Raceproved pre-oiling cam cover

[Konrod]

I have been thinking about fitting one of these to make sure that the cams are oiled prior to/at startup. Not being paranoid, but I have a low mileage engine and I can understyand why this might be a good idea

I've read the back posts, but wonderd if there was more information/experience/evidence of benefit since then, and whether anyone had resolved the issue of oiling before the ignition is triggered e.g. when unlocking the car or via seperate switch etc.

Cheers

Konrod

[Sicob]

Always seemed like a great answer to the S6 oil feed woes on startup. Yet never seem to see any fitted. Must be a reason?

[Daston]

They are quite pricey for what they are and from what I have been told by a few specialists there is little point if you use your car regually.

[330p4]

John i fitted the pre oiler to my tuscan when i bought it last april the unit actually builds up oil pressure & sprays oil over the cams for a while before it allows the starter to spin this seemed a sensible mod to me i am always amazed how many people on here seem to resign themselves to an engine rebuild but are not prepared to spend a little on prevention. Speak to Russ a Raceproved he is anice guy & very helpful.
Ian

[Robertjp]

I heard the same as daston, they are a lot of money that is of little benefit if the car is used regularly.

Can also be a pain in the ass at times apparently, from a practicality point of view they take time and patience.

There is a compromise in the form of a better cam cover casting - it has lobes that sit above the cams and drip on oil whilst the car is stationary. £150 ish from str8 six.

I thinks its a great idea but possibly an overkill for many cases?

[philmcw]

Well I had one fitted about 6 months ago. From cold startup you basically keep the key in the start position until the oil pressure gets up. Whilst this is happening oil is sprayed on the cams. You can override this startup delay quite easily if you want - e.g. if you stall or need a quick getaway.

Is it worth it ?. Dunno. My thought process was that at some stage I may need an Power rebuild. I figured that if this delays that moment for less than 1/6 th of the price then it was worth it.

Talk to Russ @ Raceproved. He's a very freindly & knowlegeable chap.


Do very good serving as well as i can also atest too !

[alex_gray255]

I'm getting one fitted this week, so I'll let you know how it goes. But if it extends the life of the engine and helps with the car being left for weeks on end - especially in this weather - then seems well worth it to me!

[shep1001]

Robertjp said:

I heard the same as daston, they are a lot of money that is of little benefit if the car is used regularly.

Can also be a pain in the ass at times apparently, from a practicality point of view they take time and patience.

There is a compromise in the form of a better cam cover casting - it has lobes that sit above the cams and drip on oil whilst the car is stationary. £150 ish from str8 six.

I thinks its a great idea but possibly an overkill for many cases?

There is and I have one. Extra benefit for me was it came powder coated too which when factored into the replacement cost it made it excellent value. It was £180 + VAT

[Konrod]

Thanks for everyone's comments - looks like its worth more investigation. My car isn't used that often (especially when its by snowing again!), and I'm aware that it isn't a good idea to just start them now and again as I did with my Chim. That is why I thought that pre-oiling seemed like a good idea.

The revised casting I'm not sure about as you are dependent upon frequent use for the oil top be on the casting and drip, not sure mine is used often enough for that to help.

J

[Steve Devaney]

Does the TVR Power rebuild include a pre-oiler? Or, do the improved mechanicals negate the need for pre-oiling?

[T450t]

Why do you need a pre oiler when your ECU can be set to fire later on start up..

[plasticman]

Maybe because the slower the engine is turning the more stress on the camshaft and followers

[T450t]

plasticman said:

Maybe because the slower the engine is turning the more stress on the camshaft and followers

The ECU as standard set up already pre oil's it for you thats why they don't fire instantly so even if you put a fandango pre oiler on from Raceproved for silly money it will still turn over a few times without firing.

Why bother wasting your money.

Your better off modifying the existing if your that bothered as Graham (VARLEYHYD) as done for pennies in comparison

The concepts good but they are to expensive.. IMO

[plasticman]

That is not pre-oiling ! The pre-oiler sprays oil onto the cams and followers before they start moving . What you are proposing would be a longer length of time before the cams get any oil ( because the engine is turning slower on the starter ) and increased load on the followers/cams in that period because of the increased loads of the lower rpm . The reason there is a delay on firing from the ecu ( if there is one ) would be to give the starter motor an easier life .

[Jonny TVR]

on start up if you give it a blip of the throttle doesn't that splash the oil over the cams?!

[plasticman]

Only if done in conjunction with jacking up the O/S/R wheel .

[Jonny TVR]

Thanks plasticman .. Is it worth putting a little ramp on the OSR wheel in my garage and blipping the throttle on start up?!!!!

[plasticman]

The ramp will need to be big enough for the oil in the sump to flow into the rocker cover