I haven't thread-searched this at all, so feel free to bash.... I've gone through 2 engines where I suddenly lost oil pressure and spun rod bearings. Thinking back, both times I was at high revs on twisty roads. The second engine was a top-to-bottom rebuild with all new guts and decked block and head (not much, just a very little warp). I recall a discussion on another site about oil scrapers added to some Toyota racing engines to help prevent oil from sloshing back and forth in the pan at speed and corning, causing a loss of oil and (I think) what amounts to an air lock that can't be overcome. Anyone know if the 3SGE is/could be prone to that problem? I wonder if that has anything to do with sudden oil pressure loss and then....rod knock. Thoughts?
It's the achilles heal of the 3SGE. If the oil level is allowed to drop even a little below the full mark, in tight right turns the oil can move far enough away from the oil pickup to cause oiling issues. That's what I've heard. If it's true, I must be the luckiest asshole on the planet, because I can hardly keep up with the oil leaks on my GE and it often runs very low on oil, but I haven't noticed a single mechanical hiccup yet. Just seems to be the luck of the draw with these things.
hmmm. not to sound rude but i hardly doubt 99% of you guys could possibly turn that hard. there are very few cars on here that can hold enough g's to dry the sump. that being said... there is another way to dry the sump and that is with revolution. again unless you are holding 5K and above for several minutes this is extremely rare. that being said... the easiest (and best) fix is the moroso sumped pan. the ge and gte should be interchangeable. kiasis, there HAS to be another issue with your setup. run down again all your specs, whats new and not, and i can help from there.
Got to echo the point re oil starvation. even with R888 tyres on and giving it plenty on a gripy race track I have never seen oil starvation. high oil temps yes, but nothing else. I would figure there is something going on to cause your probs.
All valid points All the "performance" 3S sites recommend overfilling the standard sump Oil sloshing would only occur in very long, hard right hand corners, ie going the wrong way around an oval track I think you're confusing scrapers with sump baffle plates - Scrapers function by limiting the amount of oil being thrown around the block - prevents oil foaming and excess buildup under pistons etc. Scrapers & windage tray Baffle plates are one-way valves (flaps) built into a sump to keep oil around the pickup at all times, Mafix has them in his Moroso pan -See the hinges inside the pan? I think your problem is one of two things: 1) When bearings wear down, the gap increases and oil pressure drops as the gaps increase, this would not normally happen as fast as you describe, but a sudden bearing failure could appear that the pump has failed and the other bearings will suffer as a result. 2) If the pressure dropped after being revved hard - the only culprit is the oil pump relief valve. If the valve opened at high revs and stuck open, the oil would vent through the valve and pressure would be lost to the bearings! Conclusion Scrapers and baffles will not help your situation but I suggest cleaning or changing the relief valve assy and fitting a stronger spring as a precaution Let this be a warning to us all - I didn't even look at mine when I replaced bearings recently!
Okay, so I'm just trying to find an answer when there probably isn't one - except shit happens. I'm just hoping to figure out what I can do differently next time to prevent it happening again. Probably nothing. Mafix asked me to recap what I had done to the engine: Everything in the block is new, except the connecting rods (which spec'ed out fine). Head was rebuilt and minimally shaved to remove slight warp. Everything pressure tested, etc. New oil pump and water pump. All new timing components (obviously). My first thought was the relief valve being stuck open. Of course, it was new, but that doesn't mean anything. On another note, one guy told me some older engines can get what amounts to an air block in the oil pickup system after an oil change. I thought that crazy, but he was adament he'd seen it on older engines and said to slightly back off the oil filter after starting the car and making sure all air escapes. Has anyone every heard this seemingly BS before? Just so damn weird that the car ran perfectly for 500 miles and then blew-up 5 miles after I changed the oil. I think that's all that matters here. The rest of it was new vaccum tubing, most sensors, steering, suspension, brakes, cooling system, etc, etc.
well sounds built right. the air pocket thing is crap. the only thing i can think of is either the pump went, you threw a bearing, something got in the pickup, the pickup gasket blew out or wasn't seated right, or the celica gods hate you.
I'll be dissecting carefully to see if I can pinpoint something, other than the expected tossed bearing that I think is the result, not the cause.
