bselltiz

yes this post has certainly gotten interesting.

As the OP I can add this. I am putting R888's on my stock LS3, running as many HPDE's as I can this year and hoping for the best.

I will report on engine status at the end of October, wish me luck :->

slo_z28

So I hear Lingenfelter is working on a solution for these, I want to know what it is?

wtknght1

Virtually no engine will. But we're talking about roadracing and autocrossing...not drag racing, or the occasional romp of the throttle. And if being honest is scary, so be it. I'd rather people be a bit scared and take the necessary precautions as opposed to ignoring it and detonating their engines. There's a reason Chevy scrapped the Z51 and went with the GS with a factory dry sump. People should pay attention why they did that.

I believe we've beat that horse to death though. ha ha

ScaryFast

All I can say is that since I read this thread I have not driven my car.

Of course that could be because of my busted foot, but whatever...

crimlwC6

I'll be doing the same

KLJ

My emphasis I know you have asked for this to be taken off the thread but I am concerned because I see a possibly unresolved issue that a reader considering the same setup might not.

Presuming the system does eject oil again from the safety valve, which is then routed back into the engine, how is it that the (again, presumed) hydrolock is resolved? It seems that, in comparison to earlier such events where you manually fixed the issue, the reoccurence now will leave you without notice of a non-functioning Accusump which could be a subsequently fatal issue. If the issue is distortion of the housing due to temperature differential across the surface, then the mentioned FMC components will not address this. Not quite the same as the shuttle but working towards it, invoking Feynman.

kedvesh

You're right; I won't know if I still have the same issue. Not unless I have oil seeping out from between my fender and dripping on the ground, of course.

I'm not an expert in engines or in wet sump oil systems. I do not have blind trust, but I do place a level of trust in my mechanic and some trust in the Accusump as a purposely designed product that will help protect my engine investment while on the track during HPDEs and track days. None-the-less and based on the past, I will have to keep an eye on things.

I'd love to sit down with Canton, the CF sponsor who makes the install kit, GM Corvette engineers and my mechanic to constructively discuss the correct solution or a preventative redesign (as needed), but I don't think that will ever happen.

I'm at the end of my knowledge on my Accusump oil puking issues. I know nothing else on this issue other than the facts associated with the install and use of the system on my 'Vette.

I welcome others who want to comment on any actual or perceived Accusump issues, but as one who feels the original subject (LS3 engines) has been "highjacked" by myself and others, request any further Accusump discussions be diverted to a thread of it's own.

If anyone wants to chat up my mechanic (a CF sponsor) about his solution to my issue or his thoughts about the product and the install kit we used, please PM me and I'll give you his website/link. (No guarantee implied on my part that he'll answer each and every e-mail msg. But, I bet he will give some type of response.)

Thank you. Be safe out there!

KLJ

Put a trip pressure switch inline to the engine vent from the safety valve. Rig it to a warning light.

Add a schraeder valve next to the safety valve (probably one rated for a fuel injection system will have proper specs). Now you can manually purge oil from the air end of the cylinder after the light has been tripped by applying gentle air pressure (hook up a drain line to the other "charging" schraeder valve on the top of the cylinder). Reset the light. Precharge the cylinder.

Insulate the cylinder.

JUIC3D

Is their an aftermarket dry sump kit available for the LS3? Or are people using the LS7 setup and rigging it to work with the LS3.

Pardon my ignorance, I'm a new vette owner and am looking to race my car on the weekends but need to learn as much as I can before taking that initial plunge.

Thank you

tomiboy

Avaid and ARE have the components. I don't think there is an actual "KIT"

wtknght1

Gary Armstrong (ARE) has a kit for the LS3s and it does work. I don't think it includes the lines, connectors and coolers. Phoenix Performance installed mine. They have all the dimensions for the lines, connectors, coolers, etc., and they do an excellent job. Talk to Joe Aqualante and they can either install it or put everything together for you and sell you the rest of the stuff.

The best piece of advice I can give you though is to make sure that the scavenge pump pulley and all those tiny screws are installed tightly and with red lock-tight; and you mark all of them so you can visually inspect to ensure nothing has loosened up. Run the oil level 1" below the screen in the tank and you won't have any excess oil puke over into the catch can.

Put the biggest oil cooler(s) you can find on there, but try not to block too much of the radiator. These engines run hot!!!!!!

Do all this and your oil pressure will be consistent and high regardless of the track or turns.

QUIKAG

I may be off-base here, but I had an '08 LS3 with 15k miles before I traded it on a ZR1. Of those 15k miles, literally half of them were track miles at ***** out track days. I had intake, headers, exhaust. Internally stock. Kept the engine at 1 quart over with 5W-30 M1 synthetic.

