Ive recently fitted a very small Ecotron VZ21 turbo to a 170cc GY6 Dune Buggy engine and i need some advice on the oil feed.

The original oil system in use on the GY6 is a splash system running at a very low pressure. The only oil take off point is inline with the feed to the camshaft via one of the cylinder head bolt holes.

I was unhappy tapping into this feed point and decided to install a separate oil tank feeding a generic fuel pump which is rated at something like 4 to 5 PSI.

However, during testing i find the oil feed is something like 15 drops of oil over 10 seconds. My outside temp is about 16C. Changing the pump isn't an easy option at this stage. I would expect as the oil gets warmer the flow to increase, but is 15 drops over 10 seconds enough to lubricate the turbo, or would i be better off looking for a much thinner oil?

TIA

 

You need a different pump. Turbos require a pressurized oil feed.

An electric gear pump with a regulator is how I would do it.

 

Unless i a

m looking in the wrong place, i did search for electric oil pump and all i seemed to find were oil pumps suitable for pumping oil from one tank to another. I was unsure how these would perform with hot oil. The turbo oil supply is completely separate to the engine oil system and contains 3/4's of a litre of oil. Would the turbo heat up the oil that much to prevent me from using one of these pumps?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/391751473327?hash=item5b363518af:g:3gcAAOSw2bhdZzdC

These work fine for hot oil. You will have to figure out a regulator for it.

 

I'm not sure you will keep a journal bearing turbo alive on a small electric pump. Your entire output from the alternator is something like 10A, correct? You may be able to get enough to a BB turbo off an electric pump. For your application I would be looking at a gear driven pump driven off the crank, or a pulley.

 

I have read in the Chinglish destructions the words ceramic and floating bearings a few times, i don't know quite how they would change things?

I have a high power stator fitted quoted at 180 watts and 11 pole, but because this buggy is destined for road use and has to undergo a type approvals test, i had considered fitting a small alternator to keep type approved lighting supplied. The oil pump is another grey area for finding information on, searching for oil pumps simply brings up the wrong things and searching for a dry sump oil pump brings you to $1000+ devices.

I had looked at using a much thinner oil such as SAE 0W 16 or 0W 10 which are much thinner. If i did fit a mechanical pump, the ones I've seen would have to be chain driven, possibly along with an alternator?
I have to admit, I'm not happy with the electrical oil pump without some form of failsafe, but it was the first and cheapest option off the self.

 

In a journal bearing turbo the bearings must ride on a hydrodynamic wedge, which requires oil pressure.

Look for oil scavenge pump, that should get you in the correct area. You can also look for an oil transfer pump.

 

That pretty much takes me back to what i found before, plastic bodied pumps with no indication of what sort of temperature they would withstand. I have a very similar pump here in the workshop and the body is ABS plastic, a quick check tells me that ABS can withstand temperatures of up to 80C or 176F, is it conceivable that this turbo, which is also water cooled, heat up 0.75 litres of oil?

I have an extremely good workshop here at home that covers electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering, plus access to a precision workshop if needed. An electrical pump would be the easiest route for me and I'm tempted to consider an all metal oil pump possibly of the same type as in the engine and drive it with a decent brushless motor.

 

The plastic pump might survive if you can keep the oil cool, say 70*C or less. Perhaps a finned alloy oil drain line or tank. At that temp you will need a thin oil, 5w30 or less.