Over filling oil to prevent oil starvation
 

I track my car and have had a history of rod bearing failure. I have been considering overfilling my oil level slightly to ensure that the oil pickup always has a good supply.

Does anyone do this?
How much do you overfill? Half a quart, quart, more?
Is there anything that would make this a bad idea? Im sure a lot of extra oil could be a problem. Ive also heard that if you fill it too high and the crankshaft is sloshing the surface of it that it can aerate the oil and cause it to act like very thin oil.

Why do you think you are oil starved? These engines run at the track all the time with no problem.


If you are really worried an Accusump is the easiest and cheapest. Dry sump is the best and most complicated and expensive and works the best.

Are you running an oil cooler? What oil? Are you monitoring oil temp/pressure?

From my experience only people that where paranoid about oil starvation, blew up their engine by doing all kinds of preventive measures.

As for me and my personal track times, I just made sure everything was toped off. Zero problems.

Aerating oil is bad. I've never heard of anybody over-filling to prevent problems.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3003331 talks about baffles.

Accusump is recommended.

This thread might interest you: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63723

My rod bearing failed while doing a high speed run on the highway. My friend's engine had a rod bearing fail while on track. I just haven't wanted to spend the money on a sump yet. My friend just added baffles to his new engine.

I run the recommended 0w20 with an oil cooler now. I didn't have one at the time my car failed. My friend runs 5w30 and had an oil cooler when his failed. The data log of his temp showed totally fine in the 220-230 F range right up until about 30 seconds before the failure when it suddenly started rising. Probably already failing at that point.

Overfilling the oil can be as bad as having too little. If your concern is the oil moving enough that it can't be picked up then too much will move enough the get aerated.

A high speed run on the highway, hard to think of how starvation could happen. Many of us have run these cars very hard with no problems.
At a track, a very long carousel or turns are usually the problem. I would think that at the track your friend would be monitoring the pressure and temperature and seen the drop in pressure before the engine would fail. A pressure drop usually happens the same place in the same corner each time around. Staying in a higher gear will often help. Loosing a couple of tenths VS a DNF is a good plan.
This is coming from a guy that HAS left parts all over the track.


Again the first answer still holds. An Accusump might have helped your friend not sure what could have helped you on the street.


An other question-- were both of these problems in FRS or BRZ? Statement was not clear.

He was only seeing 220-230?? Are you guys sure you have the sending unit in a good spot to read? With 5-30 I see 250 all day at the track with an oil cooler.

If you are that concerned that oil starvation is the issue racerx makes an oil pan that holds an extra quart and has baffles.

Where do you have your sending unit? Pics?

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...f4q_ep9-Dc5Cf4

Mine is next to the AC compressor.

My high speed run was down a hill. I suspect the starvation happened at the bottom of the hill, but it seems weird.

Both cars are BRZs. Mine is a 2013, my friend's had a previously supercharged 2014 (we found this out after it failed).

Both of us use the OEM oil temp sensor read via OBDII. As far as I am aware, there isn't an OEM oil pressure sensor. I haven't invested in an aftermarket sensor yet.

The OEM pressure sensor is next to the OEM temp sensor.