Raising oil pressure

[Will L.]

My engine is running in spec, and all is good. I know oil volume is what counts not pressure, and that's part of why my pressure numbers are on the lower end of the spectrum is from nice open oil journals.

I am scheming on an external oil centrifuge and oil cooling system where I would love to be at 100 psi range. I know I loose a few ponies to drive a pump the extra amount, but are there any other draw backs?
Does anyone have the oil flow diagram handy? Maybe an external oilpump is the answer. I just have to ensure enough oil is available as to not pump the pan dry, don't really care if I have to go from a 2 gallon system to a 4 gallon system.

 

[NVW]

Why? Is your psi where the centrifuge is ineffective?

 

[Will L.]

Not ineffective, but could do better. I run 10 psi idle and 40 @3,000 rpm. I'm also looking into a different feed circuit for the centrifuge.

But I'm also looking at a high pressure cooling loop. Basically it works like refrigerant going through an expansion tube. When it goes from a high pressure small chamber and sprays into a larger chamber, the rapid expansion cools the oil. I worked with them on equipment but it has to be at the high pressure.

The oil cooler on a hummer is also a transmission oil cooler. The system requires a lesser cooed oil to use as the balast to the temp drop. I think it would work good for the hummer. Eliminating the twin oil cooler on a hummer would help the cooling stack a lot.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Will, I've seen some centrifuges supplied with an electric pump, I suspect w/your skill set maybe an external belt driven oil pump would be good.

 

[schiker]

I would guess you need to figure how much volume of oil the add on system would require or change from OE system then compensate so the system loops stays full enough.

Would you need to have a tank at the same level as the oil pan and or a P trap type connection so the added volume doesn't just drain back to the pan and over fill it and cause a crankshaft windage issue until it flows and fills the loops???

 

[schiker]

From memory the oil pumps to cooler to outside of filter then feeds the oil galleries. The oil cooler and oil filter both have bypass valves built into the block.

So that should be oil is pumped from pan out 5 rear oil cooler port then into 8 port. Oil goes to the filter then oil galleries. From the oil galleries it feeds bearings, lifters, turbo all in a parallel and drains back to the pan.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

One BIG drawback to upping your pressure that much would be extra wear on the timing set, wear to the camshaft gear, and the oil pump drive would get trashed in short order. I remember a machine shop I used to use said he had done some small block fords that a fire station wanted more oil pressure in than 10-15 at idle, and 30-50 going down the road. They wanted pressures of 80 or so going down the road. Said it ended up robbing at least 10-15 hp, trashed the distributor gears in about 2-3K miles, and ended up leading to a whole fleet of engines failing because of some custom oil pumps that he added high pressure springs to. I would think the booster pump for just the added on stuff would be the best option. Otherwise you are going to have to deal with 3-4X times as much oil to the top end of the engine trying to drain back and so and so on.

 

[Will L.]

Yeah, I started thinking about it and remembered having to put in restrictors and such for the top end oil. Definately don't want to wear out components much faster- defeats the purpose.

Not being able to do the easy drop in centrifuge you guys can in your pickups has me thinking of all kinds of things as other options.

I keep coming back to a complete remote centrifuge, that runs all with truck parked. Easy to dial up pressure that way. But I could only circulate oil in pan, not oil in filter, cooler or cooler lines. Maybe afterwards few days it would all mix enough to keep it all clean running 3-4 times a week?

If that works then I could use the cf for wmo as fuel also. I'm friends with enough shop owners around I could probably get all the waste oil I want.

 

[FellowTraveler]

I keep coming back to a complete remote centrifuge, that runs all with truck parked. Easy to dial up pressure that way. But I could only circulate oil in pan, not oil in filter, cooler or cooler lines. Maybe afterwards few days it would all mix enough to keep it all clean running 3-4 times a week?

If that works then I could use the cf for wmo as fuel also. I'm friends with enough shop owners around I could probably get all the waste oil I want.

That's an idea, I have an old timer 'older than me' running wmo through just a series of oil burner filters on an IDI FORD. I see him almost daily when in town and he swears that's all he's been using as fuel....me I've filtered wmo and mixed it in my diesel on occasion 'no problems' running it like that however I suspect there will be a need for field expedient fuels if things heat up this summer as the jargon claims it will...

 

[Will L.]

Hands down the best treatment to wmo is heated to 200 f then centrifuge. IDI engines are perfect for it. The only complaint anyone ever has if they don't cf it is coking on the injector face. If you run wmi occasionally - just water needed not the alcohol, it will keep the injector face clean.

Running a ds4 can be harder because of the optic sensor, but if you cf down to 1/10th micron and cut with gas to raise the flashpoint you can't notice a difference. Cold weather can run 20% gas all the time and you get more power and cleaner burn than diesel.

A db pump is prefered by most for it.

A lot of people are afraid of somehow damaging ip or injectors- think about this: diesel vs ulsd the additives and all required because of the lost lubricants. What is oil again? Oh yeah, the best lubricant we can get our hands on. And if your pulling out all the nasties down to soot at 1/10 micron, that's 300% cleaner than diesel through a filter.

You can just dump in the wmo, but you can also run without a fuel filter. The better choice is obvious. I have done oil changes and just dumped the oil into my tank afterwards. It's not proper but it works. To mix oil with fuel it needs to be heated above 190 (the oil) and stirred in like making a glass of chocolate milk. Then let it sit a day for the aeration to settle. Once mixed it won't separate for a couple months. If not many fuel additives are present it might not ever separate.

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

Haven't thought too much about it until now but a lot of trucking company's dump oil from changes into the fuel tank and leave the tank heaters on all the time, I would think the hot fuel & oil would mix very well in the tanks and I know they circulate lots of fuel through the system.... could easily make a fuel heater I would think and help keep things mixed up maybe...

 

[Burning oil]

Get real fancy and have a docking station where you park. Just drive up and boom your hooked up and centrifuging (like mid air refueling. Sort of)

 

[Will L.]

I was thinking two hoses with self sealing disconnects like parkers.
It would really be plug in 2 hoses and flip a switch. Easy as plugging in a block heater, probably do that too so oil stays warm while its operating. Run the hoses next to the block heater plug.
5 seconds to connect or disconnect.

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

A few bungs in the oil pan and maybe T into a cooler line and your onto something... a electric circulating pump that ya plug in when parked .... quit giving me things to think about....

Me likey these ideas... kinda like my hyd fan system, I like different one off's......

 

[Burning oil]

A few bungs in the oil pan and maybe T into a cooler line and your onto something... a electric circulating pump that ya plug in when parked .... quit giving me things to think about....

Me likey these ideas... kinda like my hyd fan system, I like different one off's......

I have that challenge too. My wife says its a problem I say Challenge.