Hi all. New here and looking for advise.
I have a Ford Falcon xr6 ( Barra engine ) and have fitted a larger turbo.
Originally it had a gt series Garrett and have now fitted a S471 bw unit.
I am having issues with the oil not draining fast enough and I’m guessing this is due to the pipe size and going from a restricted oil line feeding a ball bearing unit to a full oil pressure journal bearing unit.
I was going to remove the engine again to remove the sump and fit a much larger hole in for the drain , but is there a way around doing this ?
I was thinking about putting a canister type of thing in the line but would that actually help ?
The hole into sump at present is 18 mm so thought it would be ok.
Any advice welcome.
Many thanks

 

What have you got in it now? Pictures of the routing would help.

 

It’s a nice easy routing. Thought 18 mm id was big enough but doesn’t seem to be.
Have checked for excess crank case pressure etc and that’s fine.
Just wondered if going straight down to a can and then into sump would help or not.

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A flexible hose at 18mm ID may not be 18mm during a slight bend and could be a restriction. Add any amount of bend and this restriction could be even more.

For the above reason I went with 7/8"ID steel tubing and this drains without issues. I also took great pains in making it go pretty much straight down into the pan.

ks

 

Is the return into the oil pan above or below the oil level?

 

I believe it is above but only just.
I do also run an moroso oil accumalator and not sure how that affects the level when running.

 

Could the windage from the crankshaft when running push the oil up over the drain hole just enough to impede the drain back of the return oil?

 

That is possible I guess. Not sure how I am going to know if that is the problem or not.
The car is pretty much built for track use so gets a hard life , but just holding the rpm up stationary for a few mins is enough for it to blow down the exhaust at moment.

 

I would get some clear tygon tubing (Home Depot has it) and replace the hose on it now and then you could see where the bottle neck is. If it backs up from the bottom first then you would know where to start either larger opening in the fitting and larger hose or oil getting in the way for proper drainage.

 

That sounds like a good idea. will do that. Thanks

 

Whats your oil pressure? Is your turbo new? You really shouldn't have a problem with that drain unless it gets kinked, or the id of the top an fitting is the restriction. The other thing that most do is to line the drain up with a main bearing cap to try to avoid excessive windage.

 

Oil pressure is pretty high at moment as engine and turbo just been rebuilt.
Cold start fast idle shows 80 psi / 100 psi at 3500.
The original turbo had a restrictor fitted as it was running a ball bearing turbo. Was told to remove the restrictor when I fitted the S471 , hope that was good advice ??

 

The S400s dont need restrictors . Im running -4 feed and -12 drain with 50wt and 80 to 100 psi cold .

 

can you show a pic of the flange surface that mates to the turbo

 

Something is definitely wrong here. 18mm is .70inch. A 10 AN line is 5/8 inner or .625 inch. A lot of people run 10AN with no issues. Do you think the line in the pic has an internal restriction

 

Its already been said but I wanted to re-visit these details once more:
1. Use -12AN drain if possible. -10AN is NOT recommended by Borg Warner, for example.
2. The drain must be above oil level. You need to make sure somehow.
3. The drain must be shielded from the whipping/flurry/windage of the rotating internal parts.

Factory turbo engines often have a small hidden recess which is shielded away from the windage factor, a dedicated spot inside the oil pan for oil return.

Further,
4. I recommend using a NON-braided hose. ATP-turbo for example sells a high temperature -12AN hose that looks like rubber. This is important so you can determine the condition of the oil drain line after thousands of miles by visual inspection and from handling it. A braided hose will HIDE its condition.You won't be able to tell if the insides has become brittle and are crumbling.

5. Avoid AN fittings. I recommend hose clamps on barb style fittings. This is for EASY access and replacement, as well as easy tightening. This is how OEM turbocharger drains are done. Also AN fittings don't seem to do well in the heat of the exhaust, at least the cheap ones don't like it, they change color and become brittle and quickly look like they don't belong.

 

No internal restrictions but I have noticed now that the windage tray in sump is pretty close to the return hole in the sump. Guess this would of been moved lower after the girdle was fitted so this could be my issue.
pulling the engine back out this weekend to check this properly and think I will get a bigger hole put through into sump and new flange welded to sump.