430 will not start when hot

[papawayne]

I concur with Nick. But keep in mind that not all that appear to be oil passages really are. I think I remember that the heads are interchangeable left to right, so what may appear to be a clogged passage may not be a passage at all I am old now and may not remember this correctly. Also replace your valve seals while you are in there. Wayne

[TonyC]

I too agree with Nick and Wayne. Yes, the MELs had the same upper-lube issues as the FEs, and for the same reason. The oil pumps originally installed were barely adequate to get just enough oil up into the valvetrain when they were brand-new. As they age and wear out, that adequacy diminishes. First, check how the oil flow is to the heads by removing the valve covers and running the engine (for a SHORT time, of course); if you see no oil flow at all or very little, you'll need to do deep-clean surgery to your oiling system. Remove, disassemble, and clear out the rocker shafts. Do an engine flush, with the flushing compound you'll find in parts stores (but read carefully on how to do it, as some have caused engine failures by doing it wrong); that should at least significantly clear up some of the bigger clogs, though not all of them. Then, get a new, high-volume oil pump. It appears that you will have to go through that headache of an operation anyway, so do it right the first time. And DON'T forget to get the two gaskets you will need for that job, one for the pump to the block and one for the pick-up tube to the pump. While you're doing that operation, check for cracks in the pump and pick-up tube, as Fraser mentioned.

Some can plausibly argue that the identical and reversible heads of the FE/MEL engines were a design flaw. It can be but not completely, as it can be overcome without reinventing the whole engine; that is the advantage of a high-volume oil pump. It will push a lot more oil through the engine, but at the same pressure as a regular pump. It's like sipping two glasses of Coke, one with a very thin straw, one with a much fatter straw. You'll apply the same suction, but the glass with the fatter straw will draw more drink into your mouth.

---Tony

[dfernandez290]

Thank you all, I will work with my car club guys on addressing these issues and report back soon. Thx again.

Daniel