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Message
Hi Rusty, there is no rule that states that
you have to use engine oil, since you already have a pump to scavenge and you
really don't need much oil pressure for a turbo, add a small sump and a little
cooler perhaps, and your worries of an engine oil leak are over. The added
advantage is that you can lubricate before start and cool
after shutdown. For the record I know there is not much under cowl
room, but you seem like a fellow bent on adventure ;-) -- Ian
Interesting thought, but as you know, there isn't room for
all that. However... it does bring up another possibility.
(danger, unconventional thinking
below)
The way these (non)seals are made on the turbo, does it
hurt to have suction on the drain side of the seal? And, would it
leak if you had a 12" head of gravity fed oil on the bearings when the engine is
shut down?
What I'm wondering is if I could add a fitting about midway
up the oil pan, and use it as the oil feed to the turbo. It would be
gravity assisted, but the scavenging pump would be on the oil outlet of the
turbo sucking it through, and returning it to the pan. The inlet
restriction would probably have to be eliminated to keep the suction from being
too great on the bearings. In fact, it might need to be restricted on the
outlet side instead, which would be quite Abby
normal.
If that could work, then the turbo would only have access
to a limited amount of the engine oil, so it couldn't rob the engine of oil in
the event of a leak. On the other hand, there
couldn't realistically be a leak, since there's no real pressure on the
bearings, so it might not matter whether you put the oil supply line at the
middle or bottom (drain bolt) of the pan. The oil supply would be a bit
hotter, but my oil temps are way down there, so it shouldn't be an
issue.
If the pump stops running, the oil flow would stop,
and I suppose the shaft oil would vaporize. Perhaps, the
vapor would bubble up, and liquid oil would take it's place to some extent until
it formed a sludgy goo that slowed the shaft to a stop. I
presume the shaft would eventually seize, but hopefully, this wouldn't be
a catastrophic problem for anything but the turbo
itself.
Is this loony, or could it work?
Cheers,
Rusty (betting I know the
answer)
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