Pre-Oiler w/ Flat Tappet Cam?

[Full Pull]

Is a pre-oiler necessary/recommended with a flat tappet cam, especially if the boat sits for some time between uses? Running Brad Penn 50w oil.

Is anybody running a pre-oiler on their boat?

[spectra81]

CANT TELL YOU AS IT RELATES TO YOUR FLAT TAPPET CAM BUT I HAVE ONE ON MY BLOWN SPECTRA AND BELIEVE ITS THE SHIT! I HAVE IT SET-UP TO RUN UNTIL 20 PSI THROUGH THE BATTERY SWITCH GOOD LUCK

[Full Pull]

What unit are you using? Accusump, Moroso?

Do you have any pics of your installation?

Thanks.

[alohajeff]

I learned the hard way... rollers for me from here on out.

I've been thinking about adding an accumulator to the boat and prerunner for the very reason you mentioned... they sit unused for long periods of time.

Aloha

[SS 201]

I just put a Moroso accumlator on my 460 and it works great . I put it on to keep the oil pressure from going to pieces. Mine is the 1 and 1/2 quart gravity fed

[Full Pull]

Does the Moroso use air similar to the Accusump?

From my online reading, it appears many flat tappet cam failures are a result of using oil with a lop zddp content. I'm using the right oil, so that helps.

How is the cam lubricated, is it drip lubricated from the valley from the push rods/lifters down?

Is a three quart air pressurized system going to do the job prior to start up and push 50wt oil to where it is needed, or am I better off with a system that uses an electric motor to push the oil? It seems the Accusump can be used as a pre-oiler, but is really marketed to provide oil in the event of starvation.

[alohajeff]

What about a turbo post-oiler? ;)

The volume of oil required is pretty low. I think three quarts would be more than sufficient. The issue that I see is the cam lobes will not get any oil from the lifter bores. Once the engine is running the oil will get distributed evenly... but with the motor just sitting there the oil won't get a chance to fully cover the lobes. I don't think it will matter what sort of pre-luber you use, I don't think the cam lobes will see a major benefit from a pre-oiler system, air pressure or electric powered.

I think if your lobes are ok now with as many hours that are on the motor you don't have much to worry about. If the lifters are freely rotating in their bores and the oil is good you shouldn't have too much to worry about. I think the most benefit for your particular motor would be to get the turbo, rod, and main bearings oiled before firing. One thing you might consider would be an electric system that can continue to pump oil through the turbo for a nice cool down session. I had a turbo timer on my last turbo'd car for that very reason... after a thrash session you could park the car, lock the door, and the engine would run at idle for XX amount of time to allow the turbo to cool down slowly and with a constant supply of oil and then automatically shut down. Unless you botch the install or the thing throws chunks of itself into the oil supply I see the addition of a pre-luber as a positive no matter what.

Aloha

[Dave Wettlaufer]

ACCUSUMP UNITS
Accusumps are oil reservoirs that connect to the engine's oiling system. They are designed to collect pressurized oil from your engine and store it so it may be discharge when oil pressure is low. Our Accusump Oil Accumulators deliver oil before starting to eliminate dry start scuffing (pre-oiling) and discharge oil during low oil pressure surges to protect against engine damage during demanding racing conditions. Our Accusump Turbo-Oilers deliver oil to turbos after shut down to lubricate and cool hot turbo components and prevent coke build up and turbo damage.