Oil Pre-Luber

[mangusta1969]

This post that I had on the Zr1 board is not getting any responses. Does anyone here have any good or bad experiences with motorized engine pre-lubers??

old post below:

Engine Prelubers (re-visited)
This thread has been sleeping for a little over one year, so I thought it might be time to wake it up.

Many of us have cars that sit for extended periods between use. Extended non-use periods allow engine lubricants to move away from critical wear area; this cannot be good when the engine is started, especially with fuel injection motors that tend to start right up even after extended rest periods.

Below are several urls for home built or commercial electric engine prelubers that build oil pressure on bearing surfaces and valve gear before these "dry starts" and their unlubricated metal to metal contact. Several of these units/installations also have the slick feature of allowing you to electrically drain and change the crankcase oil without ever getting under the car (at least if you have a ZR1 with the top mounted oil filter).

Here are most interesting urls that I found with a few internet searches on the subject today:

espperformance.com/rlelectronics/preluberteststuff/installoverview.htm

espperformance.com/rlelectronics/preluberteststuff/FAQ.htm

http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/preluber/Preluber.htm

http://www.prelube.com/

The last url has some good photos and details on building one of these preluber units yourself. The dodgeram user above has some interesting comments on his long term usage (around 50K miles) on one of these units.

Do any CAC members have good or bad experiences to report with these devices?

With respect to the old mounting room comments in this thread, at least in my ZR1 (Callaway Aerobody), it looks like there might be enough room in the right nose area to mount the electric pump. Hopefully there is also enough space to plumb the system with hoses to the pan (oil supply) and to a plate under the ZR1's oil filter (for a filtered oil return from the pump).

I have an solenoid operated Accusump system in my 1973 Convertible. It is both slick and re-assuring to see that unit build oil pressure when you turn the ignition key on, prior to engaging the starter motor. I don't see any way to mount even a small Accusump unit on my ZR1, though. Has anyone done this on a non-race car?

Thanks for any comments/observations.

Steve

 

[resto75]

The Pow R Lube looks impressive and well made. I would be worried about the external oil line blowing out while driving down the road. If the hose tears or blows out you could loose your oil.

I was under the impression that the fuel inj engines won't start until there is some amount of oil pressure buildup in the engine. I always wondered about this as they seem to start almost instantly.

 

[terrykrueger]

Conventional systems (I am thinking of non-vettes) will start with no oil pressure but need a signal of pressure to keep running (after a set time) otherwise the fuel pump will shut off. This is primarily for safety. If you crash up your car you don't want the pump spewing fuel around the accident. Now my question is how will we handle this in the demo derby?

Not with the vette of course.

 

[Ken]

... was under the impression that the fuel inj engines won't start until there is some amount of oil pressure buildup in the engine.

It's bypassed on start-up.

_ken

 

[mangusta1969]

Instant Start Up

Thanks for the responses.

My ZR1 motor always starts instantly, even if it has been sitting for several weeks. That is really why I was thinking of some type of pre-luber. That initial bare metal/metal contact cannot be good for the longevity of the motor.

Does anyone know if there would be less start up wear by disabling the spark or the fuel pump and cranking the motor for about 3-5 seconds to get some oil flowing before the start up?

Steve

 

[ErnieN85]

Steve, Dsabling the spark is standard procedure on aircraft engines (at least it was)
It does indeed remove stress as there is no power developed to load the moving parts. That said I always disconect the ignition and crank till i have oil pressure after a oil change.
many race cars have a seperate ingnition and crank switches.

 

[steve1ph]

oil pump

look, no matter the car when it starts it is going to crank on gas, air, and spark. thats what gets all the other hardware moving. ( oil pump ect...) so you really have to ask yourself which oil to use. i would supect the oil that clinges to the parts the longest would be the best for every time you start your ride. when you start your car the ecm doesnt power up the oil pump it powers up the fuel pump.