engine oil accumulators

[westtexasbaja]

Would this be a good addition to a type 1 race motor?

My oil light comes on during hard turns and I don't want to add a dry-sump system......

[43mod]

i have run them for years in a wet sump stock car.zero bearing problems ever.i would think it would be even better to have one in an offroad vehicle.not much weight for the gain in engine life

[motochris]

They are ideal for what you are wanting. Keeps everything up to pressure, plus you can get some additional oil capacity.
We have one plumbed to a switch, so it's basically just holding oil in reserve. You can add the oil to the motor by flipping the switch. We even run one on the power steering system for those times when you get on the brakes quickly and you lose a bit of steering from the rpm drop.

[Wild bill]

May try changing your oil pan to a pan that has a trap door by the pickup. The trap door keeps oil around the pickup on hard braking and turns.

[westtexasbaja]

They are ideal for what you are wanting. Keeps everything up to pressure, plus you can get some additional oil capacity.
We have one plumbed to a switch, so it's basically just holding oil in reserve. You can add the oil to the motor by flipping the switch. We even run one on the power steering system for those times when you get on the brakes quickly and you lose a bit of steering from the rpm drop.

Does FOA still sell accumulators? Did not see them on the website...

[westtexasbaja]

May try changing your oil pan to a pan that has a trap door by the pickup. The trap door keeps oil around the pickup on hard braking and turns.

Do they have them for vw's? Got a pic?

G.

[Ziggy]

Here is what the trap door looks like.

[bajaruner11]

Do they have them for vw's? Got a pic?

G.

No they do not.
IMO an oil accumulator is nothing more than an increased tax on the system, basically if you loose oil pressure the accumulator kicks in to maintain
pressure to the bearings. However ones the pump does pick oil back up the system refill time is prolonged until the system recovers fully and is
able to once again maintain normal pressure.
What you need in a type one is a German oil pick up tube for starters, the replacement cases all come with a little POS straw for an oil pick up, and
it's a very poorly made piece.
Then you need a windage tray to help control slosh in the sump, that will keep the oil from sloshing up and into the crank, keeping the pick up
wet at all times.
Last, a lot of people make the mistake of removing the oil pick up screen in the sump, they think it restricts flow. This is one of the worst things you
can do in the type 1, the screen not only acts as a protective catch for large foreign debris that could get stuck in the pump, but it also acts as a baffle
helping to keep oil in and around the pick up tube.

Tube:http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=1664
Tray:http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=203

[scottm]

I put an Accusump accumulator on my class 8 chevy smallblock. I am so impressed with it that I was going to start a thread to talk about it. It has a ball valve within easy reach, so I can open it to pressurize the system before starting. Bajarunner is right, it draws oil from the pump to repressurize itself. So I open the valve to pre lube, then close the valve to fire the engine. Once it is running and the pressure is stable, I open the valve again for driving. It works really well, and I have no doubt it will help save my engine. I watched the gauge while turning the engine off, and it took 5 full seconds for oil pressure to drop from 60 to 20 psi. It will probably drop quicker if the pump sucks air while running, but I cant imagine a temporary loss of pickup for more than 5 seconds, assuming level is normal. The one I have is the big one with the separate pressurized air compartment. The air side is pressurized to 20 psi, so the accumulator will not steal oil from the engine until pump pressure exceeds 20 psi.

[motochris]

Does FOA still sell accumulators? Did not see them on the website...

No, we couldn't get reliable solenoids on a regular basis. It became such a PIA vs. how much we made on them, we just quit making them.

[FABRICATOR]

One for the engine, one for the transmission, and one to feed the steering. :)

[43mod]

please explain the transmission usage.we are having issues with trophylite turbo 350 trans and were thinking this might help.we just do not know where to plumb to and for what effect.thanks

[FABRICATOR]

In my feeble opinion, pressure interruptions are quite capable of causing a plethora of minor and major problems both internal and external of the transmission. There is almost no limit to what accumulators can be used for, but the easiest setup simply connects to the line pressure port. But be warned that transmission line pressure is much higher than engine oil pressure and will require specialized equipment.

[43mod]

thanks for the feeble input.we will see if we can blow something up!!

[redmist]

I'm not overly impressed in mine. Even the sligthest pressure leak will mean the accusump will overfill and will rob the sump of oil rather than feed it back. Mine is also leaking oil past the piston seal which has the same effect, that of removing oil from the sump. In my opinion it's not a fit and forget solution. You must check pressures for any loss on a regular basis and somehow, you're going to have to check that no oil is leaking past the seal. My 4 quart is inverted so if I want to know if oil is past the seal I simply release some of the pressure via the schroder valve. I am however impressed in the pre-oiling feature and the electronic valves which make the unit thought free on race day.

[westtexasbaja]

I'm not overly impressed in mine. Even the sligthest pressure leak will mean the accusump will overfill and will rob the sump of oil rather than feed it back. Mine is also leaking oil past the piston seal which has the same effect, that of removing oil from the sump. In my opinion it's not a fit and forget solution. You must check pressures for any loss on a regular basis and somehow, you're going to have to check that no oil is leaking past the seal. My 4 quart is inverted so if I want to know if oil is past the seal I simply release some of the pressure via the schroder valve. I am however impressed in the pre-oiling feature and the electronic valves which make the unit thought free on race day.

It is a new unit? Sounds like it needs to be rebuilt if you're having that much trouble........