3.0 tuning, and oiling questions,,,,i did a search, please help

[LLADNAR]

Well my first question is what is the deal with putting on the 2.5 heads on my 3.0, i have read a ton and heard the pros and cons, but fact of the matter is the 3.0 heads i have are basically junk so hypothetically i went to buy the 3.0 heads and there are none left on the planet. now that is out of the way. what do i have to do to make these work, what are the ports that i keep reading that need plugged off, and why do they need plugged, and does anyone have pictures of the process or maybe befores and afters.

Also in the old forums i read the sticky about MAF tuning, and injector sizing and i have heard a few different, and conflicting things about this. now does this all apply for all CSVT's or just returnless cars,, i have a very early 98 and it has a returning system. so why after my 3.0 is complete can't i just get an aftermarket regulator and turn up the fuel pressure a bit to fix any leaning out issues, or if i went with the bigger 3.0s couldn't i just lower the pressure a bit.

thanks in advance for any help

[Pope]

if you put 2.5 heads on a 3.0 you end up with a 11.2:1 CR, so 93 octance or better becomes even more mandatory than in an SVT motor.

The oil passages that need to be filled, are two drain holes on the back of the motor (that means transmission side) and one oil supply hole on the right front of the motor (belt side). These holes need to be blocked because the cooresponding holes are absent from the 2.5 heads. If you get a set of 2.5 heads and set them on a 3.0 block, you will be able to tell which drain holes need to be filled, because the heads do not completely cover the holes. I do not have pictures, but they are available someplace on the old forums.

Tuning is a good idea anytime a major change is made to the air flow demands of a engine in order to keep everything in check and safe. You may be able to simply put on an adjustable reg, turn up the base pressure and keep fuel supply adequate, but with increased compression, and the change in displacement, spark timing may not be optimized and you may still run into runtime problems without having the ECM tuned. That being said, I know that more than one individual has put a 2.5/3.0 hybrid motor setup together and run it on the factory tune, but it is not the "best" way to go.

[LLADNAR]

well those are the ports that i thought everybody was talking about,,now i have another question,,, if those are covered where the hell does the 2.5 heads get oil from. by the looks of the block those are the only oil sources to feed anything up top, everything else looks like drainbacks and coolant passages.

and i was just curious about the regulator thing, does anybody know if diablo sport makes something like the xcalibrator. i ask because i work at a Ford dealership and we are a diablo sport dealer.

[warmonger]

There is an oil feed port under pressure on each head. It is sealed with teh head gasket and requires no modifications on 98-99 motors. On 2000+ motors there is a 3rd oil feed port under pressure inside the timing cover that needs to be plugged off. Pretty easy fix.

There are either two or three oil return passages that are gravity feed and not under pressure.
The 2.5L engines have two oil feed returns and the 3L engines all have three.

If you slap the 2.5L heads on the 3L block, it will cover two of the three oil return passages on each side. THe third return passage will need to be covered or plugged. The only reason they need covered is to keep out dirt and prevent air from coming in through the holes so the engine metered air is correct through the maf.

[LLADNAR]

ok i think i get it now,,i saw the 3 oil feeds and thought that is what everybody was talking about which is what confused me. so it is actually one of the oddly shaped oil drains that need plugged on each side of the motor,,,i have heard of using JB weld or something like that,,,aside from that has anyone done more of a permanent fix,,,,and i know the properties of jb weld so don't argue that it is permanent solution i am not a fan of marvel mystery oil for the same kinds of reasons

[warmonger]

ok i think i get it now,,i saw the 3 oil feeds and thought that is what everybody was talking about which is what confused me. so it is actually one of the oddly shaped oil drains that need plugged on each side of the motor,,,i have heard of using JB weld or something like that,,,aside from that has anyone done more of a permanent fix,,,,and i know the properties of jb weld so don't argue that it is permanent solution i am not a fan of marvel mystery oil for the same kinds of reasons

Sorry, but it IS a permanent solution if you do it right. Permanent in that it will last as long as the average motor.

I've done both metal covers that glue into place and the JB weld. I used bit of wire mesh stuffed into the drain, use the JB qwik, to fill it, put tape over it and then turn it upside down. THe weld cures pushing against the tape and is bound up in the wire so no issues of breaking off into the block.

I personally perfer the cover out of a cut piece of sheet metal glued in place with RTV black.
You take your tin snips, cut out the small shape you need. Test fit with the old gasket in place and the head laying on there to see what it can grip too. Then when you clean everything and place the new gasket, you use the RTV Ultrablack to glue the little piece of sheetmetal on.

Additional oil drains made of tubing pressed into a hole tapped at the back of your cylinder heads can be fed into the these existing drain holes too.

Of course you have to be sure but you can buy steel tubing or other types, drill a hole the diameter of the tubing into the bottom corner of the head and tap it into the head. Seal it with a bit of sealant as you press it in. The tubing is then long enough to fit down into the drain then seal with RTV around the tube after the head is in place.