A little help or insight from the pros please!

The problem: I think the engine is oiling way too much to the top end. Anything above 3800-4000, it pukes oil out the passenger side breather....even though it is a closed type with a hose going into a catch can. The oil gets all over the place, and I can't race the car in this condition. The oil seems to be filling up inside the valve covers, and pushing out of the breather.

The combo: 557 cubic inch, 14:1 CR, solid roller cam with Lunati roller lifters. Paul Kane high volume oil pump, Milodon oil pan that holds 7 quarts, but I have 8.5 quarts in it.
The main and rod bearing clearances are on the tighter side of the specs. Mains are 'two thousandth's, nine hundredth's'
and the rods are 'two thousandth's, three hundredth's'....I use 10W/30 full synthetic Mobil 1.
Oil pressure is 25-30 at idle, and jumps to 60-65 at higher RPMs.

Now, I been reading online that Lunati roller lifters need a notch in the body to connect the oil hole with the "band" around the main body. I also read that they are specific as to their orientation regarding which way the tie bars are facing. Some people are reporting similar oiling conditions based on these above mentioned lifters and these tie bar orientations.
Are these brand of lifters really the cause of this?......what do you say?

We’re all of the drain backs radius’d to help return flow when the engine was built?

wickettoby1 wrote:We’re all of the drain backs radius’d to help return flow when the engine was built?

Yes Sir. I radius'ed the drain back holes and added one to the front of the block through the 'China wall' where it drains down the timing chain area. Also, the drainback holes on the heads and the block match up very well, and the head gasket does not overhang the holes.
I know a lot of people don't like high volume oil pumps, but I been running this pump for quite a few years on my last engine (before I scattered it all over track) and it's been flawless!

Crankcase pressure is going up the drain-backs toward the atmosphere not allowing the oil to drain. Use NO breathers in the valve covers and breath the crankcase through the valley somehow or fix the blow-by situation.

8.5 quarts in a 7 quart pan might be the issue

running the high volume pump,you have to check the lifters to make sure the tie bar/oil holes are towards the inside of block.also,if there is a grove on the lifter body to the oil hole,make sure it is very small,maybe ,005-.010 in depth/width at most.it will flood the top end just as you descibed,and as rpm increases like you say.
i would check lifters for sure first.

Had the same problem after I built my 552 Rich boss429 told me to get restricter push rods I called Smith Brothers and ordered a set. That fixed my problem putting to much oil up top.

ustahava67 wrote:8.5 quarts in a 7 quart pan might be the issue

Well, I had to do that, as 7 qts was just not enough!, it was sucking the pan dry.

thats definetly the lifters.your best bet is restrictors in the pushrods,as new lifters wont be cheap.make sure they are installed correctly.

So the small oiling hole in the lifter body is installed opposite of the oil galley in the lifter bore? With the tie bars towards the center of the engine?.....this will limit the oil going up through the pushrods? I had the installed with the tie bars closer to the cylinder banks, and the small oil hole lined up with the oil passage in the block.
The lifters are untouched. There is no scribe or groove between the oil hole and the 'open' part of the lifter body.
Should I flip them around and put the small groove in place?

Has the engine had this oiling issue since “birth”? The directions for the comp SR’s that i have in my 547 say to put the tie bars in towards the valley.

Yes, tie bars should be facing the center, not the cylinder bank. The hole in the body is "metered" by lifter to bore clearance, so as to not flood the top end. It should NOT be in line with the oil gallery. Take the lifters out, and install them properly (without a notch) and your oiling issues should be gone. The only time I've needed a notch on the lifter body it was as others have said, .005 deep is plenty, but I wouldn't do that first, only after running the engine to ascertain an actual need for one.

wickettoby1 wrote:Has the engine had this oiling issue since “birth”? The directions for the comp SR’s that i have in my 547 say to put the tie bars in towards the valley.

Be certain they are not small block lifters using a big block tie-bar.

BBFTorino wrote:So the small oiling hole in the lifter body is installed opposite of the oil galley in the lifter bore? With the tie bars towards the center of the engine?.....this will limit the oil going up through the pushrods? I had the installed with the tie bars closer to the cylinder banks, and the small oil hole lined up with the oil passage in the block.

^^^Yes, this is the reason for your excess top end oiling.  Flip the lifters to the correct orientation and the issue will dissapear.

