I've had an accusump in my car for years. Would not want to be without one.
First of all, what an Accusump (or "oil accumulator" to give it the generic)
is just another few quarts of oil under pressure in its own cylinder. What
it does is pump up the pressure in your engine before you start the car, then
help maintaIn that pressure to a degree.
> I ask because I've had a bit of a oil pressure problem in high G corners.
If your pressure in the corners is getting way too low, yes the accusump
will help. I generally run about 70 pounds of oil pressure in my Spitfire.
So the Accusump has 70 pounds in it when the car is turned off. First thing
I do is open the Accusump. The Accusump pressure and the engine pressure
equialize about 30-40 pounds before I start it up. Then the engine pushes
the pressure in the entire system, including the Accusump, back to its normal
70-ish.
You take a hard corner where the oil flows away from your pickup giving you
a drop in pressure, that pressure from the Accusump *separately* will maintain
enough pressure to keep your engine healthy until your oil pickup finds
something to pickup again.
> I know a baffled oil pan isanother option, though one I'd rather avoid
> since in my case it means pulling the engine.
Yeah, but when the opportunity presents itself, DO IT! You might set up a
baffled pan with a spare-part pan, and have it ready to slap on when that
opportunity arises.
> And what kind of capacity should I be looking for? They seem to
> come in 1,2, and 3qt sizes. My motor (2.3L ford) takes 5qts as is.
> Do these things add extra capacity to ones oil system,...
Yes, they add extra capacity, and no it is not a dry sump. It is a separate
cylinder that you T off the oil filter attachment of your engine. Mine is
on the passenger-side floor of the car, where I can reach the on/off handle
while belted in the car. Braided line runs from the Accusump to my firewall
(required for road racing, since the line is in the passenger copmpartment)
and after a bulkhead fitting, a hydraulic hose available from a local tractor
supply shop (cheaper! and wholly adequatge) runs from the bulkhead to the Tee
under the hood. Size may depend on where you are going to put it. Get the
3-quart size if it will fit. My motor takes 4 quarts stock, 7 now. All of
the "extra capacity" is in the Accusump, it is not really flowing through the
motor since it is not a pass-thru system, but a dead-end bit of plumbing.
A couple of years ago, I was driving the Solo II Nationals when my motor ate
a thrust washer very early on my second run. With the Accusump doing its
work, I was able to complete the run without major damage to the motor, and
still had 30 pounds of pressure when I returned to my grid slot even though
the motor was clattering like crazy. THAT is what the gadget is good for, but
I also just love the fact that I have pressure in the engine before I ever
touch the key. It sure as hell beats taking off the distributor and cranking up
pressure with a speedwrench, then re-setting the distributor timing every time!
Or, the lazyman way I used to do it, cranking with the key with all the
sparkplugs out to get pressure up.
It's one of the best purchases you can make for a performance motor. And
when you consider the alternatives, CHEAP!
--Rocky
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>From Rocky Entriken, Salina, Ks. Ikke sa Hurtig Racing
R.Entriken@mcimail.com #4 DP Spitfire [Old Fartz #001]
Phone: 785-827-5143 Freelance Motorsports Journalist
FAX: 785-823-0213 <If I said that, I misquoted myself>
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