Engine Pre-oilers

[mb7050]

Does anyone here use the engine pre-oiler devices ?
In these cars you would have to use a sandwich adapter - any recommendations?

Pre-oilers or pre-lubers are devices used to oil the car before start up or incase of an oil failure.
Because mine will be sitting long time without driving I think this would be a good idea.
There are two basic types, an electric pump and an accumulator . I really like the accusump setup because of the simplicity and the accusump will keep your oil pressure from dropping if the oil sloshes away from the oil pickup under hard acceleration, severe cornering or hard braking. .
http://www.moroso.com/catalog/catego...?catcode=13600
Canton Racing Products
I´m also thinking of wrapping a heater around the accusump to get the oil more close to operating temperature on start up .

What is an Accusump?
The Accusump is the original automotive oil accumulator. It is a cylinder shaped aluminum storage container that acts as a reservoir of pressurized oil, to be released when there is a drop in the oil pressure. The Accusump is connected to the pressure side of an engine's oiling system and is charged by the engines own oil pump. Its simple, efficient design revolves around a hydraulic piston separating an air pre-charge side and an oil reservoir side. On the oil side of the Accusump it has an outlet that goes into the engine's oiling system, controlled by a valve. On the air side it's equipped with a pressure gauge(on oil accumulators only) and a schrader air valve, which allows you to add a pre-charge of air pressure to the Accusump.

The basic design of our Accusump Oil Accumulators and Accusump Turbo-Oilers are the same. However, the oil accumulators deliver oil to the engine before starting to eliminate dry start scuffing (pre-oiling) and discharges oil during low oil pressure surges to protect against engine damage during demanding racing conditions. The Turbo-Oilers deliver oil to turbos after shut down to lubricate and cool hot turbo components and prevent coke build up and turbo damage.

How does an Accusump Oil Accumulator Work?
Accusumps Oil Accumulators are designed collect pressurized oil from your engine and store it so it may be discharged later. At the time the engine is shut off and the Accusump valve closes any oil pressure in the Accusump is held there. On engine start-up when the valve on the oil side is opened the pressurized oil is released into the engine and therefore pre-lubricates the engine prior to start-up.

After the engine is started and the oil pump has taken over, oil is pumped back into the Accusump. This moves the piston back and pressurizes the Accusump until it equalizes with engine's oil pressure. While driving, if the engine's oil pressure is interrupted for any reason, the Accusump releases its oil reserve again, keeping the engine lubricated until the engine's oil pressure comes back to normal. This release of oil could last from 15 to 60 seconds, depending on the size and speed of the engine. In racing or hard driving conditions, the Accusump will automatically fill and discharge when needed as you corner, accelerate and brake.

What valve do i choose?
The valve controls the flow of oil between the engine the Accusump. Our Turbo-Oilers do not require any valve system to restrict their oil discharge as they are intended to discharge all their oil at shut down. However our Accusump Oil Accumulators require a valve to close off the unit after shut down in order to hold oil pressure inside so it can pre-lube the engine upon the next start up.

In hard core racing applications a manual valve is used for simplicity. This valve can be mounted either on the Accusump directly or plumbed anywhere convenient along the feed line. With this valve, the operator has to manually open the valve before starting the engine and close the valve before shutting the engine off.

For applications where more convenience is desired or where it is difficult to access a manual valve lever a standard electric valve can be used. The standard electric valve is designed to slowly refill after any oil discharge and is ideal for 'daily drivers', boats, or an RVs. The electric valve can be opened and closed from a remote dash-mounted switch or it can be wired directly into the ignition so it will open and close automatically when the ignition is in the 'on' or the 'off' position. For high performance applications that require rapid refill and constant discharges we recommend the EPC electric valve listed below.

For those looking for the convenience of an electric valve and the fast refill rate required in racing applications our (electric pressure control) E.P.C. electric valves are recommended. The pressure control system keeps the electric valve in the off position during times of normal oil pressure. With the valve in the off position it is able to quickly recharge the Accusump with oil pressure after discharge, thus being ready for the next oil surge. When the engine's oil pressure drops below the EPC Valve's preset level the valve opens and releases the stored oil in to the system. Like our standard electric valve the EPC valve can be wired to a remote dash-mounted switch or can be wired directly into the ignition so it will turn on and off automatically when the ignition is in the 'on' or the 'off' position.

Oil Accumulators Can Save Your Engine
Cheap Engine Insurance

Any engine which uses a wet sump oiling system can benefit from the installation of an accumulator. When oil sloshes around in the pan, such as during a hard left turn, it will sometimes uncover the oil pump pickup. This action allows air to enter the oil system. When air enters the oiling system of a race engine, there will be a problem with lubrication.

Race car classes that require the use of stock-type oil pans can benefit most from an accumulator. They have no baffles to help hold oil in place. Also, the track surface is a key consideration. The flatter the track, the more benefit from an accumulator. For those of you who run claimer classes, keep in mind that an accumulator does not go with the engine in a claim.

I stumbled across the need for an accumulator when I once installed an oversized line from the engine to the oil pressure gauge. This allowed pressure variations to show up instantly. I was horrified to watch my oil pressure drop from 65 pounds to near zero. This happened just as I was applying full throttle to a groaning 454. Granted, it returned to normal in a moment or two, but there was that period of time with no oil flow.

Let's consider this. If you run a 26-week race schedule, you might run at least 40 laps at race speed each night. There would be two corner sequences for each lap. This adds up to your engine suffering 2,080 moments of close to zero oil pressure each season. All of this is happening while the engine is running full throttle, too. When you think about it, it's hardly the way to extend bearing life.

