VH P*SH D - Oil Selection

[Gourlay83]

I was out on track this Saturday, and the VHPD used 0.5 - 1.0l of Engine oil. I know they use oil but that seems excessive.

What oil do you guys choose, 5w-50 is in the engine at the moment but feel that's a little light and may not be helping my oil consumption. Thinking 10w 40 but wondered what the K Series experts use ??

I have also ordered a proper catch tank, the plastic screen wash bottle with the holes drilled in the top aint up to much (Who the f*ck at Caterham thought that was a proper solution).

Thanks

Alan

[Andy G]

thats what my 340R used to use if pushed hard. Got a proper fright the first time i checked it

Better figure that when prepping for Frolic also mate

Dont want to find yourself running short or having to use pikee oil.

[tut]

Gotta get a Honda.....

Full when I left home and full when I got back.

tut

[Gourlay83]

thats what my 340R used to use if pushed hard. Got a proper fright the first time i checked it

Better figure that when prepping for Frolic also mate

Dont want to find yourself running short or having to use pikee oil.

Quite right Andy, so that's 8 litres of engine oil, 4 pistons, con rods, a crank shaft and 3 head gaskets.

I'm going to need a bigger boat.

Alan

[woody]

Just top it up with coolant, get in early.

[robin]

Just top it up with coolant, get in early.

Harsh, but fair

I don't know how much oil a VHPD _should_ use, but that sounds like a lot - perhaps it is due a rebuild? Worn pistons will lead to increased oil consumption, especially at high RPM. The forged pistons have a limited life - 25K is a good guide, but if the car has been used mostly at high RPM then it might need to be done even more frequently.

Whether or not a rebuild is due, 10W60 is probably the oil of choice for a VHPD that's going to be used mostly on the track and at higher RPM.

Cheers,
Robin

P.S. It is important to warm the engine up properly if you use 10W60 as the oil is quite a lot thicker until the engine is up to temp, so try to keep the engine is warmed up.

[Andy G]

thats what my 340R used to use if pushed hard. Got a proper fright the first time i checked it

Better figure that when prepping for Frolic also mate

Dont want to find yourself running short or having to use pikee oil.

Quite right Andy, so that's 8 litres of engine oil, 4 pistons, con rods, a crank shaft and 3 head gaskets.

I'm going to need a bigger boat.

Alan

The race pod has a fair bit of space. Worry not

[Gourlay83]

Just top it up with coolant, get in early.

Harsh, but fair

I don't know how much oil a VHPD _should_ use, but that sounds like a lot - perhaps it is due a rebuild? Worn pistons will lead to increased oil consumption, especially at high RPM. The forged pistons have a limited life - 25K is a good guide, but if the car has been used mostly at high RPM then it might need to be done even more frequently.

Whether or not a rebuild is due, 10W60 is probably the oil of choice for a VHPD that's going to be used mostly on the track and at higher RPM.

Cheers,
Robin

P.S. It is important to warm the engine up properly if you use 10W60 as the oil is quite a lot thicker until the engine is up to temp, so try to keep the engine is warmed up.

I'm thinking the same thing, you should hear it when it's cold (Piston Slap)....

I might be better re building the engine before Frolic, New pistons, rings, oil seals & bearings and set the cam timing properly.

Alan

[woody]

Forged pistons should have a bit of slap when cold; IIRC they're a few thou smaller in dia. Due to their expansion rate.

[dirkpitt]

one way to help combat the expansion rates of LM24 aluminum alloy pistons was to add silicon.

[r10crw]

Totally normal Alan. One dayn on track is around 1 litre. On FF I took a 5 litre tank and that didn't even get me to the last track. My previous vhpd was slightly better but only just.
Craig.

[robin]

I don't know what you should expect in terms of cold piston slap, though I doubt you should be able to hear it when cold ... I think you should consider replacing the liners too as they're pretty cheap compared to the pistons (~150 vs ~500). New pistons come with new piston rings.

I doubt the valve stem oil seals are worn and you would have no other reason to split the cam ladder off the head, so I might not bother replacing those. If the cam oil seals aren't leaking, I would leave them alone (though you could also add a smear of silicone around each seal).

If you're going to replace the big end bearings, you should replace the mains too.

If you're going to replace the mains (means removing the crank) you should get the crank measured to make sure it's still in spec (otherwise your main bearings will be eaten).

If you've removed the crank, and assuming the journals are all in spec, you would be bonkers not to get it balanced. If it's out of spec you need a new crank, though you might be able to get by with choosing some larger bearings, depending on how the crank is worn. I don't suppose it will be worn.

You would also be bonkers not to check (and correct, if required) the liner stand proud.

I don't know what rods are fitted to VHPD engines, but I think you should check to see if they're single or double tang rods. If they are the double tang type, consider replacing or modifying them to the single tang type as these hold the big end bearing better; the bearing is more likely to "spin" in the double tang rod.

Cheers,
Robin

[kerryxeg]

It doesn't sound unreasonable for track. Mine doesn''t use much on road but will always need 1/2 litre after a couple of hours at knockhill. Usage has been pretty much the same since I got it 8 years ago, certainly not any worse now, so would seem related to the engine characteristic.

I went to an exige trackday a few years ago, probably about 35 S1 Exiges, oil checking was a religion.

But if you do take - I'd be interested to see what's involved


.............then I'll go an find a scrapped engine to practice on


............then I'll pay a professional

[thinfourth]

The frog has a dry sump

How are you checking the oil level as its an utter pig to check and get it accurate

If you don't do everything exactly the same you can get wildly differing readings

Remember if you engine is well sealed and your scavenge pump is in good shape you will have alot of vacuum in the crankcase just after you stop the engine and it can easily suck up a litre of oil.

With the dry sump you can safely run with 2 litres of oil so while it might be using oil but its going to use it all unless you don't check.

Also wind your paranoia back a few clicks as you have no sound insulation in the 7

[Mr Momo]

Alan - did you measure as per manual ? Run, switch-off, then measure within 20 secs. If you top up with too much, it just gets chucked in the overflow tank.