Any value in pre-lubers / oil accumulators?

[Ron-Indy]

Many Viper owners have installed oil accumulators. These have a 2 quart capacity and are equipped with an electric solenoid that enables a 2 quart dump into the oiling system prior to starting. Also can be run with valve open so that if hard cornering pulls air and drops pressure, the 2 quarts will bleed into engine, then slowly re-pressurize as engine OP builds.

Given all of the anti-wear additives in modern oils, is the complexity and risk of system leakage worth the benefits?

Thanks...

 

[Shannow]

While I was at university, we had all SAE papers to date on microfiche in the library, engineering students were allowed to browse to their heart's content.

There was a paper on an electrically powered pre-luber, priming the oil system with filtered oil before a start.

Basically, they found much reduced wear, and indicated that there was a very good reason that they weren't fitted at the factory - a lot fewer repeat customers.

 

[Patman]

Since many Vipers might not get driven on a regular basis, this system would definitely help keep engine wear lower.

But at the same time, look at it this way. If the car is not driven very often, say 1k per year, then it's still going to never wear out an engine due to lubrication concerns, not for probably 50 years.

 

[Spector]

Very similar agrument for a bypass filter system to augment the full flow spin on filters. Yep, they work but in the entire scheme of owning one particular vehicle they don't make a hill of beans difference.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Spector:
Very similar agrument for a bypass filter system to augment the full flow spin on filters. Yep, they work but in the entire scheme of owning one particular vehicle they don't make a hill of beans difference.

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That's what I've been saying all along. With a good oil and a good regular oil filter, most of us will never put high enough mileage on our cars to ever wear out an engine. If you plan on definitely keeping your car for 500,000 miles or more, then these things would be beneficial, but I bet 95% of the driving public ends up getting rid of their cars long before the engine is ever worn out.

 

[Al]

And of cource the other problem is reduced reliability of the whole system will be lower. The oldrisk/cost vs benefits just aren't there. IMHO

 

[Ferb]

The only time i've heard of an oil accumulator being an awesome idea, is on the 2.5L Duratec V6 mill (found in Contours and the new Cougars). It apparently has a poorly designed sump that causes starvation problems when pulling high-g right turns. MANY people had spun bearings following autocross events because of this.

Makes sense in limited applications where the risk is very high for starvation, otherwise it's a flashy part with little purpose.

ferb!