Dented Sump S3

[virden]

Having put my 1996 1700 Super Sprint up on blocks for a winter tidy up, I have found that the sump has at some time received a severe bash which has left a 10mm groove going north/south and has been grinding on the road surface at the point where the sloping part of the sump meets the flat bottom (Hope that makes sense). There are odd drips of oil on the sump , but nothing to suggest that it is coming from the dent or rubbed area. I shall of course be stiffening the front shockers.

Questions: 1) Is it safe to continue using this sump or has it been weakened?

2) Is it possible/advisable to weld rubbing strips on the pan?

3) Does any one manufacture a sump guard?

Thanks

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Higher rated front springs perhaps ? Have you got adjustable platforms on your suspension to raise the ride height ? There is nothing structural about a sump. Adding rubbing strips gives a bit more metal to wear away before the sump is holed, but reduces the ground clearance !! Double-edged sword ! The k-series sump has quite big fins under to act as rubbing strips.

 

Same goes for a sump guard - reduces the ground clearance - there has been some discussion about making/fitting a sump guard - try doing a search in the last year in TechTalk for 'sump and guard'

 

 

[MADMALC]

When I eventually holed my xflow sump I replaced it with an ally one from James Whiting. It gave more ground clearance than the steel one. Perhaps they still do them?

 

The ford sump was much harder to destroy than my dry sump on the K.

 

One Ford sump and two K's to date.

 

S7MAD

[JampJ]

Nothing wrong with welding a plate or strips to deter the sump getting holed, you're only talking about a few mm extra.

Cheers John

 

JFDI

(Just F*****g Do It)

[virden]

Guys,

Thanks for the advice, to answer you:

M25: The car has the original spax coil overs on it, which are not adjustable. As they are only some 9000 miles old I am reluctant to change them, but am thinking of stiffening the settings and putting in another rubber bumb stop. I agree your point re clearance, but i think that will always be a problem especially as i have a weakness for flying over humpback bridges!

 

Madmal: I shall email JW

 

Johnjulie: Yeh, I am considering this, but still trying to work out whether I can drop the sump with the engine in situ. There appear to be two nuts at the back which are buried in the bellhousing.

 

Thanks guys, keep the faith!

[DaveMorris]

The two sump bolts at the back can be reached by removing the bottom section of the blanking plate between bellhousing and engine (I am presuming that you have got the split type).

Dave.

 

[Mcalvert]

Unfortunately, the JW cast sumps are like the proverbial hen's teeth and went out of production a few years back. The last one I saw sold for several hundred pounds...

 

Great bit of kit if you can get excited by sumps! MC

[JACK FLASH]

Virden,

 

My Super Seven Twin Cam is also on the standard Spax non adjustable suspension in combination with the standard size 185/70 tyres.

 

In my opinion the only safe solution concerning ride height is getting a dry sump on your car. You can have the Ford sump modified to a full or half through dry symp (FF 1600 type) and you need another oil pump + oil tank + oil catch / ventilation tank. If you look around and do some things yourself the total cost will be acceptable.

 

 

Jack Flash

j.jackflash@hotmail.com

[combine]

Sometimes even with correct settings on suspension its possible to hit the 'sump ', happened a few days ago over a brow of a hill at speed , my brother was driving , sumpless engine too , need to check for dents !

[6speedmanual]

The beauty (if there is any) of a pressed steel sump is its repairability. They can be panel beaten and welded back from almost any damage.

 

Main issues are a)to protect from punctures or gouging and b) to prevent the oil pick up getting obstructed if the sump gets pushed up.

 

Applying a second skin of steel to the sump pan will sort out a). On a "used" sump the witness marks will show you where the extra skin is required. No point in plating areas which will never contact the road. There is sometimes a small amount of ground clearance to be gained by packing the engine mounts so your motor sits slightly closer under the bonnet line.

 

Issue b) is a problem because if the sump gets pushed up to the pick-up strainer, the engine oil pressure can drop in seconds, trashing your big ends long before you have time to turn off the engine. To prevent this, weld or braze 3 nuts about 3/8" thick to the bottom flange of the pick-up. If the sump gets pushed up, the oil pick up will be pushed up also and the nuts protect a gap to ensure oil flow. Sure, you will want to take the sump off to check everything if you get a dent this big, but at least you won't have to rebuild your engine!

 

I am not a fan of raising/stiffening/over damping front suspension just to protect sumps as this can compromise the handling which is not necessary if other measures are taken.

 

cheers

Peter

 

 

6SpeedManual

*tongue*There's no such thing as too much BHP per Ton 😬

 

Edited by - 6speedmanual on 30 Dec 2008 13:23:05

[Terry Field]

Virden, I have a flat bottomed sump from Steve at Vulcan Engineering . It is quite a bit higher than the old steel sump (which also had a huge dent in it ) but seems to work perfectly well and is a direct replacement. My car has he same Spax set up as yours by the sound of it.

 

Terry

 

1700XF - Team Lotus with flares.