I know a few people on here are running VX engines in their cars, what sumps are you guys using?

I've got a cast ali Caterham one fitted and I'm having oil surge problems

Is anyone using this? Are you "overfilling" the oil?

Cheers

just a thought are you using the caterham pick up pipe??

Yeah. What you thinking?

if you were using the wrong pick up pipe it might not be deep enough into the sump, i would have thought he caterhan item would be baffeld

The caterham pick up pipe is a std VX one with the end cut off!
No mesh filter thing as the original.

It is baffled after a fashion by a piece of foam in the sump. I;ve been told that this should be OK until you bang slicks on it and take it on a track!

[Edited on 5/9/04 by Northy]

Another thought are you using the caterham dipstick? or did you fill the sump to what vauxhal recomend? you know what i an getting at....

Ah, Chaterham dipstick eh? Shit, is it different?

well if the sump is different then the dipstick is likely to be, i know the rs ford is different to a standard pinto, did you fill the sump to the line on the dipstick?

Er, I'll give you one guess..........

could be you haven't enough oil innit.

try draining it and refiiling with the recomended amount and then check the level on the stick, if it's different to the mark on there, just make your own mark....

But how do I know what the recommended amount is?

Its not going to be what Vauxhall say is it?

I'd imagine it'd be the same amont as in the haynes, but as Viper says, the point on the dipstick may well have changed the different shape/size of the sump. You could always ring caterham and ask them! Are you running the windage plate that sandwiches between the engine block and sump at all? We don't use it on dry sumps systems, but it might help on a wet sump. I've got hte westfield ally sump but haven't had the engine running yet..

Ned.

Hi Ned,

Yeah I've used the windage plate, it was the same as the std VX one though.

Shall I just put in what Mr Haynes says then? What determines the oil level normally?

thinking about it, probably the level required for the pickup is the best thing to govern the level required. have you tried adding more oil to the sump to see if that helps? only a suggestion but you could drain it, then refill a measured amount ie what you had in originally/haynes spec, then go up in small increments to see if that helps. Otherwise you could ask the likes of caterham, westfield, qed, sbd who all do ally sumps.

does the caterham one have any baffling in it? the westfield one has a bolt in plate that has a couple of vertical baffles across the width of the sump.

Ned.

[Edited on 6/9/04 by ned]

I got this reply on the Caterham forum:

"Graham,
A few of us run 1-2cm above the normal max mark on the dipstick."

I hope the guy doesn't mind me postinbg it on here, it might help a few people out.

I might still have a look at adding some baffles to the windage plate before I take it on the track

Ned, there are no physical baffles, they rely on the foam!

Well I filled it to 1cm over the max mark as someone recommended to the Caterham forum, and its fine. No oil pressure light under hard braking.

Just got the oil pressure to sort, and a slight leak on the sump.

For track use I'd suggest you consider the options for adding some sort of baffling in the sump, I've also heard that the foam can break up over time?!

Ned.

here is a pic of my westfield sump:


Note the bolt in piece which is a seperate casting which has 2 vertical wall type baffles on the in/underside with about 2-3mm gap round the edges to allow the oil to flow round but to stop surge under acceleration/braking.

Ned.

[Edited on 7/9/04 by ned]

Cheers Ned, do you have any pictures of the other side?

Sorry graham I don't, i've since locktited the baffle bit in and put it n an engine.

but from memory (my memory isn't perfect) it looked like this, but with a cutout for the pickup and a cutout i had to make for the dipstick


sump baffle

Ned.

ps i saw your thread on blatchat, have you thought of posting on wscc or searching on their previous posts?


[Edited on 7/9/04 by ned]