Plugging oil bypass.

[DefEddie]

Anybody done it on a 2.8/3.1/3.4 engine?
Just want to verify there isn't something goofy with these engine's that will cause ill effects.

[robertisaar]

you mean the bypass that prevents massive amounts of pressure from blowing the oil filter up?

yeah, i wouldn't do that if i were you.

[geoffinbc]

LOL. You can plug the FILTER bypass in the side of the block to ensure 100% filtering. BUT do NOT use heavy weight oil in cold climates and DO NOT neglect your filter. If it becomes clogged you will loose oil flow into the engine. Also cheep filters are not your friend. By plugging the bypass your not going to have some outrageous spike in pressure. The relief spring in the pump is still going to be your system limit.

It would be wise to ensure your pressure gauge is measuring pressure AFTER the filter and not between the filter and the pump.

[robertisaar]

i may have mistaken the relief spring for the filter bypass...

[geoffinbc]

Yea if you did plug that either the distributor gear would strip or the oil pump shaft would break on a cold morning startup or a high RPM run.

[pocket-rocket]

Yea if you did plug that either the distributor gear would strip or the oil pump shaft would break on a cold morning startup or a high RPM run.

Lol, I was thinking that, but then decided not to post thinking "nah, that wouldn't happen!"

[DefEddie]

Thanks betterthanyou.

Yes I was talking about the filter bypass,I would much rather see a loss of oil pressure and shut it down/repair then simply allow unfiltered oil through bearings. Been doing it successfully on track engines for awhile,though bigger cubes.

[geoffinbc]

Yea the same principal applies. The 60 degree V6 is very similar in its inner working to all Chevy pushrod motors.

[60dgrzbelow0]

Def... FWIW...

The bypass valve adjacent the oil filter manifold also is present to do more than prevent a total loss of oil pressure due to a clogged filter... it also prevents an overly enthusiastic oil pump at higher and higher RPMs from pushing so much oil under such enormously high fluid pressure (remember...liquids DO NOT EVER COMPRESS) that they can float your camshaft and crankshaft bearings right off of their seats and cause them to spin inside the block... so doing this intentionally might wind up doing more harm ...than good.

[geoffinbc]

Again the filter bypass has NOTHING to do with internal oil pressure. That is solely the job of the relief spring in the pump. Deleting and plugging the filter bypass is recommended for high performance street engines or endurance racing engines. Weather the bypass passage is open or closed will have no effect on system pressure. It simply diverts oil from flowing through the filter.

[DefEddie]

Yeah,what he said.

I'm a dealer tech,but this type of indepth engine knowledge I know to go for advice to someone I trust that is in the top of his class.
My machinist friend has been building winning NHRA drag engine and stocker engines for quite a while,it is at his request I asked if it would be any harm to this particular engine.
I don't know why he wants to do it,but he's convinced me long ago with the trash in the bearings-and i'm sure his reason's are more involved than that.
He doesn't do anything that doesn't have a good reason,for either power,friction loss or even to equalize coolant temps across banks.
He's showed me lots of little tricks that,as he mentioned it,"nobody knows cause among the people that know about it they assume everybody knows".
I'm sure he wouldn't do anything that would raise the oil pressure,pretty sure he's got a couple tricks to help alleviate some of the HP the oil pump steals (over 60hp loss on some engines i've heard).


Thanks for all the opinions.
Def