The front mounted oil cooler saga begins

The older Accusump systems like I had on my 912 required that the "air" end of the tank be higher than the oil end so ideally the tank would be mounted at a 45 degree angle.  This is because the oil would enter the bottom of the tank and then compress the air trapped in the upper part of the tank.  When I would hit the ignition you could hear the whoosh of oil circulating in the engine.  The newer systems, like the photo above, do not need the tank mounted on a 45.  Be sure and get the newer system cause it certainly gives you more mounting options.

This is definitely something I'll discuss with my mechanic.

I mounted mine inside the engine compartment on the shelf behind the engine (just behind the license plate).

The idea is really simple. If you have a well in your home, the accusump is doing the same thing as the pressure vessel in your house-- filling when the pump is pressurizing the system, and discharging when it isn't.

I agree that you are asking a 30 mm pump to do a lot with lines that long. I'm guessing that it'll take at least 5 seconds to pressurize the bearings on start-up unless you do it by some other means. I'd also suspect that your sump level is going to vary wildly depending on how full your lines and cooler are (can the oil drain back to the sump during the off-cycle. If so, the sump is going to have 2 extra quarts when the engine is not running).

An accusump is not the do-all and end-all, but it's a really, really good tool.

Does the thermostatic switch block all oil when it's closed, or does it allow a small amount to get through?

Stan (and others) thanks for the advice.  I now have a lists of questions for my engine builder.

I'm also toying with the idea of going with a dry sump, but I have no idea what it would cost to have one installed. 

It should not interfere with oil flow at all.....  The thermostatic switch merely turns on the cooler fan(s)....

Ron,

Are you doing this because you are having over heating problems?

I can help with this question: the answer is "a lot". The difficulty is the exhaust. Everything else is pretty straightforward, but your exhaust is almost guaranteed to not clear the dry-sump pump.

I had Tiger from A1 build my a custom header. It took months, and is a compromise. The rest is a work in progress as well.

But, it works exactly as I had hoped. It's fantastic.

Yes.  My engine had very high oil temps, but normal cylinder head temps.  The front mounted cooler is probably an overkill, but I didn't like the location of my external cooler (rear wheel well) and I don't think there's enough room to mount the cooler above or near the tranny.

Stan, do you have any photos of your dry sump pump?

I am using a CSP sidewinder exhaust system (1 3/4" dia tubes) in stainless steel in conjunction with an Autocraft dual stage dry sump pump and a serpentine drive belt system with a so called "power pulley"  I have about 1/2" between the closest exhaust tube and the pump.  But, the exhaust was not cheap, over $1000 for the system...and $750 for the Autocrafter pump, and $200 or so for the serpentine belt system, and a custom oil tank, and a lot of AN-10 fittings and 30' of braided stainless hose, and a lot of work.

I have photos, will post them as soon as I find them, I have the car apart for the XX time for other reasons so can't very well do a photo right now...

Ron-

It's all here:

https://www.speedsterowners.com...309#2980158694642309

Stan, thanks for the link.  Wow, that looks like a lot of work! 

Ron:

Been thinking, off and on, about your hot oil/normal head temp problem and it got me wondering if the "normal" output of the oil pump is plugged, either in the pump (easiest) or in the passage just beyond the pump (somewhat harder) ??

If the case was set up for "full flow" and that pump outlet was not plugged, most of the output from the pump goes straight into the oil gallery and bypasses the external filter/cooler and never gets the additional cooling it needs and the oil runs hot.

Just a thought.  The only way to check is to pull the pump and see if the output has a plug threaded into it.

gn

Gordon:

The engine is apart and I've asked my mechanic to look for anything that would cause high oil temperatures.  I know the oil flowed to the external cooler because after a drive the fender above the oil cooler was so hot I couldn't rest my hand on it, and the fan was blowing full blast.

I've finally come up with a new location  I'll fabricate a small scoop to force air into the cooler.

Ron, it appears you have a lovely assistant to help you in the garage when the task is needed...looks almost like a scene from The Price Is Right 

Yes, she does give the photo a bit of class....

Ron...are you familiar with the use of vanes inside scoops to help spread cooling air to the complete face of the cooler ?

No, can you elaborate?

This is something I'll be building on my own, so we're talking limited talent here....

I got this info from a few different F1 sites on the net and incorporated it into my rad scoop. My cooling system works well but that doesn't prove you need vanes but they can't hurt. So, at speed, the theory says that the inrush of cooling air through your scoop will get compressed towards the back of your scoop and then up through the back of your cooler. To introduce cooling air more envenly to the whole face of your cooler you could build in a horizontal vane or "plate" which would split the inrushing air into 50/50 top and bottom within the scoop. The vane would be deep enough to go halfway back the depth ( front to back measurement)of your scoop and have it's trailing edge curved up to the face of the cooler. Thus, the lower air feeds the back of the cooler and the upper air feeds the front of the cooler. Apparently you are allowed to make more than one vane. I did two vanes on my rad scoop..perhaps overkill and not needed.  

Thanks for the info.

I'm close to finishing my front oil cooler install.  The rear brackets are from my scrap bin.  They will be used (somehow) to attach the air scoop.  I'll trim/cut them afterwards.

The first photo is the cooler installed, and the second is a mock-up of the air scoop.  A shop in town can bend a piece of aluminum to the correct shape for me.

if you want my $0.02

instead of 90 degree bending the lower scoop - why not round it with ~1" radius to have it fit the body lines.  just an idea.

i did that with my firewall (2" radius) and it really makes it look like it fits the car.

easy to do.

all i did was put a piece of pipe on my bench, cover i with a towel and bend it.

^X2.

Honestly, I'm not even sure you'll need a scoop at all, and it'd be 10x cleaner without.

I'd run it without for a while this summer. If you need more, I'd build a scoop with radiused corners like Paul advocated.

... just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

You mean something like this:

My thinking is if I don't have a scoop of some kind the cooler will not be in the airflow and the fans will have to run more. 

I'm hoping that with the cooler in the airflow the fans will seldom, if ever, come on. 

I'm considering connecting the oil cooler to the engine via copper tubing (with flexible hoses on either end), which, I think, is a great way to dispense heat.  By the time the oil leaves the front cooler I doubt it will be over 180 degrees, but just to be safe the fans are in place and ready to go.

I've completed all the wiring and installed my permanent rear brackets.  I also plan on installing a small LED light in/under the dash area to let me know when the fan comes on.

To many this may seem like overkill, but you'd understand my paranoia if your car overheated as much as mine did.