVER tried that.

 

[johnnyreb]

Something that just hit me, the 390 was an FE block as was the 360. The 360 was used in countless trucks in that era. Can you use a 360 rear sump pan and pick up? Just a thought. A front sum on a 4wd used as a 4wd can cause oil starvation on steep up hill climbs.

Yes it can--that is why they put the rear sump pan on the rear,but in 1977 Ford started putting them in the front and the quit making the FE MOTORS IN 1976 (THE 352 FAMILY--360--390--427 AND 428) Now some companys make the pan and pump--if you can find them. NOW say you have the pan off the truck and you had 5-6 quarts of oil in the front sump. Then you raised the front of the pan. I don,t think the motor would starve for any oil. I,ll try it before I put the pan back on and get back to you,. It might take a week before I can get back. I will get back.

 

[johnnyreb]

For what its worth, I just put in a GOOGLE search for " oil pickup tube for a ford bronco with a 390 engine in it" (I didn't specify the year, and I don't know if your oil pump and pan are original or aftermarket) ) and what showed up was a large number of photos of DIFFERENTLY configured LONG pickup tubes. Do you know for certain what yours is SUPPOSED to look like-to clear obstructions?

I suspect that the Bronco's model year (or the engine's model year if it was swapped into your truck from a different year Bronco) is going to be one of the biggest determining factors for the pipe configuration to work properly with OEM pumps and pans.

No Ford Bronco ,s came out with a 390. The early Bronco,s had 289 and 302,s. Later they had 351m,s 400m,s and 302,.

 

[johnnyreb]

yes it is the same SHAFT.

Also it can damage the gear on the distributor.

Something that just hit me, the 390 was an FE block as was the 360. The 360 was used in countless trucks in that era. Can you use a 360 rear sump pan and pick up? Just a thought. A front sum on a 4wd used as a 4wd can cause oil starvation on steep up hill climbs.

One way to find out. With the pan off and put 6 quarts of oil in it and tilt the FRONT SUMP PAN ---UP AND IT SHOULD SHOW HOW MUCH OIL WILL ACTUALLY GO BACK TO THE LOW SECTION OF THE PAN.

 

[johnnyreb]

Well kick me hard. I went out back to check a 390 motor to see what pan it has and IT HAS A REAR SUMP ON IT. So Monday I,ll be moving things out of the way. So I can switch the oil pans and pick up tubes on it. Last night I was thinking about both of my 78 Bronco and they sit up higher in the back. Do they all sit up high in the back or did they have stiffer springs put on them?

 

[goodO1boydws]

You can read all about the damage a HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP ---CAN CAUSE IN A ---NON

You can read all about the damage a HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP ---CAN CAUSE IN A ---NON MODIFIED OR NON RACING MOTOR---BUY MELLINGS. Now when the truck caught on fire. It had about 20,000 miles on it . It looked like a brand new motor and I had only drove it about a mile and sit idling while I was doing other work to it

Maybe so-I quess it would depends on what kind of engine its on and how much greater the flow rate actually is, plus the conditiion of the engine, average ambient temperatures, engine temperatures, weight of oil used, how clean the oil filter is, etc.

Do you have a link to that article you referenced? If so, I'd be interested in reading it.

Here's my own experience.
I had installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge and also a water temperature sender and a mechanical oil temp sender on the trans of a 1967 Ford 289 standard 2 bbl engine, with over 100,000 miles (back when that was a lot of miles). The engine oil pressure was low at idle and still a little low as the rpms came up. Being in the Rust Belt I didn't want to use a heavier oil than it was already on (10W40).

I looked around and found a MELLING high volume pump for the 289 that had something like a 25% higher flow rate and put that in. The pump rotor was taller than on the standard pump. (They had a higher PRESSURE pump available also-which I THINK had a standard height rotor BUT a stiffer pressure relief valve.)

