Anyone fitted a dry sump

obi_waynne

Administrator
Staff member
Moderator
Points
1,157
Location
Deal, Kent UK
Car
A3 1.4 TFSI 150 COD
Has anyone one here fitted a dry sump or got experience with them?

What are the pros and cons of using a dry sump? Is it solely so you can mount the engine lower down? What other advantages and disadvantages do you see of converting to a dry sump?

Do you have any of "YOUR OWN" photos of a dry sump either fitted or before it was fitted. I need a copyright free picture I can use in an article I'm researching.
 
I had discussed this once with the garage, after hearing stories about engines going bang when I was due a track day at Cadwell Park. Apparently one of the right handers was notorious for claiming engines if the oil system was not up to scratch causing the engine to run dry momentarily while at high revs. The sump was removed and some sort of baffle or diverter something or another was welded inside it so potential issue cured. I am sure I remember someone on here having one made Obi for his car but the name escapes me. Will try and do a search in General Car Chat later when I get a moment.
 
I have an idea that many Porsche models use a dry sump model. It's not vastly different from the far more common 'wet' sump except that there is an oil reservoir in addition to the oil pan. A second pump is used to scavenge oil from the pan and return it to the main oil circuit.

Benefit is that the engine is never dry during hard cornering which throws oil around in the pan and potentially away from the pick up screen.

Dry sump systems generally also need more oil than comparable wet systems. Given the high performance applications this is a good thing as it allows the oil to be passed through a heat exchanger thus allowing greater cooling.
 
Slightly different note but I remember taking a particularly hard drive across the A57 between Sheffield and (final destination) Stockport. In a Peugeot 405 1.9 carb fed petrol. Managed to get the lateral G high enough to bring on the oil pressure warning lamp a couple of times.
 
I have photos of my dry sumped Lotus Twincam engine. Very grubby as they were taken when I removed the engine at the start of my rebuild. If interested I can send them to you.
 
I have photos of my dry sumped Lotus Twincam engine. Very grubby as they were taken when I removed the engine at the start of my rebuild. If interested I can send them to you.
Yes please I have nothing at the moment to use.
 
there are alternatives to keep the oil where it should be on wet sump engines .

i looked at a dry sump set up as there are a few rbs running them. problem is cost,or to be more exact even more cost.
I have an extended baffled sump which adds a fair few litres to the capacity . I also had an accusump fitted . This is basically an extra resovoir which is filled up when the engine is running. Oil is stored at pressure. If the engine oil pressure drops below a set level (adjustable) then the accusump is tripped and injects the oil into the sump . The resovoir then opens and is filled up again ready for use.
however the extended sump the accusump undant so it is coming off
 
Let Wikipedia speak.
Advantages

A dry sump offers many advantages. The most obvious are increased oil capacity afforded by the remote reservoir, and the capability to mount the engine lower in the vehicle because of the lower sump profile—lowering the overall center of gravity. The external reservoir can also be relocated to another part of the car to improve weight distribution. Increased oil capacity by using a larger external reservoir than would be practical in a wet-sump system cools the oil more and releases entrained gasses from ring blow-by and the action of the crankshaft. Furthermore, dry-sump designs are not susceptible to the oil movement problems from high cornering forces that wet sump systems can suffer. In a wet sump, the force of the vehicle cornering can force the oil to one side of the oil pan, possibly uncovering the oil pump pickup tube and causing a loss of oil pressure.
Because scavenge pumps are typically mounted at the lowest point on the engine, the oil flows into the pump intake by gravity rather than having to be lifted up into the intake of the pump as in a wet sump. Also, the scavenge pumps can be of a design that is more tolerant of entrained gasses than the typical pressure pump, which can lose suction if too much air mixes into the oil. Since the pressure pump is typically lower than the external oil tank, it always has a positive pressure on its suction regardless of cornering forces. Another phenomenon that occurs in high-performance car engines is oil frothing up inside the crank-case due to the very high revs agitating the oil. Lastly, having the pumps external to the engine makes them easier to maintain or replace.
 
Thanks for the comments, the article has been updated, sorry for the slow action on this. Incidentally it seems to be quite a popular article, I didn't think many people would be interested in them but it seems I'm wrong.
 
I can't remember if I sent you the photos (Waynne and Paul).

There was also a remote oil tank in the boot.

Postscript - Just checked out article and noticed that you have used the photo below :)





 
It is surprising how much has changed in the last 20 years or so. New technologies once the preserve of F1 racing are finding their way into our cars. Carbon fiber, Direct injection, Paddle shift gearboxes etc...
 

Similar threads


Please watch this on my YouTube channel & Subscribe.


Back
Top