This is not a "new" modification, or a smart one. The only information you can get on the reason it is done is so that, during a oil change, you remove ALL the oil from the pan, not leaving the amount in the dipper channels. They think that the pump will pump more than the "drains" will bleed so all will be well oiled. This is just plain absurd for the rods will run dry every time the engine is started, especially after sitting for long periods of time. The engine has to start and run long enough to get fresh oil to the valve chamber and then have it run gravity to the dipper chambers before the rods get oil. It is really odd how these things get started and shared by several later. If it were to be of value, Ford would have designed it that way. A pump, like any mechanical devise, will wear over the years and, being that it has no oil pressure gage to tell us that it isn't pumping like it used to, it will take even longer for the above mentioned, and the rods and "splash, will be starved even more! Also the screen on the pump intake will get partially blocked, causing less to be moved. Just do yourself a favor and weld these holes shut if you find them!
