Deep finned aluminium sump

[Derek Sheldon]

Firstly thank you all for your thoughts.
I was thinking.
1.More rigid sump
2. As suggested , capacity, more to spread over Europe in a days run.
3. Less chance of running out.
Hadn’t thought of the oil temperature side but don’t do too many short runs and don’t do racing starts.
Rebuilding my main engine now and fitting Silicone gaskets where I can to alleviate oil spillage. Erm what to do.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

If you have yet to make you decision Derek then I would recocomend fitting one of the cast semi-deep sumps.

I have these on my own cars and they work very well, most importantly they allow the engine to come in and out easily.

[Derek Sheldon]

If you have yet to make you decision Derek then I would recocomend fitting one of the cast semi-deep sumps.

I have these on my own cars and they work very well, most importantly they allow the engine to come in and out easily.

Thanks Ruairidh, from ?...

[Mike Costigan]

I have a thermostat in the top hose (Renault 5). It works well and overcomes the thermo-syphon overcooling in cold weather...

I have a piece of cardboard which can be used to blank off part of the radiator - works a treat 

[Ruairidh Dunford]

‘From..’ is a problem just now Derek.

Are you in huge rush?

[Bob Culver]

A few random comments for what may be worth.
With a two bearing engine I dunno if crankcase rigidity much matters, except to reduce leaks and improve road holding!
A 1970 Crouse book reckons that above a water jacket temp of 115 deg F water evaporates from the oil, below accumulates in (Cannot see this applying exactly to all cars). Roller bearings esp sensitve to water.
The life of white metal bearings reduces with temperature. Cars into the 1950s tended to have large sump capacities despite modest power (Also prone to sludge and wear).Moderns with other bearings, and real multi grades, run at very high temps. I suppose that even with spit and hope the oil temp has some influence.
Cylinder and ring wear is reckoned to reduce to effectively nothing at full jacket temp.
With the urge of many owners to extend their Seven motors forever, I am surprised there has been so little about thermostats. Even Bradfords, devoid of fans, had. Of course big end life may not be prolonged.....

[Chris KC]

The semi-deep sumps do seem quite a good compromise.
And yes Ruairidh, I've only ever tried dropping my engine in 'avec gearbox'.

On leaks, I think mine (from the sump) are mostly due to inaccurately drilled fixing holes, which I mean to address later but haven't got around to yet. I have noticed that driving style affects the rate of oil loss considerably. A fast run from Bedford up to Newcastle on the A1 (with a lengthy detour into Co. Durham) darn near emptied my deep sump and nearly caused the wetting of pants when I checked it. This prompted me to invest a lot of money in a gallon of 20w/50 to keep me going through my touring holiday, but 3000 miles of quiet country roads later I still hadn't opened it.

---

Yes Bob - I'm running a 3 bearing engine and like to think the extra stiffness is a good thing.

I'd hazard that water retention is a factor in the early demise of A7 rear roller mains.  Acid attack > rust > wear.

Running at the wrong oil temperature affects the viscosity / flow of the oil, on which robust lubrication depends. I've also read that 'cold' oil may account for 3 or 4% reduction in engine efficiency.

[Malcolm Parker]

The deep cast aluminium 'Nippy' sump that holds 6 pints is a pain when it comes to engine removal.  It holds far too much oil and will never get hot enough.   I favour the semi deep sump which has an angled front end.  On the Ulster engine I fitted studs in place of the horrible set screws and it can be tightened with much less fear of the crankcase threads stripping.   If you think about the thickness of the cast sump and the internal stiffening ribs, they don't hold a great deal more oil than the standard tin sump, which is an advantage.  I find that most Austin 7's need at least half an hour running before the oil is anything like warm enough.

[Chris KC]

I'd hesitate to say 'never' Malcolm, unless I had some compelling supporting data at least. I've always thought it interesting that SAE 40 oil was recommended for the Nippy, implying that relatively high running temperatures were anticipated, despite the large reserve of oil. Either Austins got their sums wrong or they planned for some fairly ballsy long-distance driving. Granted though, it's not a happy set-up for your average Sunday lunch run.

[Derek Sheldon]

‘From..’ is a problem just now Derek.

Are you in huge rush?

Which to use now becomes fairly irrelevant as they don’t seem to be available anyway.!
Unless forum members have a semi depth tucked away that you are willing to part with.