BBFTorino wrote:The lifters are untouched. There is no scribe or groove between the oil hole and the 'open' part of the lifter body.
Should I flip them around and put the small groove in place?

Not yet.  First, evaluate top end lubrication one the orientation is corrected.  Also, about a thou is all you need. Any more than that and you will just recreate your excess top end oiling fiasco again.

well thats your problem!dont put any grove on the lifter body,the clearance in the lifter bore will be enough.let us know how that turns out.

I did'nt touch the lifters, just flipped `em around and going to put back together (waiting on intake gaskets). Thanks for the replies. I did'nt buy the lifters new, so I did'nt get any installation instructions. But it makes sense to put the oil hole opposite of the main feed passage!

You can prime it with the intake off if you want to check how it's oiling the top now.

BBFTorino wrote:I did'nt touch the lifters, just flipped `em around and going to put back together (waiting on intake gaskets). Thanks for the replies. I did'nt buy the lifters new, so I did'nt get any installation instructions. But it makes sense to put the oil hole opposite of the main feed passage!

Lifters installed 180 degrees out is definitely the problem. You are going to be fine after the proper orientation is established. The oil pressure will be higher as well but the lifters may need a scratch at the feed hole to the body opening if they are made by Morel. Ive been there with two sets of Morels that needed modifications. Now running BAM's and they are perfect out of the box.
Just check to see if Morel made those before you make adjustments on the oil feed hole. Kinda crazy when you can go from too much to not enough oil flow.

Dave De wrote:

BBFTorino wrote:I did'nt touch the lifters, just flipped `em around and going to put back together (waiting on intake gaskets). Thanks for the replies. I did'nt buy the lifters new, so I did'nt get any installation instructions. But it makes sense to put the oil hole opposite of the main feed passage!

Lifters installed 180 degrees out is definitely the problem. You are going to be fine after the proper orientation is established. The oil pressure will be higher as well but the lifters may need a scratch at the feed hole to the body opening if they are made by Morel. Ive been there with two sets of Morels that needed modifications. Now running BAM's and they are perfect out of the box.
Just check to see if Morel made those before you make adjustments on the oil feed hole. Kinda crazy when you can go from too much to not enough oil flow.

Does Morel make the Lunati Solid Roller BBF lifters?

Mark Miller wrote:

Dave De wrote:

BBFTorino wrote:I did'nt touch the lifters, just flipped `em around and going to put back together (waiting on intake gaskets). Thanks for the replies. I did'nt buy the lifters new, so I did'nt get any installation instructions. But it makes sense to put the oil hole opposite of the main feed passage!

Lifters installed 180 degrees out is definitely the problem. You are going to be fine after the proper orientation is established. The oil pressure will be higher as well but the lifters may need a scratch at the feed hole to the body opening if they are made by Morel. Ive been there with two sets of Morels that needed modifications. Now running BAM's and they are perfect out of the box.
Just check to see if Morel made those before you make adjustments on the oil feed hole. Kinda crazy when you can go from too much to not enough oil flow.

Does Morel make the Lunati Solid Roller BBF lifters?

Crane used to but, I don't know who does now days.

Morel brands are shown on the Morel site and yes Lunati is one of them. This doesnt mean that all of their name brand lifters are made by Morel. If you find some commonality with the part number between Morel and the name brand I would say that's a certain match. You can also contact companies like PBM and they will tell you if they are Morel. Straub tells you they are Morel.

https://morellifters.com/dealers

Anyone here that is looking for new lifters please consider BAM. You can purchase them thru people like Lem or most cam companies like Jones.

https://bamrollerlifters.business.site/

http://jonescams.com/

Howards mechanical roller lifters restrict the oil flow to the top best. I've been using them for 7 plus years with no issue and top end issues are gone. I even stopped using lifter bore bushings 3 years ago as they are not needed with them.

Well, flipped 'em around and put it back together....oil pressure went from 25 psi at idle, to 75 psi at idle!
I think I'm going to switch to a thinner oil and see what it gets.

Now that you dont have oil flying up top. Check that you've got oil going up top. I hope you do because if not those Morels will need to be modified.

Last year I worked on an engine I had built about 15 years ago and it has a set of crane lifters with the "scratch" from the oil hole to the band. Every other set I used including Lunnati, Morel, Bam all had to have the modification that the cranes had from the factory. This was on aftermarket blocks and old factory stuff even a couple of chebys.