Losing oil pressure isn't usually a situation that evokes the warm fuzzies, but we can't help ourselves. As promised, Project Olds has been subjected to chronic lateral abuse since its completion, and we're proud to have driven the car hard enough to leave its oil pump pickup gasping for a drink from time to time. The problem first surfaced while running laps at Road America, when the oil pressure abruptly dipped below 20 psi under hard braking. Then it happened again on the autocross, as the pressure momentarily plummeted to 10 psi. Although there's undeniable heroism involved with manhandling a behemoth A-body through a sea of cones and apexes, there's a big difference between pride and stupidity. To address the situation, we plumbed in an accumulator system from Canton Racing Products, then hit the track once again to test it out.
Maintaining steady oil pressure in a car that turns, stops, and accelerates vigorously is an inherently difficult proposition. Extreme lateral and longitudinal loads cause oil to orbit around the pump pickup in violent arcs instead of being sucked up by it. Furthermore, dropped ride heights severely compromise the ability to design oil pans with sufficiently deep sumps. Baffles, trap doors, and kicked-out sumps help to a certain degree, but they can only do so much.
When it comes to selecting an Accusump, a larger capacity unit provides extra protection. The biggest Accusump we could fit in our '65 Cutlass was Canton's 2-quart unit, which has a 4.25-inch diameter and measures 12 inches long. It features an aluminum housing and a double-sealed billet piston for durability and leak-free performance.
For race cars and people who have money oozing out of their orifices, the ultimate solution is a dry sump oiling system in which oil is stored in an auxiliary tank as opposed to the pan. Unfortunately, the $2,000 it costs to rig a dry sump system makes them extremely cost prohibitive. For weekend warriors, the most practical alternative is plumbing an accumulator into a traditional wet sump oiling system. "Lots of racers use an accumulator as an alternative to converting to a dry sump system with great success," says Mike Zeranski Jr. of Canton. "Oftentimes, our Accusump system can bridge the gap between the performance of a wet sump and a dry sump system given the demands of road racing and autocrossing. By extending the limits of a wet sump system, a dry sump system is only necessary in all-out race cars where cost isn't as big of an issue."
For a total of $682-which covers the cost of the Canton Accusump, remote oil filter mount, hoses, filter adapter, and fittings-we were able to ensure that our 461ci big-block Olds never starves for oil again. While that's hardly chump change these days, it's cheap insurance for an $8,500 motor at a fraction of the cost of a dry sump conversion. At the end of the day, the risk of filling up the oil pan with what used to be your bearings and crank journals just isn't worth it. Worse yet, what's the point in going racing if the fear of mechanical failure prevents you from wringing a car out for all its worth? Special thanks go out to Randy Johnson of D&Z Customs (www.DandZCustoms.com), who knocked out the install in one afternoon.
Oil enters and exits the Accusump out of a single 1/2-inch port. Before mounting the Accusump to the car, Randy Johnson of D&Z Customs screwed the accumulator valve into the Accusump's inlet/outlet port. The valve is essentially an electric solenoid that opens and closes based on signals it receives from a pressure sending unit.
Keep it Flowing
Accumulator systems are remarkably simple yet effective gizmos. As its name implies, an accumulator is a hydraulic cylinder that stores a reserve supply of oil, then discharges it back into the engine when oil pressure drops below a predetermined level. Since they tap into the engine's oil supply system, accumulators don't require a separate pump. Canton's Accusump unit features an internal piston that separates oil on one side from pressurized air on the other side. When the engine is running, oil pressure entering the Accusump squeezes the piston farther into the cylinder bore until both sides of the piston reach a state of equilibrium. Anytime oil pressure drops-whether during hard cornering, braking, or acceleration-the pressure differential between the oil and air side of the Accusump forces the piston to push oil out of the cylinder and into the oil galleys. Depending on engine displacement and rpm, the Accusump can provide a 15- to 60-second supply of oil. Once oil pressure inside the motor stabilizes, the engine forces oil back inside the Accusump once again in preparation for the next time it's needed.
Canton's Accusump is offered in 1-, 2-, and 3-quart capacities, and with a variety of manual and electric accumulator valves. Per Canton's recommendation, we ordered up a 20- to 25-psi valve that automatically discharges oil out of the Accusump when pressure dips below 25 psi, and recharges the reservoir once oil pressure stabilizes back to 25 psi. Also available are manual valves in addition to electric valves that operate in the 35- to 40-, and 55- to 60-psi range.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT Item: PN: Price: Canton oil accumulator 24-026 $175 Remote oil filter mount 22-625 $100 Oil filter adapter 22-593 $66 Pressure control valve 24-271 $155 -10AN hose (10 feet) 632170 $64 -10AN hose end (4) 23-625 $40 -10AN to 1/2-inch NPT male fitting (6) 243-245A $36 -10AN 90-degree hose end 23-665 (2) $40 Brass 1/2-inch NPT male elbow N/A $5 Brass 1/2-inch NPT coupler N/A $1 Total: $682 PROJECT OLDS THE COST SO FAR Item: PHR Issue: Price: '65 Olds Cutlass January 2010 $7,500 DSE four-link suspension January 2010 $2,345 DSE front suspension February 2010 $3,982 Baer front and rear brakes March 2010 $2,670 DSE brake booster March 2010 $375 DSE steering kit April 2010 $399 Strange S60 rearend May 2010 $2,295 SAM 461 big-block June 2010 $8,504 Hurst five-speed trans July 2010 $4,190 Clutch pedal/linkage August 2010 $289 Custom Hooker exhaust October 2010 $718 Canton Accusump system December 2010 $618 Total: $33,885