[Bfan]

Our beloved little cars seem to have reliability problems when it comes to track driving. I have had my share of this "problem" when my 3.6 engine had a piston size while driving on slicks last summer. It had a deep sump and 160° thermostat and center radiator as it is an S model.

Some say the heat of the oil is the root of the problem. I have no doubt that this is a part of it. Other say it is the R-compound tiers, Still others say that they register swinging oil pressure on all kind of tiers. I am sure high grip tiers and aggressive driving style have something to do with it, but it is more complicated then that.

My research on the web so far has led me to the following conclusion: None off the solutions that have been on the market so far seam to make the oil system 100% reliable and track worthy even though they help. I am thinking of deep sump, Accusump, low temp thermostat, X-50 baffles. or other oil baffle system, The problem seams to be that the oil pickup tube in the sump sucks air or aerated oil leading to fall in oil pressure, with catastrophic results. But it might not start there. The two heads have scavenge pumps located in opposite ends, in the back of the right head and in the front of the left head. I assume our cars develop the highest G-forces while breaking. When we brake for a long left turn, or while turning left in long turns, a good deal of the hot oil, which is thinner than water, flows to the front of the right hand head. In the front of the head it is out of reach of the scavenge pump located at the back. This in turn leads to oil starvation in the sump as it is not getting new supply of oil. I believe this is the root of the problem.

Porsche used tandem oil scavenge pumps that suck oil out of both ends of the heads in early X-50 models and in some race cars I believe. This solution is costly for Porsche pumps, if you are able to get those. LN engineering has a version for $2000 per head. This might or might not be the final solution if used together with some kind of deep sump / improved baffling in the sump.

It seems that the only bulletproof solution would be some kind of dry sump aftermarket system. The only problem is that there is no readymade dry sump system for our cars, Some have tried to make their own but it is not a simple task and there are also reports of engines failing while dry sump is being tried out/developed. Some have had success but I have not been able to find any information on their systems or how they are made.

I plan on doing all the bandage moods on my next engine. Accusump and horizontally baffled deep sump. 160° thermostat and the bigger oil cooler from 997 3.8 L engine. I hope it will squeeze under 996 intake runners, otherwise I will use 997 3.8 runners. I am also considering putting a pair of extra scavenge pumps on the heads to work together with the OM pumps in the same way that the very expensive tandem pumps do, but using electric oil pumps as substitute for the tandem pumps as a cheaper solution. The mechanical OM style tandem pumps cost at least $ 4000 for the pair. I also intend to install oil pressure gauge that I hope will help me monitor if all is working as it should, and hope that the engine will hold up to its duty next time around.