Oiling Solutions

NV80CJ7

Hey guys, new to this form, but not new to Jeeps. I've owned my 1980 CJ7 for 15 years and recently decided to throw a 360 in it. I pulled one out of a 1982 Wagoneer and it's at the machine shop right now. My question is, which of the oiling mods will be necessary for a long engine life. I plan on buying the timing cover/oil filter adapter w/out the oil filter bypass. I see there are many other mods that I can do as well, but not sure if I need them for my intended use. The Jeep will be used as a daily driver and will hit the trails frequently. I won't be racing the thing or competing in mud bogs. It will most likely be used at a lower rpm easing my way up the Rubicon or endless other trails in the Sierras. Thanks for your input.

82Waggy

Deep sump pan and pickup tube is all that you need. Just say no to the valley bypass line.

AMX69PHATTY

How about some mods to help oil drain back to the pan ?
Deburr and chamfer valley holes.
Chamfer the 2 holes in the front.
Drill some 3/16 or so holes in the valley inbetween the lifters.
Slightly enlarge drainback holes in the heads ?
It doesn't help the heads drain back to the valley.
Restrictive BullTear Pushrods and Cam Bearings
help limit how much oil goes to the heads
but are mainly for high rpm as I understand.
What about welding up the small hole in top of the Pick-Up bell ?
What about the BullTear Oil Pump gears with the Pressure Reliefs in the bottoms ?
Agree with the extra capacity oil pan
since AMC's pump all the oil up top, drain back is dismal,
and the pan ends up getting pumped dry.

82Waggy

He is not turning high RPM and it is a daily driver (not a drag car) so I would not be as concerned about drainback as I would be about cooling the valvetrain. Be careful restricting oil to the top on a daily driver as it is necesssary to keep springs cool and rockers lubed. Increased oil capacity and a deep sump to keep oil around the pickup should cover his (most everybody's) needs. Restrictive cam bearings do not control oil to the top - they just hold oil back from the cam so that more is available elsewhere. This is the last place I would restrict oil to. I would also hesitate drilling additional holes in the block. There is plenty of windage lubing the cam. Deburring is never a bad idea. There are a lot worse engines for drainback than an AMC and they live just fine. Might consider gun drilling the oil pick up path that runs down the pan skirt to a slightly larger size, but I have seen much smaller in other engines. Oh, Be sure to run some EOS with your break in oil (Delo10w30 would be good for break in). Change the filter after the first 20 minutes of cam break in (Wix 51258). Use Mobil1 10w30 and another new filter after 100 miles.

AMX69PHATTY

82waggy, ok, I was asking too, more than telling, since mine is apart again and am wondering about the same things. :t:

NV80CJ7

Thanks guys!

82Waggy

Sorry AMX69, did not mean to come off argumentative. I've been following your cam saga too. Not sure what caused your problem other than maybe the new lifters on a used cam (I'm assuming you lubed everything up well at assembly). We use molly paste on lobes, lifter bottoms, and dizzy drive gears at the race engine shop I've been moonlighting at. Torco or Royal Purple assy lube on bearings, valve stems and tips, pushrod ends, etc. Then add a pint of EOS along with a load of Castrol GTX or Delo 10w30 for break in. Been lucky so far I'm told. As far as all the AMC oiling mods that have been thrown around, I'm not sold on a lot of them, but it depends on the application. If running over 4000rpm for extended periods, or even higher rpm drag racing, I might look at restricting flow to the top and improving drainback. For daily drivers, I think slowing flow over the valvetrain is a mistake - Increased pan capacity will take care of most potential problems, especially for off angle 4wheelin stuff. Just an FYI, Crower (as one example) makes a cam saver lifter that adds an oil port on the bottom for direct oiling of the lobes. I have nor experience with them myself but might be worth checking into.

AMX69PHATTY

It's cool. No offense. :t: My hands on experience is limited. Would like to get a job at an engine shop and change that. Been talkin' to a local shop about a job. Was gonna criuse the car over there and let'em drive it. But that "plan" got "wiped out" with the lobe :smile:

jeepsr4ever

82Waggy X2 :timeistickin: In addition if your plan changes and your RPM or horsepower requirements change then some other mods should be considered. :sa:

a440plus6

82Waggy wrote
Deep sump pan and pickup tube is all that you need.

Just say no to the valley bypass line.

Why No?
Jerry

JERSEYJOE

I know where 82waggy is comming from on this. The valley area oiling mod is, in my opinion, more of a high rpm mod to keep the pressure and volume at the rear mains. For a street / off orad vehicle nor seeing high rpm it's not needed. Can't hurt either but the real benefit can not be utilized. I like the high capacity oil pan and also an oil cooler. Also a Bull Tear front cover with the pump end wear plate is a great improvement over the stock aluminum junk. In all the AMC's I have taken apart, I have never seen one that did not that the oil pump cavity and or the end cover gouged up. This is a prime area to lose pressure, gear to wall clearance and gear end to cover clearance. When these open up due to gouging the pressure goes south in a hurry. Just my two cents.

82Waggy

a440plus6 wrote
82Waggy wrote
Deep sump pan and pickup tube is all that you need.

Just say no to the valley bypass line.

Why No?
Jerry

I don't think it does anything.

The so called lifter bypass is a line hooked to opposite ends of the passenger side lifter gallery. It can add nothing to flow since pressure is the same at both ends.

Consider that flow through the main bearings is governed by close tolerances. The lifter gallery that feeds the main bearing feed paths is already large enough to out flow them.

The way to increase flow through the main bearings is to either increase their clearances or increase system pressure. Simply increasing the volume of the paths ahead of the bearings by adding the bypass line will do nothing for flow through the bearings.

Some think that if the bearings become worn (increased clearances) that the bypass line can help flow the additional oil needed, but pressure will have dropped system wide, including through the bypass line - time to replace bearings.

IMO the bypass line is some shade tree mechanics idea of a fix to a problem he did not understand. What is needed is a properly functioning oil pump and a well maintained engine.

a440plus6

Thanks for the explanation, very plausible. I'm not used to the "small" quirks of AMC engines yet and I think you have clarified that one for me....... :sa: Thanks Jerry