Zero issues whatesoever even at oil temps upwards of 305F. I guess I was lucky, but the car ran like a bat out of hell and I never had any issues at all except a blown clutch master cylinder at Texas World Speedway. Guess you're supposed to flush the clutch fluid occasionally using Rangers method. I never touched it and the master cylinder went at 13-14k. Engine had been redlined probably a couple thousand times or more in that timeframe.

From my 12 years of track day experience (basically since college), I have seen the track day problems on Corvettes originated 99% from these sources:

1. Not enough oil (manual says 1 quart over on the non-dry sump cars)
2. internal engine modifications
3. bad aftermarket engine tune

I trust GM to know what they are doing on the inside of the engine which is why I've always not done internal engine mods. Also, aftermarket tunes always open the door for bad things to happen. I always make sure I have the appropriate oil level.

Check out "quikagc5" on youtube and you'll see more than a dozen track day videos of my '08 LS3 including some acceleration runs. I had R888 tires and beat the **** out of the car. It loved it. When the oil temp got around 300F, I'd start short shifting around 5500rpm. Otherwise, I'd run it to red line all day long.

I firmly believe a lot of engine problems on the LS3 motors (and other LSx) engines are due to aftermarket parts (including oil coolers, dry sumps, cams, tunes, etc.)

The closer you can keep the car to stock with the quart extra of oil, the more likely your car will be just fine for several years of hard track days.

Just my 2 cents from real-world application with personal experience. I'm sure others have different opinions and experiences.

JUIC3D

Great replies guys, thank you very much. This forum is full of useful information.

I just got my car a few weeks ago and am already shopping around for some HPDE locations etc in Florida. The car is my DD so I'll gladly take any necessary extra precautions to minimize the risk. If I need to drop some money into a good dry sump system, then so be it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right?

Thank you again

AU N EGL

Oiling issues then Cams with too high of lift and bad tunes seem to be the biggest problems.

Not to say those of use with LS6s have NOT had these issues as well. We have.

QUIKAG

Agreed, but with a stock tune and stock internals, going a quart over full seemed to work great for me with dozens of hard track days with my '01 C5 (LS1) and '08 C6 (LS3) all on R-comp tires. When oil temp got near 300F, I'd just start short shifting until it cooled down a little bit.

I'd like to know how many LSx motors grenaded with stock internals, stock tune, and stock non dry sump oiling system with a full quart over. I bet it's not very many. I know there will be some, but it's not going to be a high number. Every single Vette engine grenade I've personally seen and heard about at track days included either not enough oil, aftermarket engine internals, or a crappy aftermarket engine tune.

Here is a vid I got a few weeks back of a Z06 blowing up in front of me. He had just had a tune and aftermarket cam put in a few months prior and this was his first track day with this new combo. Car was running damn strong in this session and I was having a hard time keeping up with him (until it blew up).
Check end of this short clip (sorry for camera angle. It got pushed down by accident):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLymr8ehcys

JUIC3D

So I'd like 450 at the wheels and to get there, I'll need headers, intake and probably heads and a cam (mild). All that will need to be tuned I'm sure. Are you saying that it's likely the motor will grenade with a combo like that? That seems awfully mild as far as mods are concerned and 450whp is barely scratching the surface.

Again, I'm new to this so pardon my ignorance.

AU N EGL

High Speed, High G Left hand sweeping corners. The oil pick up in the oil pan was sucked dry do to the corner and G forces IIRC

AU N EGL

Not IF but WHEN.

Now that may not be a problem IF and WHEN you highly maintain your engine. Racing engines are measured in HOURS of use, not miles

Change springs at least once if not twice a year. Check the valve seat pressure at that time as well.

What do mean by "mild cam" ?

an accu-sump or better yet a dry sump will help.

Remember Road racing or HPDEs / Road Track events are far different the drag racing. The guys over on LS1 tech, for the most part dont have a clue what goes on inside our engines.

When you tell the few knowledge ppl on LS1Tech the engine is for road racing, they change their whole idea of what you need for sustained high rpm use for long periods of time.

the old saying goes:

High HP, Reliable and moderate Cost. Pick TWO, as that is all you get.


I also would love a 450 rwhp engine or three. but at $10-$14 grand each its not going to happen.

QUIKAG

You could easily get 420 or so on an LS3 with just intake, headers, and exhaust. I'd recommend not doing internal engine mods if you're going to run it hard at track days. Just my opinion though as many people are willing to mod out their car and rag it out at the track, but something will happen eventually.

Jason

Experience: Don't do it.
Enthusiasm: But I want to.
Experience: Don't do it.
Enthusiasm: But I want to.
Experience: Good luck with that.