Windage Tray Alternative

[KatoKid]

Maybe a little off topic but could also come handy for L series engine......

 

My brother runs an LJ Torana in Nc and has had a few oil system issues that nearly cost him an engine. He bought the car as a nearly finished project and just had to do a few things to complete it and get it on the track. The engine was built by a reputable builder but turns our he missed a few important things that are not just specific to Holden sixes. Engine had a priority external oiling system but still used the internal oil pickup and suction through the block casting to the oil pump which is apparently very restrictive so this has been converted so that the oil pick comes out of the side of the pan through -12 (I think) hose and is plumbed directly into the suction side side of the pump externally.

 

He also had issues with high oil temp and low pressure which were largely attributed to aeration of the oil so he has redesigned the pan and added a windage tray. He spotted the windage tray that I had removed from my M3 engine and asked to borrow it, just to check if it may work with a few mods. Turns out its a ripper fit with the same main bearing spacing as the BMW engine and only needed a little massaging and then drilling and tapping of mounting holes to his main cap girdle. The tray is not full length as the oil pump in the BMW fits at the front of the engine below the crank but given the Torana and our L series are rear sump the shorter tray isn't really an issue as it wont do much up the front anyway.

 

If anyone needs a tray they are available form BMW (ex Germany) for $88.00.

 

[luvemfast]

Looks like its better suited to a 4 banger?

I don't know much about the Holden's, but that girdles not factory right?

[KatoKid]

No not factory, billet caps and custom girdle.

[luvemfast]

No not factory, billet caps and custom girdle.

Thought as much.

Any particular reason why the girdle doesn't extend to the block-sump mount? That would increase rigidity dramatically, considering those big cut outs for crank clearance.

[KatoKid]

Probably too hard as the sump mount is the centreline of the crank so mains stand well proud of the rail.

[luvemfast]

Fair enough, you cant really tell with the pic that it sits higher.

Oh, wait.

Now I see it

[peter mc]

is that a blackwell engine it looks like his work

[dat2kman]

Other route to go would be a crank scraper, this " wipes" the oil and helps get it back to the sump quicker, reduces aeration and drag.

 

Btw I have a new crank scraper for L6 engine for sale, fits under main cap bolts and runs from 20 to 40 thou clearance.

$150.

 

Far less cost than a full Windaus tray, along with the custom caps and girdle combo as above.

 

The girdle is very good at reducing block flex, and they do!

I also rowel a cast alloy thick wall sump the the block for extra rigidity.

All a bit over the top for normal street use though!

[jamo240]

The main reason OEM's design full-skirt blocks and girdled main bearings etc is to reduce block flex from a noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) point of view. The improvement in strength from a power containment point of view is just a by-product. The reason for this (and BMW leads the world in NVH management), is that NVH must be managed at the source or the path. You either eliminate the source of the NVH, or the path by which it reaches the vehicle occupants to annoy them (either structure or air-borne). It's ALWAYS best to eliminate the source first, hence all good engine makers build a lot of rigidity into the bottom end of the block where tremendous forces must be managed so that transmission to the rest of the vehicle becomes a smaller problem that can be managed effectively via the paths. This is also the reason for the use of beaming braces (or structural sumps) to create rigidity across the engine/transmission joint.

 

Re crank (oil) scrapers: This one has always intrigued me....I've never understood why people think the oil needs help to get off the rotating assembly when it's roaring around at 7,000rpm. If you've ever sat at the outside of one of those kiddies wizzy wheels in a park and had someone spin it up at oh, say, 70 rpm, you know you don't need any help to fly off the side! Centrifugal force does a fine job of getting the oil off the rotating assembly! Additionally, the oil is coming off through a full 360 degrees of crank rotation, where the scraper just covers an arc at the bottom. When it's all happening, the rotating assemby is a 360 degree sprinkler system! Finally, the counterweights, rods and crank are irregular shapes in profile as they rotate, so how do you make a device which can scrape a significant portion of oil off??! Oh, and it's not like there's millimetres of oil coating the crank waiting to get scraped off...so if you're 1mm away from the small amount of surface you're actually scraping, how much oil are you actually removing?

 

Hey, don't let me burst the bubble if you wanna use one, but I reckon crank scrapers are up there with whirly gas turbulators for real world value (yes, plates with little propellers to go under carburettors were a big hit during the US gasoline crises!).

 

Cheers

 

[KatoKid]

Jamo, love your insight and sense of humour....dry as a nuns nasty!