Anyway, the oil pressure came up at idle and at higher rpms. I ran that engine for another 40,000 miles on 10W40 before I gave my sister the car. 2 years later the trans blew up-at 162,000 miles and I told her to junk it. I think it was 20 years old by then.

Its engine had been and continued to burn and leak oil (about 1,000 miles per quart if I recall correctly) but aside from routine maintenance, there didn't seem to be any change in the engine over about the 7 years and 60,000+ miles that the higher flow pump was in it. (Back then-non-synthetic oil was CHEAP!)

 

[johnnyreb]

yES IT IS A FE MOTOR. Yes the pans will interchange on a 352-360-390--427 and 428, Now some has the oil dip stick going straight into the oil pan. Some dip sticks goes into the motor block and some dip sticks are different too.

Now their is a difference between the 360--and 361---the heads are and a few other things

 

[johnnyreb]

Well kick me hard. I went out back to check a 390 motor to see what pan it has and IT HAS A REAR SUMP ON IT. So Monday I,ll be moving things out of the way. So I can switch the oil pans and pick up tubes on it. Last night I was thinking about both of my 78 Bronco and they sit up higher in the back. Do they all sit up high in the back or did they have stiffer springs put on them?

I also found out that the rear sump oil pan out back. Takes the DIP STICK IN THE SIDE OF THE OIL PAN ON THE DRIVER SIDE. I also found out the dip stick is missing. So tomorrow I will look and see if I can find one. . Buy the way. I remember my brother had a 76 Ford -4 wheel drive that had a 351 modified motor in it and it had 2 dipstick. One on each side of the motor. One would read a quart low and the other side would read a quart too much. Has anyone else see one like it?

 

[johnnyreb]

Maybe so-I quess it would depends on what kind of engine its on and how much greater the flow rate actually is, plus the conditiion of the engine, average ambient temperatures, engine temperatures, weight of oil used, how clean the oil filter is, etc.

Do you have a link to that article you referenced? If so, I'd be interested in reading it.

Here's my own experience.
I had installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge and also a water temperature sender and a mechanical oil temp sender on the trans of a 1967 Ford 289 standard 2 bbl engine, with over 100,000 miles (back when that was a lot of miles). The engine oil pressure was low at idle and still a little low as the rpms came up. Being in the Rust Belt I didn't want to use a heavier oil than it was already on (10W40).

I looked around and found a MELLING high volume pump for the 289 that had something like a 25% higher flow rate and put that in. The pump rotor was taller than on the standard pump. (They had a higher PRESSURE pump available also-which I THINK had a standard height rotor BUT a stiffer pressure relief valve.)

Anyway, the oil pressure came up at idle and at higher rpms. I ran that engine for another 40,000 miles on 10W40 before I gave my sister the car. 2 years later the trans blew up-at 162,000 miles and I told her to junk it. I think it was 20 years old by then.

Its engine had been and continued to burn and leak oil (about 1,000 miles per quart if I recall correctly) but aside from routine maintenance, there didn't seem to be any change in the engine over about the 7 years and 60,000+ miles that the higher flow pump was in it. (Back then-non-synthetic oil was CHEAP!)

It was under the Mellings company. Guess what. I have a rear sump pan out back . It,s still on the motor. I have to move some things to get it out. I ,m putting a standard oil pump back in it. I got it the other day. Wendsday when I go to town I,ll get some new oil and what I need. I,ve got a old 64 with a 292. I put 183,000 on it .

 

[johnnyreb]

Before I rebuilt it. You take care of them and you can get some good sevice out of them.It started with loosieing power on a hill and I put a new timing gears and chain on it. Then I started it up and it sounded like every rod was pounding in it. I tore it down and put new bearings--rings ---and when I was tightening the bolt in the camt---the end of the cam broke. So I got a longer bolt . Drove it through the cam.Tightened it downand drove it a good while until a friend gave me one out of a dump truck . Talk about climbing a hill with a load in high gear---it does. I,m working on getting it back on the road. It gets about 25 mpg