Why is the 292 Y block motor getting a bad rap?

I was wondering why the 292 Y block motor is getting a bad rap?All i heard was the 272 Y block motor was bad not the 292?whats the deal with this ..is is bad or not?

 

I've heard that most of the Y-blocks had oiling problems. From memory, the sizes made were 239, 272, 292, and 312. Not sure what sizes or years are better.
I've seen old mods w/ external oil lines running up to the valve covers.

There might be some info on this site:
http://www.ford-y-block.com/

Malcolm

 

The 54 239 Y-Block was the bad one with the oiling problems. I'v never had any major trouble with the others.

 

tic tic tic tic tic tic

 

I thought a 292 and 272 were exactly the same except for the bore?
Here's a great yblock website http://m571.com/yblock/index.htm

 

Oh they all had the same problem oiling but only if you tried to go 100,000 between oil changes, change the oil regular and you'll never have a problem.
I ran the piss out of five 56 fords only had a problem with the first one. then I stepped up to a F-Series 57 Ford factory Supercharged 312. 4 speed, 4:57 locker that was a hard runnin' Y-block.

 

Ive never heard of probs with that specific displacement. Same basic motor as stated.

 

The Y blocks have good & bad points, like every other engine design ever made. The 272 & 292 are essentially the same engine other than bore size; a typical 272 rebuild involves boring to the 292 std. dimension, as 292 pistons are cheaper than 272s. The main problem noted with Y blocks is as mentioned, upper end (rockers/shaft) oiling.

This happens because the upper end is oiled by p***ages feeding from the center cam bearing. These p***ages go up to the deck surface and continue on through the head. Unfortunately, the two p***ages don't meet; they are connected by a slot in the head gasket about 1" long. Given the lack of much (or any) detergent in most '50s oils, this p***age, which is only about .016-.018 thick, sludges up quickly if the oil wasn't changed faithfully. At that point, the rockers wear, which is fairly common. Of course, at this stage, with 50 year old engines, things are worn anyway. New high-lift rockers and shafts are available, at fairly decent prices.

Later cylinder heads have a corresponding groove to enlarge the p***age. It is possible, with a little ingenuity, to open up the p***age, with a modified rocker stand, or steel plate, fitted with a grease fitting. You can pump grease through the p***age & clean it out. If necessary, the heads can always be pulled to clean it. On a new rebuild, with current oils, it should NEVER be an issue, unless the owner is a complete idiot.

In very rare cases, because of lack of oil changes, or other reasons, the center cam bearing may melt & block the p***age. Again, not only is this rare (most people have "heard of it" rather than actually seen it), but it shouldn't even be an issue on a new build.

There are a couple of minor issues with the 239 & 312 engines, specific to them, but nothing major.

All in all, they are as good as anything else when properly built, within their limits. Due to the cam location, around 350 c.i. is the max, & it's very expensive to get (billet crank). It's relatively easy to get somewhere around 317-331 c.i. An ordinary 292 can do quite well, with a stock crank & rods. The heads can be made to flow decently; cams, valve gear, intakes, headers, ignitions, etc. are all available....pretty cool.

 

i always had very good luck with 292 and 312 engines lots of torque and found them to be quite reliable// there was one tho that with hilborn injection,jet fuel and nitro ===it didn't hold up well at all BUT it was alot fun for the first half hour

 

good to hear ,i guess what it comes down to is "take care of your motor,and your motor will take care of you..regular maintenance..

 

Well, they're not exactly high revers.

 

I believe the 239 YBlock was the worst motor Ford put out. Those things were blowing up with less than 3,000 miles on them when they were new so I don't think oil changes were a big factor on that part. Those engines just ****ed from the factory.

 

y-blocks are good motors but the have bad points like any other motors if you didn,t change oil the return holes in heads would clog the sold a kit that pipe in the valve coversif it was real bad. the rear main seals were rope and a lot of them leaked bad remenber FORD MADE MOTORS AFTER THE Y-BLOCK BUT WHO GRIVES A ****!!!!

 

My 272 was a strong runner until it inexplicably tossed a rod and split the cam while cruising. Loads of torque for a small displacement motor. Also the Y blocks were one of the earlier engine to move to a nodular iron block for strengh (or so i've heard). My rope rear main seal used to leak like a ceive, seriously, like a quart and a half A DAY. I think neoprene rear main seals are available now. Though you can really make em into bad *** mother f'ers, it wouldn't be y first choice. They weigh a ton, internals are heavier then hell and most of em don't rev for ****. Your typical 348/409 chevy syndrome. They also cost a mint to build. By the time you score ECZ-G heads, proper rebuild kits, blue thunder intake, electronic ignition, headers...you can get 4000-5000 bucks into a Y block without batting an eye.

