The Truth about Oil Pans

[Gordo]

The Merc Racing HP500 has an 8qt oil pan from the factory.
I am finding there are wet-sump oil pans from 7qt up to 14 qt.
Is this a situation where "Bigger is Better", or is the factory HP500 pan plenty for the average 502?

If If a larger-than-original pan is better, are there any suggestions?
Thanks!
Gordo

 

[Chris]

Larger capacity-

A buffer. If something is sending oil temps up, they go up more slowly.

A reserve. Lose something like a valve stem seal or break a ring and you may make it until your next dipstick pull to find out you're 6 quarts low. If you only have 8 in the pan, you find out by a rod sticking thru the side of the block.

Longer oil life. Double the oil means it contaminates half as fast and wears out half as fast. Or the other direction- more protection on equivalent change intervals.

 

[DAREDEVIL]

A good racing oil pan can also provide more HP !!!!!

More oil in the pan = cooler and more saftey !

 

[Perlmudder]

Is it a rumor, or do some race teams run their oil pans a bit low as to reduce rotating mass?

 

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

We raced the F2 HP 500 one quart low. I thought it was to keep the crank from swinging through the oil. At some point someone tested it on the dyno.

 

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

On the other hand I remember when the 300 tempest SB's came out. They needed an extra quart or they would run out of oil when you ran them WOT too long.

 

[Airpacker]

running them 1 low is to attempt to stop the crank from frothing the oil for two reasons.
1) gain power by reducing drag on the crank running THRU the oil in the pan.
2) avoid airating the oil in the pan. Bubbles don't lube very well.

As for size, my feeling is the bigger, the better. My complete wet sump system holds 12 liters. Deep pan, 12 AN lines everywhere, big cooler, double size oil filter and pre luber. I was even thinking of adding a 6 liter pressure tank inline between the oil filter and the engine.

 

[Geronimo36]

good pan and windage tray you can't go wrong...

They're pricey but the Stef's marine pans make HP!!!

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

At what point do you guys feel like an externally pumped wet some or a full multi-stage dry sump set up makes sense (for reasons other than lowering the motor)?

 

[DAREDEVIL]

Running low is crap...IMO , the oil @ 5000 + RPM is in the heads anyways,,not in the pan !!!!

 

[Gordo]

good pan and windage tray you can't go wrong...

They're pricey but the Stef's marine pans make HP!!!

Make horsepower?

 

[Geronimo36]

Make horsepower?

sure do, they fee up a few ponies on the dyno due to less windage!
http://stefs.com/products/oilpans/marinecompwetsumppans.htm

 

[PatriYacht]

I can't remember who but someone did some research and came to some conclusions. Long stroke engines create a lot of distubance in the oil pan. You want as deep an oil pan as possible to get the oil away from the crank. You want kickouts on the sides again to get the oil away from the crank. You want a solid or louvered windage tray to keep the oil from sloshing away from the pump pickup and to seperate it from the crank. Screen trays don't work as well. Crank scrapers are a good idea and are worth a couple of hp.

 

[Chris]

More oil in the pan is not a bad thing in any way nor does it cost you any horsepower. And lowering your oil level gains you nothing. IF- everything else is where it should be. Pans, windage trays, crank scrapers, oil drain passage work, oil rerouting- all of them will give you horsepower if they contribute to keeping oil off the crank. If you have problems in any of these areas, the rest may be a waste of time. For example, if you get the oil moving more quickly down to the pan but do nothing else, you just have more oil to rope around the crank.

In the case of some racing engines, you may have none of these options. Either if the mods are prohibited in the rules or you have sealed engines. So the quart-low thing may give you something. But it would be a tiny something.

 

[Gordo]

..."the quart-low thing may give you something. But it would be a tiny something".

I still can't find this mornings coffee cup, but I remember racing side-by-side next to Gary D. and Miklos in Marathon and yelling "I'd give my <insert port male anatomy> for another one and a half mile per hour!"

 

[Chris]

Yeah- we've all been there. But one less quart of oil isn't going to give you that 40 horsepower. If you found a half-dozen tweaks like that, then you're talking. This is why experienced racers typically win. They know 100 different ways to get a sixteenth of a MPH out of a boat.

 

[PatriYacht]

Lowering the oil level sometimes increases hp if you have a poorly designed oil pan where the oil is too close to the crank and is getting pulled up into the crank vortex. A well designed oil pan with a solid windage tray will prevent that. Keep in mind, lowering the oil level may uncover the pickup and you know what that leads to! :ack2:

 

[Gordo]

Chris,
I agree. However, That is what makes a professional the Best of the Best. They've actually tested to the nearest "sixteenth of a mile per hour" as well as tenth of a second of acceleration.
To that end, I am shopping for oil pans, so might as well spend a little more and, if it's worth it, buy the best ones for this application rather than any-ole cheap stock pans.

 

[Griswald]

check out the Canton 18-362 pan. 10qt capacity with lots of baffling to keep the pickup submerged. I'm in the process of installing one now.

click here

 

[PatriYacht]

Looks like a nice pan for the money.