K series sump foam replacement?

[CPS7]

How often should this be replaced - does it deteriorate a lot over time? Or the more miles you do?

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Do a search for the many many threads !!

 

Best advice is to discard it in the bin and drill a couple of holes in the big empty bit of sump gasket.

 

It has the possibility of causing so much damage.

[John Vine]

+1 . And this is where to drill the holes (courtesy DVA).

 

JV

 

Edited by - John Vine on 8 Sep 2013 11:54:56

[Jonathan Kay]

You're going to have to make your mind up on this. If you decide to keep it James Whiting recommended that it should be changed every 3 years regardless of low mileage.

 

Jonathan

[Bricol]

And I'd suggest sticking to one brand and type of oil - 12yrs on, several foam changes, lots of oil changes, lots of miles, and foam still seems to be foamy when I remove it, none of the crispy, breaking up stuff some describe.

 

Bri

[Grandmaster Flatcap]

Can I ask, as I can't find this in the archives, What is the foam there for - what is it meant to achieve?

[Mick Day]

Quoting Nigel Mercer: 

Can I ask, as I can't find this in the archives, What is the foam there for - what is it meant to achieve?

That's a difficult question & so far nobody has given a definitive answer. I suppose the best one though is to prevent surge.

 

I've had my K series from new in 1994 & I never changed the foam.............. However between then & 2004 I left major servicing to someone else but never saw "foam" on the invoice. In 2004 Gary May serviced the car & I noticed foam & ali baffle on the invoice (the baffle had started to crack). A year later I put in a Hellier baffle, removed the foam & modified the gasket. However my foam was in the sump with a neat cut-out for the oil pick-up. Now I've no idea whether this was Gary's way of doing it or my car had that arrangement all along. However to my mind that is a better way of doing it rather than sandwiching it between the baffle & oil rail.

 

I now have a dry sump.

[John Vine]

Quoting Mick Day: 

Quoting Nigel Mercer: 

Can I ask, as I can't find this in the archives, What is the foam there for - what is it meant to achieve?

That's a difficult question & so far nobody has given a definitive answer. I suppose the best one though is to prevent surge.

That's my understanding too. I think the reasoning is that, in the 7, the K has a very shallow sump canted to one side, and thus is susceptible to oil surge (and possible oil starvation). The foam plus baffle plate is supposed to minimize this. It may do, but I can't point you to any evidence that it does.

 

JV

[john milner]

Can't be surge protection as it is the wrong place. I think this rumour may have started as the foam is not used with a dry sump. My guess is the foam filters out air bubbles from oil that has been whipped up by the crank. I would like to know for sure though.

I was changing the foam every two years and never saw any problems with it but eventually ditched it as I felt it was only a matter of time before I joined the list of horror stories. The pictures of failures suggest to me that carbon deposits may be part of the problem so perhaps it is related to combustion gases getting in the oil.

[stevethemook]

After thinking about this one for ages I am just about to remove the foam on mine . Will make the 2 year service a dam site easier and after seeing all the horror pictures will make me sleep a bit easier.

 

Take care when drilling the gasket if you do decide to remove the foam.

 

 

Steve

[Myles]

My foam completely disintegrated within 70 miles of starting the engine - probably due to some coolant getting in to the cheap oil I used for running in. Exceptional circumstances, maybe, but it could easily have resulted in more than a simple strip down and replacement of bearings.