Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods OIL PICKUP TUBE (lil long, for all duratec owners)

Hey guys....

in a disscussion with my dad i brought up the oil starvation problem. with a little thought he asked me about using a flop tube instead of the standard oil pickup...

definition: flop tube: a length of hose weighted at one end

basically with this tube it would flow with the oil. the oil pickup in our cars is in a fixed location if there no oil in the area no oil can be scavanged. with this tube the pickup would travel via centrifical force with the oil to ensure an ample supple at all times.... for example in a right hand turn the oil in our car flow to the left hand side of the block while the pickup stays stationary in the middle, with the flop tube the oil as well as the pickup point would flow over to the left. as you can see this would mean ample flow at all times (even if the motor was a quart low)

my dad showed me the principle in relation to an airplane (hes building a pitts special in his garage) planes use flop tubes in there fuel tanks...basically no matter what attitude the planes is in even if upside down the tube is always where the fuel is

now i know that this is a little different then our cars but maybe with a little work/effort we could work something out with our cars and while the standard pan is down we could fix a revised windage tray so to prevent airation of the already present oil plus aircraft flop tubes can be had for like 45 dollars in a catolog my dad has on his shelf so it can be very inexpensive

any way as always would appriciate questions comments (even if there only saying how retarded i am...he he he)

ps i own a y2k svt, has anyone determined if this pan is different then the other years???

Well, that would work. All we would need to do is find some high temp hose that would also withstand the disolving properties of oil. Just put a hose clamp on a hose on the pickup tube. Hmmm... Interesting. What does he use for the weight at the end of the hose, and, would that weight sliding around on the oil pan cause shavings to scrape off? Maybe a teflon coated weight.

Maybe you should have your dad put a little more thought in to this one and maybe he could make a buck or to. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't afford $450 for a baffled oil pan. I would be interested to hear about what you come up with. Think about it and let us know if you come up with anything. Sounds like a good start though!

I'd definitely drop my pan to install a working flop tube!

"I'd definitly drop my pan to install a working flop tube!"

So would I!

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blk.99svt
n.e.Ohio

hehe...He said flop tube...hehe

Interesting idea. That would be a substitute for baffels then. One possible drawback is that it would not address oil aereation/froathing, (if that is a problem). Love to here what Terry thinks.

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Dan
99SVT - Tropic Green
#554/2760
Stock - except minor intake, exhaust, & motor mount enhancements

Sounds interesting... I would be conserned with how the 'Flop Tube' would work in the dead of winter, when that oil is thicker than...

The Lotus Elan (the REAL elan from the '60s) suffered from the same problem. The solution was an oil pickup that would rotate freely. So as the car turned the oil pickup would rotate the same way the oil was drawn by G forces.

I like the sound of this idea. Now it's a matter of getting it off the drawing board. I know I've said this before but... The major cause of the Duratec oiling problems is the stock windage tray (upper baffle in Ford-speak). I've designed a solid solution to remedy it, but I need to drop my pan before I'm 100% certain of my design and can then proceed with fabrication. A welded up pan is really just a band aid solution. It does provide 1 significant advantage and that is increased capacity. Certainly pricey though.