The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Oil Filter Lines on Back Order

Will it do any harm to just plug the holes temporarily on the block until my hoses get here. It's a 235 (56-57) vintage. The hoses have been on back order for a couple weeks and they (Classic and Carters both) cannot give me a date to when they will be available. I just want to get it running so I can get it tuned, debugged etc. Not to mention it would be nice to move it around under its own power. I will not be running it very much until I get them.

John

Why wait on one of the resto-ripoff outfits to get enough orders to commission a production run? (which is what they're doing) Any hydraulic shop can make up a set of those lines, using 1/8" NPT swivel fittings on at least one end. Since single braid hydraulic lines are designed to withstand running oil at 3000 PSI and temperatures far above anything stovebolt motor oil will ever get, you'll have a better set of lines with no frustrating wait!
Jerry

If you are attaching the filter canister to the intake manifold, you can run hard lines using 1/4" copper or nicopp tubing and standard compression fittings instead of using flexible hoses. The block and canister fittings are all 1/8" NPT. No risk of bursting or cracked hoses.

I already have them ordered from Classic. If I don't get them in a couple weeks I'll just cancel the order and have a hydraulic shop make them for me. But for now I will just plug the holes with pipe plugs. I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn't do any harm to the engine.

Thanks for the info.

John

Instead of plugging the holes in the block, one of the old lines was in good enough shape to connect the two oil ports together. Now the oil will flow as it is supposed to, it is just not being filtered. I just changed the oil, so at least I'm not circulating dirty oil. Temporary solution at best, but at least now I can move the truck around under it's own power until I get the new lines that are on back order or just make new ones.

Thanks for all of the ideas.

John

There is no problem with running a line, but it affects nothing, really. Actually, no oil filter was "normal".

"Instead of plugging the holes in the block, one of the old lines was in good enough shape to connect the two oil ports together." Sounds like a bad plan to me. You are missing the resistance of the bypass filter. That would result in little or no oil pressure.

A bypass filter for one of these engines needs to have a 1/16" diameter restriction somewhere in the plumbing or else you could starve the bearings of oil. The AC units had it about 2/3 of the way up the tube inside the filter canister. Spin-on's can be plumbed in, but a 1/16" orifice needs to be added somewhere in the lines. If you search this website, you will find ideas of how to do that.

Based on that, I would not connect the two ports with an unrestricted line. Plug them instead, the way they came from the factory. Connecting them without a restriction could divert too much oil pressure out of the oil gallery and starve the bearings.

Matt

Connecting the two ports without a restrictor will starve the rest of the engine for oil- - - - -it's just getting pumped right back into the oil pan without doing any lubricating. Either install the correct filter, or plug the ports. A 261 set up for full flow filtering (and no filter) is the only one that needs a connector pipe, and that one needs to be a full half inch in diameter.
Jerry

Message received, many thanks for that one. I never would have thought, that would starve the engine.

As luck would have it, I have not been able to run the engine as I need a temp sending unit. I spent half a day yesterday trying to find one. Problem is an original will not fit as there is a reducer already screwed in the head that doesn't want to budge and I do not want to risk breaking it off. I have two other 235's for parts and they both have the same reducer screwed in but they do not have the sending units. I tried Napa, Advanced Auto, O'Reilly's and Auto Zone with no luck. So far searching online has not been helpful either. I did locate a 16MM sending unit that I can possibly make work by re-tapping the reducer. It almost want to go in as is, but I can feel that the threads are not right.

If any of you guys are in KC for the re-union in a couple weeks, I would like to buy you a cold beverage or two.

Thanks again

John

There's a sneaky trick for loosening up a stubborn fitting- - - - -heat it up with a Propane torch, just as hot as you can get it, and apply a candle or a piece of paraffin sealing wax to the threads. With something as big as that cylinder head wicking the heat away there's zero chance of getting anything too hot. Once the candle wax penetrates down the thread, the fitting should back out.
Jerry

I ordered these lines from classic last week as well. My order showed up and everything but the lines was there which was frustrating because that is the main part I needed. I canceled my order after a reply to my email. They gave me a long reply but gave me no indication as to when I may see my order.

Anyway last night I ordered some braided stainless lines that will work with oil up to 1500 PSI on Amazon. It says they work with fuel, oil, brake fluid, more or less anything. Something it didn't say and I didn't consider until now is if it works with hot fluids. Anyone ever hear of a line that only works with cool fluids? I doubt one exists but I'm sure its possible.

The lines I ordered are AN3 but I also bought fittings that adapt that to 1/8NPT. Anyone see a problem with this? I am sure I can plumb it in and get the oil flowing. I have a feeling those oil lines will be bigger than original lines. Where is the 1/16" restrictor orifice located? Other than the lines everything I have is stock. As long as the lines are not the restrictor that keeps some oil flowing through the engine I think I will have a good fix.

Thanks

The restrictor orfice is in the standpipe that supports the filter cartridge, about halfway up from the bottom of the canister. If you plumb the line from the oil pressure port to the side of the canister, that makes the outside of the cartridge the "dirty" side, and filtered oil finds its way through the orfice, out the bottom port, and back to the oil pan through the port near the oil pan rail. The filter will flow and function in either direction, but the above plumbing is the recommended way to do it. I've seen those braided stainless lines used on military aircraft hydraulic systems at higher temps and pressures than the oil filter will ever see. They should last about 3 days past forever in your application.
Jerry

Earlier today I was reading a thread about changing the oil filter over to a spin on on a Chevy 235. Someone shared a link for a filter mount that I thought was made specifically for the 235 with a restrictor. They even made a comment about it was hard to locate on the sellers website. The seller was a smaller company and the filter mount was around $73. Anyone know the seller or filter mount I am talking about? I wanted to look at it again but I have spent the last hour looking and I cannot find it again.

[quote=tclederman]Jim Carter filter head[/quote

Thats it great thank you. Who ever said it was hard to find wasn't kidding. I even searched Jim Carter and didn't see it.

I've seen people attach those types of things directly to the block. Doesn't AmSoil make a bypass setup like that?

I had a remote filter mount on my 235 but I took it off and have not run a filter for 8 years. The reason I took it of was the gauge read zero pressure and they could not figure why. I would like to figure out why. I think I got mine from Jegs. Does it take a special filter, maybe with a bypass or maybe no bypass? I went back and read the full post and also had issues with temp gauge it runs 20 degrees high so I bought a radiator cap with a thermometer in it to check from time to time.

A remote filter used in a bypass application needs a restrictor somewhere in the circuit or the oil will just recycle itself tight back into the oil pan. I use a Holley carburetor main jet as a restrictor, tapped into one of the reducer fittings, as I have a few dozen of them left over from my round track racing days.

It's also a good idea to find an industrial type spin-on filter intended for hydraulic fluid, as it does a much better job of actually removing small diameter dirt particles than the relatively open-pore filter media used in filters intended for full flow filtration on gasoline engines. Baldwin has a good selection of very close-weave spin on filters for hydraulic fluid systems.
Jerry