Melling oil pumps are a waste of time and money.

[07navi]

People are always coming up with something and convincing everyone they need it, those cone shaped air filters by K & N are a good example. People buy stuff that actually screws up their vehicle it and lowers the resale value, and those VCT jammers are another example. Those aftermarket oil pumps are easy to drop in when you have the timing cover off the 5.4 and they know that. Oil pumps rarely go bad and the engine oil pressure is governed by the engine clearances anyway so why throw more pressure and volume at it? It's like washing your wheel with a fire hose...….overkill. Maybe for long distance high rpm racing with a tired engine or something like that but not needed in the 5.4.

 

[TobyU]

People are always coming up with something and convincing everyone they need it, those cone shaped air filters by K & N are a good example. People buy stuff that actually screws up their vehicle it and lowers the resale value, and those VCT jammers are another example. Those aftermarket oil pumps are easy to drop in when you have the timing cover off the 5.4 and they know that. Oil pumps rarely go bad and the engine oil pressure is governed by the engine clearances anyway so why throw more pressure and volume at it? It's like washing your wheel with a fire hose...….overkill. Maybe for long distance high rpm racing with a tired engine or something like that but not needed in the 5.4.

But is makes people feel better! ------

 

[07navi]

But is makes people feel better! ------

Lol, but I would feel worse, especially when I go to sell it and they say " too bad you put those fonky wheels on there"

 

[HawkX66]

Hmm... Good to know. I better tell the one I installed in my BBC and the one I installed in my sons Rustang GT a few years ago. There's nothing wrong with a Melling pump.
I think you're trying to argue that high volume oil pumps aren't necessary. Don't let me put words in your mouth though...

 

[JExpedition07]

I bought the oem Ford oil pump for my 5.4 3V timing job adventure. No issues with the original so sticking with the same one.

 

[07navi]

Hmm... Good to know. I better tell the one I installed in my BBC and the one I installed in my sons Rustang GT a few years ago. There's nothing wrong with a Melling pump.
I think you're trying to argue that high volume oil pumps aren't necessary. Don't let me put words in your mouth though...

Maybe for racing...…..maybe

 

[darmahsd]

You Tube's Ford Makuloco has some good points about changing to the Melling high volume pump. There are some inherent bad designs in the 5.4 3V that keep it from being a prefect motor. Cam chain tension relies on cheap
plastic actuators that use oil pressure to push the tensioner slides against the chains. The seals often blow
behind them, causing that clatter on startup which will eventually cause a chain reaction of problems. (Parden the pun). The Melling high volume pump has a cast backing plate as opposed to OEM sheetmetal which helps maintain top oil pressure. When you get the front cover off to fix the cam chain problems, replacing with this pump helps with upgrading the cam timing set. If you watch his videos, he almost always recommends OEM Motorcraft over aftermarket but makes an exception with this Melling pump. I doubt that he is getting a big bone from them for recommending their pump.

 

[07navi]

You Tube's Ford Makuloco has some good points about changing to the Melling high volume pump. There are some inherent bad designs in the 5.4 3V that keep it from being a prefect motor. Cam chain tension relies on cheap
plastic actuators that use oil pressure to push the tensioner slides against the chains. The seals often blow
behind them, causing that clatter on startup which will eventually cause a chain reaction of problems. (Parden the pun). The Melling high volume pump has a cast backing plate as opposed to OEM sheetmetal which helps maintain top oil pressure. When you get the front cover off to fix the cam chain problems, replacing with this pump helps with upgrading the cam timing set. If you watch his videos, he almost always recommends OEM Motorcraft over aftermarket but makes an exception with this Melling pump. I doubt that he is getting a big bone from them for recommending their pump.