Moroso manufactures the engine oil accumulator we currently use. There are two distinct types. One must be installed in the vertical position and has no moving parts. It depends on gravity to separate the oil and the air. The other type has a moveable piston to force the oil back into the system. Pressurized air provides the force to move the piston. This type has the advantage of being able to be installed in any position, which is important when space is tight.

I have used both kinds and have seen no difference in their performances. The vertical mount unit is generally less expensive and lighter. With no moving parts, it has to be reliable. This one is my choice where there is room to mount it. Obviously, the accumulator will have to go where it is best going to fit. You should try to locate it as close to the engine itself as possible.

Let's say you start the engine about 300 times per season. Utilizing the oil accumulator, your high compression engine will be started 300 times with oil pressure already flowing to the crankshaft. Along this line of thinking, an accumulator for your hauler might not be a bad idea either. The electric solenoid valve would be good in this application.

Installation is not difficult. Our guinea pig car belongs to Michael Bowles

We were able to utilize 85 Speedway for a test. The car was not equipped with an accumulator for this first run. A 3/8-inch line was plumbed to the oil pressure gauge to make it react quickly.

And react, it did. As expected, the camera showed about 60 pounds of oil pressure down the straight. In the middle of the turn, at the point where the throttle was mashed, pressure dropped to between four and five psi. It came back, building to almost 60 pounds, in about 130 feet.

The unit was installed in an about an hour.

Michael's dad, Kevin, did the installing and track testing.

We used the Aeroquip hose in our installation. Never make the mistake of using rubber fuel line or any other hose not rated for several hundred pounds of pressure and higher temperatures.

With the installation complete, it was time for everyone to clean up and head for the track again. The video camera again focused on the gauge. Michael and Kevin were all smiles when the video showed nearly constant pressure with the accumulator installed. The owner of the camera smiled when the borrowed unit returned in one piece.

A final word of advice. Install your accumulator where it can be seen and paint it a bright color. You may be amazed at the number of racers who come by and want to know what that is. Tell them it's your insurance agent...you keep him in a can.

Charging and Discharging Diagrams

[green-lantern]

DCIV (Coop) runs a preoiler

He didn't buy a kit, he put one together from parts he got various places. He used a sandwich plate and an electric pump.

[Jimvr4]

I saw a car today with a pre oiler. Owner screen name is HydeDW on the other site. He put in an aftermarket front mount oiler cooler too.

[mb7050]

I wonder is it necessary to use a sandwich adapter ? I could use a T fitting to connect the accusump to the oil cooler line.

[cjbyron]

I use an preoiler on one of my cars. Manual operation w/ switch. Use it before starting if the car has sat for more than a day.
Takes it from a tap (welded AN bung) into the side of the oil pan which goes to a tilton differential pump. From there it puts out into the oil filter and has a checkvalve in that line to prevent any backflow. Get about 15-20 psi when pumping with it.

[Mikes2nd]

Why would you need one in these cars?

[mcshooter]

www.TechGuys.ca | How to: Store a car for winter for storage.. for track racing probably a good idea

[mb7050]

Mainly I want to prevent dry bearing abrasion each time the motor is started...By using an accumulator I´m eliminating all of the wear due to dry bearing abrasion, most engine wear happens at start up because of this reason. Especially because my car sits a lot not just the winter but months and months without driving year-round. Maintaining constant oil pressure during cornering, or high g situations as found in breaking and accelerating is a huge plus too.

I will need to buy 2 hose ends 14$ each
Accusump install kit including all the necessary for the install is 99$ (T fitting route)
The big 3 Quart accusump is 199$(overkill) or a smaller 2qt accusump will do the job just fine129$
The EPC valve is 180$ or a manual valve will do the job just fine 12$

~500$ if you like overkill like I do or ~250$ if you are cheap ass bastard



Relatively cheap engine insurance and a great way to extend engine life !

[cjbyron]

I would locate it a lot closer to the engine parts you want to preoil, not on the back end of the cooler. You're only going to get so much output from a static system like an accusump. Very fast pressure drop. Even more so with larger open lines like oil cooler.

You don't start or drive the car for months and months you say? I'll go out on a limb here and say that after 'months' there is probably no pressure in that accusump. But yeah, your engine will be quite dry sitting that long so preoiling would be a plus. But if you really let it sit that long I'd get an electric pump system instead because othewise you might find the accusump style leaked down or unable to oil enough of the engine to really protect for real vs. theory.

While it helps to keep inside and heated garage, not running the car for months at a time or driving will of course present more problems than just preoiling before start up will cure. Without all this it can also be best to crank with the EFI fuse removed to oil up before actual ignition is enabled. That will also reduce wear without having any oiler installed.

There's a whole host of things that are best exercised at least monthly. Brakes, etc. If you park outside even worse (humidity). Plus having to run to full operating temps (ie - oil at least in the upper ranges) to get any condensation out of the internals and so forth is also important maintenance. Just idling doesn't do as good a job at all. Have had a lot of cars here for repairs over the years and many of the 'low mileage' ones that sat a long time (4-6 months at a time) had many troubles from not being driven. While I am pro-preoiler when indicated I also think that some simple starting up and driving a little will do wonders for that type of preventative maintenance for the entire car overall.

Anyway, just looked back in to see what you ended up doing. Did you decide? Install?

[AdamVR4]

Have had a lot of cars here for repairs over the years and many of the 'low mileage' ones that sat a long time (4-6 months at a time) had many troubles from not being driven.

What sort of troubles do you typically see? My car has done a lot of sitting over the last several years and I'd like to know what to look for