M52 engine slant advice
M52 engine slant advice
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Discussion

JonyPI

Original Poster:

2,579 posts

219 months

Monday 27th April 2009
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anyone know if an m52 can be ran ok sitting up right instead of the usualy slant, ignoring the custom sump that would be needed?
ta

sniff diesel

13,127 posts

242 months

Monday 27th April 2009
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I would have thought the internal oil galeries would be designed to run at a slant. Any reason why you can't use it as is?

BOR

5,146 posts

285 months

Tuesday 28th April 2009
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In general.....

An engine designed to be installed at say, 30degrees, will have problems if it is installed at less than 30 degrees. Oil feeds and drains won't be a big problem, but the water jacket will be designed to avoid trapping air pockets.

If you imagine a house roof, then tilt the house over by say, 45degrees, you can picture how air would be trapped in the top of the roof if the house wasn't tilted. Er... if you see what I mean.

So in a nutshell, no, you can't install at less than the original angle, without installing air vents at the new high points in the water jacket.

phelix

4,683 posts

279 months

Tuesday 28th April 2009
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Interesting... that suggests the water jacket is asymmetrical when viewed left to right from the front of the engine and I struggle to see where the extra space is available in the cylinder head to make it so. A number of engines have been moved around in different angles and locations with no ill effects - think Rover K series into the Elise and the Caterham (radically different installations there) and the Hayabusa into a Radical or a Caterham. I ran a Zetec in a Caterham for years without issue; it was installed "straight up" vs. the tilted installation in a Mondeo. I think so long as you sort the sump and oil feed out and don't have any gearbox mounting issues you'll be fine. Bleed the cooling system with the car on a slope if you're worried about air pockets.