I have seen all of his 5.4 videos at least 2 times each. I am skeptical about any aftermarket parts they always say you need. I doubt if there is anything wrong with the Ford pumps anyway. It's easy to drop a pump in when you have the timing cover off so you can imagine how much they make off those pumps and all they have to do is convince you that you need it. Metal guides would be too harsh and noisy so they go with plastic but plastic isn't automatically bad. All 4 of my guides were like new after 200,000 miles on mine and I didn't even bother to put the new ones in that I bought for it when I put the new tensioners in. The guides go bad from abuse like running low on oil and not changing it, etc. I agree they should have addressed the tensioner leaking problems long ago.

 

[JExpedition07]

The Melling pump is good. The OEM Ford 5.4 3V pump I purchased is good but has an aluminum backing plate which is the weak spot. I’m not worried, but it leaks more from the aluminum plate at high revs. See the back of mine and compare to Melling with cast backing plate:

 

[JExpedition07]

Then Melling:

 

[07navi]

Sorry I'm just not buying it (literally), maybe if you are racing or something...……..but even then I doubt it. I have seen this ploy too many times over the years, people will always jump at the chance to sell you something you don't need if it looks promising. Look at those guys on TV selling tar for leaks you can buy at the hardware store for half as much. (and people are buying it!)

 

[Blksmk]

Once I turbo I'll be getting the melling. The hx35 is oil fed

 

[07navi]

And then there is the guy from Pawn Stars pushing single edge razors and claiming they are better. I can buy a bag of those at the dollar store and they work long and well...…...no silver bullet there and he went down in flames. Not even a nice try Rick.

 

[mjp2]

This thread needs a new title.

 

[TobyU]

This thread needs a new title.

Not just the old men do it. I do it.

Some of us have an opinion on almost everything.
When it rains, I'm bitter as hell and rarely leave the house.... unless we're under a pandemic and they tell us not to go out then of course I run right out and roam the streets.
Bastards!

 

[max78]

I went with the Melling.

Theres just something about my oil pump bypassing a large amount of oil at 2200rpm that has me question if this was intentional, or "good enough"...

I work with a lot of engineers, and they are not the all knowing bunch everyone makes them out to be.

 

[JExpedition07]

I went with the Melling.

Theres just something about my oil pump bypassing a large amount of oil at 2200rpm that has me question if this was intentional, or "good enough"...

I work with a lot of engineers, and they are not the all knowing bunch everyone makes them out to be.

I’ve seen that video, it’s a bit over dramatized. The oil leaking out the backer plate is a pimple on a monkeys butt compared to the 50-60 pounds per square inch it’s pumping through the engine at 3,000-4,000 rpm where they were showed it leaking.

 

[TobyU]

I’ve seen that video, it’s a bit over dramatized. The oil leaking out the backer plate is a pimple on a monkeys butt compared to the 50-60 pounds per square inch it’s pumping through the engine at 3,000-4,000 rpm where they were showed it leaking.

Just like for all the years of building muscle car engines they always told you to put a high-volume oil pump. High-volume oil pump was part of every parts kit when you were rebuilding an engine. And then some of them only had high pressure pumps. Then after about 25 years of that you have some engine builders finally say that they would prefer not to put high volume pumps that are standard pump was just as good if not safer everybody had their opinions and all in all I don't think any engine was ever damaged or blew up because of the oil pump selection. More had the pickup to vibrate and fall off of the oil pump because it was pressed in like on a lot of them then anything else. They were out there chamferring oil holes on crankshaft and that probably did provide better lubrication but the oil pumps probably didn't matter. But it sounded good and they were cheap.

 

[07navi]

Right, and lets not forget oil pressure is determined by clearances and surely the stock pumps are engineered with more than adequate pressure/volume. What happens when you try to drink out of an upturned bucket of water ?...………….overkill.

 

[TobyU]

Right, and lets not forget oil pressure is determined by clearances and surely the stock pumps are engineered with more than adequate pressure/volume. What happens when you try to drink out of an upturned bucket of water ?...………….overkill.

That's what most of the old school Builders would say. The stock pump provided plenty more than enough.