Black_on_black

Hi

The time has come to invest in either x51 oil baffles as sold by e.g. Pelican or something else. The alternatives are like the FVD lowered pan, extended pickup and baffles or LNE version with lowered pan, baffles, extended pickup and a lid over the added capacity. Of course the latter two are nearly twice the cost, are they really worth it?

Mike

Macster

Who can say?

Baffles are simple yet complex and they are often taken for granted if they are even thought about at all.

Whenever g-forces would cause oil to flow away from the oil pickup the baffles close/seal and prevent the oil from moving away.

At the same time on the other side the g-forces are trying to move oil towards the oil pick up. So the baffles on that side want to open and let this oil in.

Yet another point is the oil that is allowed in is from the the lowest level of the sump. This oil because it is lower/lowest is the least aerated of the oil in the sump.

As the car goes speeds up, slows down, turns left or right, on the road or on the track this process is continuous and its proper function critical to the performance of the oiling system.

How to know which one is best? Well, without setting up some test to observe under varying g-forces which baffles perform better (and how to test longevity?) I have no idea.

My thought would be deeper is better, all other things being equal. But the oil pick up must be extended and since it is longer and subject to more g-forces wants to be secure. Have a long oil pick up tube come loose and the deepest sump is just going to provide more space to hold the engine shrapnel...

There is the concern of ground clearance at some point and the vulnerably of the lower sump to damage by road debris.

mglobe

For this reason alone, X51 is the way to go in my opinion. Also there are a LOT of racers using X51, and no real evidence of oil starvation.

alpine003

Accusump for a bit more...

Ubermensch

I replaced my stock pan with X51 and the baffles were virtually identical. I question whether it's worth upgrading just the pan. Someone, ProDriver?, recently posted an image of enlarged X51 baffle openings. You may be better off just modifying your stock setup. Otherwise, Accusump seems like a sure fire solution.

philooo

I would love to see a good DIY on the accusump. and also how it is operated.
my main concern with accusump is that most people mount it inside the cockpit and that is hot oil under pressure.. a bit dangerous if you ask me.
If we could see a good setup with the accusump in a 'safe' area AND proven that it is seemless to use then ok I am all in.
last time I checked they mentionned that activation is a bit 'special'. like keep it open then start the engine, or shut it off before the engine.. I mean stuff I don't want to have to worry about. but I think there is an automated switch available.

any good links about the accusump ?

FYI, I am installing the X51 baffle next week.
FYI2, I tried to buy one from pelican, after 2 weeks they told me they could not get it for me. but I think suncoast might have some in stock

jumper5836

I replaced my pan with a X51 pan. Though I have to believe it does nothing to prevent oil starvation for extended periods of time and I'll have to agree with lnengineering that it is useless without the rest of the X51 package, which added an extra scavenge pump in the head and external oil return line right back to the sump.

Taken from an earlier post

alpine003

As long as it's installed correctly, I don't really see any big issues.

If you think about it, there is hot coolant running near your foot all the time yet we don't hear of too many stories of people getting burnt by hot coolant.

In my older cars where I had mechanical oil pressure gauges, I had plastic tubing running to my a-pillar. I'm surprised I didn't really worry about it coming off and squirting hot oil in my eye back then.

You can always mount it in the back behind the seats for additional safety margin.

Here's a nice tidbit from Charles the man himself:

p.vanderlinden

Accusump used to offer an electric valve that would open/close upon ignition key activation?

Paul

alpine003

There's several ways to activate it including manual, electronic switch, and as you mentioned wiring it up to the ignition.

alpine003

This is definitely the way to go if you wanna remain with factory parts but at close to $3k just for the factory pump($200 crossover tube), I don't see it being feasible for most 996 owners over an accusump.

For the hardcore racer, I would rather go with LNE Dual Scavenging pumps that pump from each head for the price of the factory single pump that only draws oil from one head. Just an added level of protection.

jumper5836

I agree

Black_on_black

As I understand the oil diagram in another recent thread, the 3.6 alreadyhas one scavenge pump in either head.

The stock plastic baffle has a few drawbacks which it looks lke the x51 or FVD or the other remedy. The main remedies are that they close tight against the walls of the space, effectively nearly creating three separate zones. This means ndr hard cornering, virtually all the oil from the middle and the section above will drain towards the pickup. In the stock, most of what is in the top section will drain past the pickup on the outside of the closed "bathtup" to the lower section.

Macster, I am well aware of the difficulty of knowing given the limited test abilities the aftermarket has, compared to engineers at the factory. I was looking for thoughhts on the designs and any anecdotal evidence. Ground clearance is definitely a concern as I have to pass over several speedbumps and given the weight at the rear, the car tends to squat at the rear, just as it and the engine passes the speedbump. I takeit very gingerly but one day one might forget...or my wife...and a deeper sump could well mean contact and subsequent game over.

The engine already carries over 8l of oil, half a litre will not mean a massive difference.

I will go for the x51.

I share philoo's concerns and questions onhow the accusump works and should be monted. I have not seen or heard of many installationsin a 996...so just the x51 baffles will be the first test.

Black_on_black

Sorry for all the spelling errors...(on iPad)

philooo

does anybody knows how much / how long it takes to install the two oil scavenge pump from LN ENGineering ?

It looks like the perfect solution but cost prohibitive... I have never heard anybody doing this mod. Looks like it will cost less to simply sell my car and buy a gt3 But I just wonder if anybody has ever done that mod.