Oil Accumulator connection
Posted: April 19th, 2012, 8:25 pm
After my tarmac rally in the weekend, even with the baffled sump in my Lancia Volumex the oil pressure in the engine was dropping below the 30psi warning level I have set for a light on my dashboard. I don't know what the pressure is dropping to but incorporating Guy's advice, I have now ordered an oil accumulator.
Reading the posts on this web, Guy's book and the literature from the manufacturers of the oil accumulator I have some questions regarding how it is piped into my system.
Here is a diagram of the system that I am thinking of.
The area marked "New" is the inclusion of the accumulator and associated valving. I envisage Teeing into the existing return line to the existing sandwich plate between the block and filter. This seems the simplest and is similar to other systems I have seen (for example fig.2 of the Canton Accusump installation instructions).
Thinking about how this all works I have a number of questions:
1. What pressure should the solenoid valve be set? I have two schools of thought - both with issues, lower than 30psi as 30psi is the pressure at idle as the accumulator only fills when the pressure is above the setpoint pressure of the valve (but my oil light will come on) or higher than 30psi (to avoid my oil light coming on) but then the accumulator wouldn't fill at idle. I am erring towards 20-25psi.
2. If the sandwich plate is a thermostatic sandwich plate (which I am assuming) on start-up, what is to stop the acumulator dumping 1.5 Qts of oil in the system and then not re-charging until the oil system is at temperature when the thermostat opens? I think this will happen, is it a actually a problem?
3.Conversly if the engine is warm and the accumulator is full of cold oil (as it hasn't discharged fully on start-up), does that cause any damage?
Reading the posts on this web, Guy's book and the literature from the manufacturers of the oil accumulator I have some questions regarding how it is piped into my system.
Here is a diagram of the system that I am thinking of.
The area marked "New" is the inclusion of the accumulator and associated valving. I envisage Teeing into the existing return line to the existing sandwich plate between the block and filter. This seems the simplest and is similar to other systems I have seen (for example fig.2 of the Canton Accusump installation instructions).
Thinking about how this all works I have a number of questions:
1. What pressure should the solenoid valve be set? I have two schools of thought - both with issues, lower than 30psi as 30psi is the pressure at idle as the accumulator only fills when the pressure is above the setpoint pressure of the valve (but my oil light will come on) or higher than 30psi (to avoid my oil light coming on) but then the accumulator wouldn't fill at idle. I am erring towards 20-25psi.
2. If the sandwich plate is a thermostatic sandwich plate (which I am assuming) on start-up, what is to stop the acumulator dumping 1.5 Qts of oil in the system and then not re-charging until the oil system is at temperature when the thermostat opens? I think this will happen, is it a actually a problem?
3.Conversly if the engine is warm and the accumulator is full of cold oil (as it hasn't discharged fully on start-up), does that cause any damage?