FlyFast

I went to a high volume oil pump with my last engine. I had some concern about running all the oil up in the engine at high rpm so I have been running a quart over.

I am thinking that I am whipping up the oil in the pan and causing bubbles in the oil that might give me low oil pressure after a hard run.

What is the main concern about overfilling the oil level. With a high volume pump is it possible to run the sump dry?

SBC vortec 355

Thanks

paradigm shift

A high vlume pump should not run the sump dry if your clearances are correct. Usually you can tell if oil is foaming by pulling the dip stick after a hard run.

Question though is your oil pressure low while running hard or just after coming off throttle and at an idle?
Stock pan?

FlyFast

Stock pan. Stock baffel assembly. Dip stick is a pain to pull. It gets hot down there.

Hard run. Oil pressure good at rpm. Hot weather. 115 degrees. warm water 85 degrees. 5 K for 5 minutes then idle and oil pressure will be lower than I like it. oil will cool down and pressure will come back.

Modified alpha setup with bravo raw water pump. Full Closed cooling. No oil cooler.

I am thinking about adding a oil cooler. Any good after market ones out there with a remote filter setup?. I hate to complicate the oil plumbing but maybe there is a easy way.


Thanks

Ted G

iTrader: (1)

Yes, higher oil level will be whipped up by the crankshaft and start to foam. This will aerate the pump and lower your oil pressure. Try it by changing the oil and then running at correct level. A windage tray might help too if normal oil level will not bring the pressure back.

rjcardinal

Too high oil level will result in a low pressure during a hard run. If you have too low oil pressure after a hard run at idle your oil has gotten too hot during the hard run.

I cooked a 7.4 sometime ago and belive this to be the cause. I replaced heads intake carb cam and exhaust. I was pushing around 450 hp. I did not upgrade the oil cooling system and did not have an oil temp gauge. The pressure showed very low after a hard run untill the oil cooled back down. Wound up spinning 3 main bearings after a hard run.

Check your oil temp!

Ron

MACDAD260

Agree. You need an oil cooler.

paradigm shift

Sure sounds like your oil is getting hot. Without a gauge who know where it is at though. 115 air temp where you at?

I have run a Dooley oil cooler before with good luck. Pretty popular with the smaller flat bottoms and lake cruisers. Should be plenty big for your sbc. You can mount them a couple of ways and has a filter mount built in. You probably do not have room to mount it on the block where the filter goes so you would have to remote mount and plumb to it. Several other good coolers out there but all of them require a separate remote filter that I can think of.

I would not run any performance boat engine without an oil cooler and oil temperature gauge but that is just me.

FlyFast

Lakes around Phoenix. We see 120+ days. The orgional alpha drive with the salt in the motor lost the ability to cool the motor a couple of years ago and I boiled the water out of the heads. Dropped a vavle seat in #3 and that took out #5 and #8.

Rebuilt with the vortec sbc with a bravo raw water pump and a scoop through fitting with closed cooling. I have good cooling but now I think I am pushing the limits of what can be done with out an oil cooler.

I hate to further complicate things but stock alpha drives just don't come with oil coolers. Another reason to start with a bravo drive or better.

The stock filter is a pain to get to. I have to take out the port side back seat.

Maybe I can find a bolt on kit that will give me both the oil cooler and the remote filter. I run the bravo size 1 1/4 hose so maybe merc will have something. I have lots of cooling water.

Where does your oil temp guage hook into? Where is the sensor located?

Thanks

Mbam

Over filling will also cost some horsepower, we have seen as much as 20HP at 6000 RPM 1 qt high.

paradigm shift

Well there has been a fair amount of debate on where is the best location for oil temp gauge sensor. Many mount them in the pan. Some run 2 sensors one going to the cooler and one on the return. I run mine in the block adapter in the feed side to the cooler as that was easiest place for me to mount at the time.

I had a little bout of CRS when I said Dooley. Cooler is actually a Dan Olson. Check this link it has some decent photos. REX Marine.

http://www.rexmar.com/page274.html

HEAT -Yep we run some at Havasu and it gets pretty hot during the summer months. I think you will be happy with the results if you can find a place to mount and plumb an oil cooler.