HELP!! How to remove oil restrictor in RH head?

Hi guys, struck another interesting issue with the Cobra. The is the 2002 cobra with the '03 drivetrain, just been chasing a rattle in the motor on start up. Turned out to be the oil seals on the back of the cam chain tensioners. Replaced lifters, chains, guides, tensioners, oil pump, oil pump pickup and bolted back together. Ran like a clock for 30 seconds then 'tap tap tap' from the RH head. Removed the blower and RH valve cover, all a bit dry, some oil to exhaust lifters, very little to the intake lifters, and towards the back there was less and less oil and the back 4 intake lifters had bled down.

So, cue a load of thinking and investigation, and came to the conclusion the oil restrictor is blocked - see this video for exactly the same issue on a 2v motor:
so, have tried to remove the oil restrictor in my head but it won't budge. Turning it with vise grips just means it flexes so not happy to continue that. would like to try a slide hammer but there's not enough room as the brake master is in the way (RHD Cobra remember).

So - is there a 'trick' to getting the restrictor out without removing the head? Freezing it? Unscrewing it? Heating and cooling? Something else?

One or two cam lobes are a little marked up due to lack of oil, but should be fine, no where near cutting through the hardening. Just need to restore the correct oil flow.

I just need to get the oil restrictor out, I really dont want to pull it all down again to get the head off so I can knock the restrictor out.... HELP!

I didn't know there was an oil restrictor in the head. I'm in for results.

Maybe @MalcolmV8 will know.

The details have been on my Castings page for a while:

ok - well, freezing the f#cker didn't work, couldn't get heat in there....
So, the head comes off now. But, there's the problem right there poking out of the hole...

Damn. That sucks dude. But at least you see the issue.

Yup - my guy is going to remove the oil filter and flush the oil galleries so if there's anything else hopefully it'll come out. I guess the take-away is that whenever anyone dismantles ANYTHING to do with the oil system, they need to ensure that there is NOTHING RTV that can go into the oiling system...

Came across this on another forum, pretty simple to remove with the heads off. I tried as mine are on the bench at the moment.

Oil restrictor removal?

Thanks for that - I think a slide hammer might have been the best option (as the link you posted describes tapping the restrictor in/out with a brass hammer) but the brake booster was in the way.
The only way forward now is to take the head off, and that’s where we are.

If the restrictors just drive in there, can you not try to thread a tap in there and use that as something to grab on to? Or weld something to that and pull it out rather than pulling the head?

I'm interested in this mod and think I would like to do it.

Good idea. Had that conversation with my engine builder and came to the conclusion that the top would need to be ground down and something welded on and the chance of damaging the mounting surface for the cam was too great.
A safer option was to remove the head and punch out the restrictor from below.

How did this end up going?

Do you know are they actually removable with the head on?

I'm going to be pulling my valve covers to be doing 96-98 Cobra cams and was considering this mod while the covers were off.

The head had to come off.
Once the head was off the oil restrictor came out pretty easily, then it all went back together and all good (just big bucks).
My advice is - if you’re not getting any trouble with the oil supply to the head, don’t mess with it.

The head has to come off or just in your case since it broke?

I think the pool of people who have had cause to remove it is too small to draw conclusions about the likelihood of having to remove the head to do so, but if you break it off trying to remove it, you’re committed....

Jiffy said:

I think the pool of people who have had cause to remove it is too small to draw conclusions about the likelihood of having to remove the head to do so, but if you break it off trying to remove it, you’re committed....

Click to expand...

What was your method of removal when you broke it? I'm thinking it can be done if I build a mini slide hammer. I found a pic of one not installed and it doesn't look like theres a lip on the end or anything that would prevent it from being removed from the top.

Couldn’t use a slide hammer because the brake booster was in the way (right-hand drive car remember) and the mechanic who did it was concerned about damaging the cam bearing cap mounting surface if he tried to lever it out, so twisting was all we had....

I had to replace mine at one point and what I did was ran a small tap covered in grease to thread the inside, then put a screw in it a few threads deep. At that point you can use small pry bars to wiggle it out using the head of the screw.


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Good idea. He tried putting a rubber hose around the restrictor and freezing it to see if that would reduce the interference for, but that didn’t work. Frustrating really, it cost a huge amount but I wasn’t really confident doing it myself and I didn’t have the time.
As a mechanic he said he normally doesn’t have the time allotted to strip and fix this sort of stuff - he’s given about 30-minutes to diagnose then it’s pull them motor and get it reco’d

Years ago I had this same problem, if I remember right I threaded the OD of the restrictor with a die then used a nut as a puller, came right out.

Good idea!