 

That was pretty much the same case with Pontiac OHC sixes. I've heard all sorts of stories about how "they were all junk", but I ran a few myself and had no problems. Basically, we were spoiled by engines like small block Chevies (before the ******* match starts, yes, there were others) that could be terribly abused and neglected and still continue to run. OHCs and Y blocks will usually behave if treated decently with good maintainance intervals. Since Ford came out with the FE series in '58, and demoted Y blocks to two barrel, base engine status, they came to be ***ociated with bread and ****er family cars. Whereas the small block Chevy obtained a following a****st the race crowd, the Y block just faded away.

 

The Y block is comparable in weight to a FE...the difference being that you can get 450 plus c.i. out of a FE.

Neoprene seals are available now for pretty much all Y blocks, thank God. So far as being expensive to build...no doubt about that, but what vintage engine (excluding the SBC) isn't? The prices of vintage Y parts are going through the roof on eBay this year, unfortunately. Supply vs. demand, I guess.

So far as not being high revvers....true for the most part, with the older intakes/teapot carbs, & weak stock valve springs. With the 9425-B intake & a mild cam/valve gear, mine's seen over 6000 a time or two I know of a couple of them routinely exceeding 7000, but it takes aftermarket rods....as would most engines, to be fair about it.

There were some early problems with the 239, mostly the Dearborn-built ones. The biggest issue, more than anything, is that it wasn't large enough. Bad planning.

The ECZ-G heads are more in demand for their small chambers than anything else. In totally stock form, even with the larger valves & ports, they flow only slightly more than the much more common ECZ-C heads, which can be found dirt cheap, and which are probably a better choice for a 272 or street 292. Actually I would say that the G heads are more in demand because "Some guy tole me that's whut to get for'um mah Y block" than because the buyer truly knows what they are good for. I know of a few 239/256/272 owners with G heads....total waste of $$$. But they had to have 'em.

Incidentally, DOVE Engineering is supposedly very near to releasing their aluminum Y heads, probably spring next year. No idea on pricing- I'm sure they won't be anywhere close to the price of a typical AL SBC or SBF head- but it's neat to think about.

 

So whats your opinion on the 113 heads?
I have a set that I haven't gotten around to putting on my 292 yet.
Fresh from the machine shop and everything!

 

All Ford engines in the early to late 50's had oiling problems. It was not just the Y-block 239 thru 312's. The early FE's and the MEL's had issues also, but all were easily resolved with persistence and a little elbo grease.....Love my Fords,,,esepcially the MEL's

 

Good heads, pretty much the same as the G port wise, same valve sizes...slightly larger chamber, about 3-4 ccs bigger IIRC...be a good choice for a heated-up 292. Found more on trucks originally, dunno why...to lower the compression, probably.

 

Eh eh eh eh.....................

 

thanks for the info guys..

 

I keep reading about this oil routing kit for the y blocks but can't seem to find any one that sells them. Any one know?

 

the g heads only came on 312 motors, the t-bird guys have driven the price up. all in all a 292 is a good motor within limits, it will wind up quicker than a 312. iv got 25 years with 292-312 motors on a daily basis .there ok but your not gonna get the power per dollar that you can get with sb chev or sb ford.one other note re:main seals the 292 neoprene seals are good but the ones they sell for the 312 stink! i do a trick with a 318 dodge seal that solves the problem.good luck.

 

FWIW, I've found G heads came on damn near any '58-59 292-312.

 

Sorry, but no...they were used on 292s as well.

Papa- they are found on eBay off & on...you can also make your own...as long as you understand that they are only a crutch...there are better ways to solve the problem...and they are not needed for preventative maintenance, if that's what you had in mind.

 

the top end oiler kits are not produced any more as far as i know,most ive seen have been home built and more trouble than worth ,just pull the head and clean the p***age out and change oil every 2000-3000 miles and youl be ok

 

man, this is an old thread. Now you can buy the aluminum heads.

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic44066-11-1.aspx

 

I like Y blocks, i have severall, the batmobile runs a pumpped up Y. BATMAN out.

 

I've had one 292. It was overhauled by SUN MOTOR REBUILDERS, Ft. Worth/Dallas, in 1965. I drove the hell out of it for six years and sold the car. I never had any problems with it.

 

I'd agree with texas rattler, having done a lot with Y-Blocks decades ago. All the ones I worked on had oiling problems and I did fit a few top oiler kits back then.

If you're using a modern oil you could probably get away with doubling the milage between oil changes (5-6000) and still be OK.

Interesting the comments about the 239 OHV. My folks bought a new Country Squire in '54 and it never missed a beat for well over 100K miles (with regular servicing). This included trips across the USofA towing a travel trailer on more then one occasion.