WINDAGE TRAY WINDOWS Many OE and even some aftermarket windage trays do not do a good job of draining the oil in the tray back to the sump of the pan fast enough. The two worst that come to my mind are BB Chrysler and FE Ford. The oil really pools up on this style and...

OIL PUMP INTO OIL PRIMER I was looking at purchasing an oil reservoir tank type oil system primer but thought there might be another way. I had just rebuilt an early SB Ford and still had the old school aluminum oil pump. It was very easy to cut off the mounting neck....

SET IT AND FORGET IT Inexpensive set screw sets are very handy to have around the shop. They work great as oil restrictors. They can also be used as oil galley plugs in small import and late model cylinder heads if you need to remove steel oil galley balls for...

GM LS OIL PRESSURE PROBLEMS We had rebuilt a customer’s 5.3L GM engine but they were still complaining of low oil pressure at idle. We sent them a new oil pump, but it still was low, about 17lbs at idle. We learned that there was a second oil pressure relief valve in...

COLD WEATHER COOLANT TIPS With wintertime temperatures approaching, now is the time to ensure that your diesel engine coolant/antifreeze is up to the task and staying in its liquid form. Everyone has a hydrometer or refractometer, and they’re easy to use. The question...

CK-4 Diesel Update Recently diesel engine oils changed from the decade old CJ-4 formulation to the new CK-4 formulation. While intended to be an upgrade, the new CK-4 formulation has been met with resistance and even an outright “do not use” warning from Ford Motor...