Engine Drivetrain 2nd Gen S R56 Oil Pan

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by old81, Apr 14, 2010.

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  1. old81

    old81 Club Coordinator
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    Not sure if this has been hashed and bashed, but.... :confused5:

    On the R56 Prince engine, is the oil pan baffled?

    Or bluntly, does the oil slosh in very high speed cornering?

    Has anyone had one out and have a picture or two?

    Thanks in advance for any info.

    Don
     
  2. Rally

    Rally New Member
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    Not baffled as far as I've seen.

    They switched to steel rather than the first gen's aluminum which is good for a few reasons. Much stronger for those of us that have slammed cars. When you hit it on the street it's more likely to dent than crack unlike aluminum. It also means that it's a much cheaper part. The aluminum ones were $$$

    Now who wants to talk about modifying the r56 pan? It's steel so welding should be easier. We could add baffles, shorten it, reinforce it.

    Here's the realoem pic...

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    I couldn't find a pic of the pickup to see how it's made, but I did learn one interesting fact, the R56 engine has a chain driven oil pump!

    The more I learn about this engine the less I like about its desgin.......

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Rally

    Rally New Member
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    Yah I've been struggling to find pics of the pickup. This is the best I've found and it's not a good angle or anything. You can at least see the chain and orientation. I've been trying to figure out how low it sits in the pan to figure out how much I can shorten the pan.

    What are the downsides to a chain driven one? I've never encountered one before so I don't know much about it.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Rally, have you considered going to a dry sump system?
     
  6. Rally

    Rally New Member
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    Yes, that's another possibility I have on my list of considerations. I'd rather just shorten the pan because dry sump systems have their own downsides, one of which being the cost. The other consideration is just raising the engine:crazy:. I just need to move the pan up half an inch to get it above the subframe and off the ground :lol:
     
  7. old81

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    good info - good pics

    Thank you gents.

    That was the information I needed. No baffles, thus potential for frothing the engine. :frown2:

    I wonder what damage would occur if you launched the chain driving the oil pump? :mad2:

    Guess I will go easy on my lapping days, only 7/10s versus all out to corner 4 @ HPR.

    Don
     
  8. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Don touched on it, what happens if you loose the chain?

    Also, it looks like the pickup is in the round section at the bottom of the pump which would tend to keep some oil pooled inside it under cornering, but I agree, not as good as an actual set of one-way baffles. That said, this pan is very easy to remove/replace and since it's made of steel, it would be very easy to fab some up.
     
  9. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    #9 Metalman, Apr 16, 2010
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2010
     

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