oil pressure LOST, and then 24 hours later BACK

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Pete:
if you can post a few pictures of the inside of your pan and I'll post some of mine for comparison.......there's a big difference and I think that is the root of your problem........

David

[Pete Munroe]

David G and I have been comparing our experience with oil pans. This is my AVIAD Cobra pan. This is the original configuration from the 60's in which the oil-pump 4-swinging door assembly is oriented fore-aft.



This pan was sourced new from AVIAD about 2000. The new version has the pick-up box mounted on the DIAGONAL. According to AVIAD and David's experience with his Canton the diagonal setup is more effective at retaining oil-pressure.

Pete

[Tom Wells]

Pete,

Just to reiterate, my Canton "road race" pan has the diagonal trap doors. It does not work at all. I can do the NASCAR "tire warming" zigzag maneuver on street tires and cause the oil pressure to drop...

I have set the pickup as specified. More than once.

I have met with Canton at the PRI show and quizzed their personnel endlessly. I conclude they have no data to support their claims, and worse, don't have a clue about how to fix the oil pressure loss!

It is a big block, so my experience may be irrelevant to yours.

I have also seen small block cars lose oil pressure at Sebring. Also mod motors etc etc. Dunno what pans they used, but they don't seem immune.

I have the idea that other factors are possibly more important. If I knew what they were, none of us would lose oil pressure LOL

I do conclude the way to go is Accusump at the least, and a dry sump as the ultimate.

Had to be said,

Tom

[RICK LAKE]

Hey Guy's Wonder if a vacuum pump would help? The other thing is painting the inside of an engine. I had bad issues with using Gystal paint inside the block. It flakes off over time and clogged my sump and killed a motor. I was told the perparation was not done right. I now just polish the inside of the block to help oil return to the oil pan faster. Dry sump system do pull a small amount of vacuum without a pump. I would guess about 5-8 hg of vacuum would be in the ball park. I know with the FE heads and if I had room there would be external oil returns to the oil pan. I may do this with the next motor. Same applies for helping the oiling system with getting more oil to main cap#4 and rods. Stuff to look into. Rick L.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Tom: I have no idea what is causing your problem,BB pans may be different from the SB pans,but at worse, should be very similar......Also, Canton makes the same pan on outward appearance,one is listed as as "Street " pan,it has the same identical dimentions as the one listed as "Road Race Pan", but does not have the baffled trap doors....otherwise they are identical pans....there is nothing in the bottom of the sump, all this pan does is increase overall oil capacity.....
On that note,I've raced my car over 8 seasons at Hallet in Tulsa,The Nashville SuperSpeedway road course in Nashville, VIR in Virginia,Barber MotorSports in Birminham and Grand Bayou here in Louisiana and have not seen any drop in oil pressure other than about 3 to 5 psi on very rare occasions while racing,and not always in the same turn......My normal oil pressure at speed with oil temp from 180 to 250 degrees is 55psi.....I've made it a point to check the oil pressure gauge visiually in some long high speed sweeping turns and have not seen the gauge move, even had my in-car camera focused on the oil pressure gauge to verify this and I also have an oil pressure warning light set to come on at 20 psi and I've never seen it come on as of yet,except on start-up.....I'm also using a Melling High Performance oil pump in standard pressure/standard volume......

I've also run my street car with a 351-W with a Canton Road Race pan at Hallet,Nashville,Barber and Grand Bayou with no loss in oil pressure....
I'll try to post pics of my pan, inside there is worlds of difference bewteen the Canton pan I have and Pete's AVAID pan.....I think Pete's problems are pan related over time....his engine did last 10 years and 16,000 miles though...
David

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Canton Road Race pan pictures.......

[DAVID GAGNARD]

I'll try it again......