Which Oil Mod To Do?       [ Honda-v4.com update dec 25, '04 ]
by Dave Dodge

I have a few comments too. An oil mod is as good as its design and reputation. I have spent the better part of 22 years building performance V-4's, and my current oil mod designs, both drill/tap and adapter style are the best in my opinion. Both of my designs feed filtered oil to the heads, at 3 times the volume, and 2 times the pressure verses the stock set-up. My kits also increase the lower-end oil pressure by 3-5 psi instead of dropping pressure.

Also, in my opinion all other kits I have seen use feed lines that are too large in diameter and this is the main contributing factor to lower-end oil pressure drop. The line sizes chosen have to do with what is available off-the-shelf instead of what works the best. I use special made fittings and banjo ends that are sized and flow metered to acheive the proper and best results.

Fact: Any kit that uses any part of the stock oil line will eventually cause a cam failure. The stock metal line does not have a recessed groove in the banjo, and the stock triangle shanked bolt blocks oil flow unless you machine it round (aka the 15-minute mod). Kits that use a large #4 size hose can cause too much oil diversion from the mains and cause oil light flicker at idle, especially if the oil pump is worn and not pumping full strength. This is really a factor on the V45 engines which have 20% less pump volume than the V65.
If I am reading the importers notes correctly, a claim was made that the import model takes less time to install because it uses a different type of hose and delivery method? The only way to do the install faster is to use the head-end portion of the stock metal line. All I can say is at least he did not copy my design completely. We will see how good this crap is after 50 or so kits are installed and lower-ends start spitting out rod and main bearings. I have seen and/or tested every single style that has ever been made. My current design eliminates all other design flaws and difficiencies found in ALL other kits I have seen. Also note that the plans found on Art's site are of an old design and do not have provisions for the proper sealing of the clearance between the ID of the adapter ring and the OD of the center bolt. This area must be sealed to prevent unfiltered oil from entering the main galley, and the filtered oil from backflowing to the pan.

I am currently backordered on adapter style oil mod kits, and have spent the last 60+ days working with US machine shops to make the adapters. There are proprietary concerns as well as price and quality. This whole MD disappearing act left me in a lurch, and he owes me about $700.00 to boot. Mark was my distributor in Canada for brake hose kits and we were jointly producing the adapter style oil mod. Critical pieces of the kit were being made in Canada (for price) under his direction, so my supply ended when he disappeared. Live and learn, never again will I ever let something out of my control. I am working on this project, the relocation to AZ, and the completion of the remaining engine jobs that must be done before the move. And yes, the move has been delayed again.

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Dave Dodge - DRP
drp123@mindspring.com