VX Dry Sump Pump Location - Consensus

[Guest]

I feel like a child in a sweetshop, just been to Paul Exon, my engine is coming on, the head is finished and resplendent with its 92 mm trumpets...looking forward to the noise!. Pistons and rods have arrived, just waiting for the Pace Dry Sump Bits.

 

The question is which side to mount the pump?, Drivers side means long convoluted pipe runs, Passenger Side is much easier plumbing, but are there issues with regards to possibly fouling the standard VX engine mounts and of course the proximity to the exhausts primaries.

 

What's the consensus??

[andy_h]

Mines on the drivers side.

 

I'd have thought it would make sense keep away from hot exhaust side.

More space on drivers side also, as alternator on passenger side.

 

[Guest]

I don't think I've seen one mounted on anything other than the drivers side.

[I reply to every thread]

Standard fitting on pretty much all other cars is exhaust side but Caterhams it always seems to be induction side

[Lee Fowler]

Caterham seemed to have swapped the alternator to the passengers and fit the pump on the drivers side because of the steering shaft I think.

 

Lee

[captain chaos]

drivers side...

 

 

[Guest]

Drivers side it is then...lol

[k.russell]

Hi Alan we are at curborough Tuesday if you want to look at a couple 😬

[Guest]

Kev,

 

I'll be there, and if Pace can get their act together I might even have my Dry Sump Tank!

 

Alan

[Vinnie_Hki]

I have experience of both.

 

The three stage pace pump fitted on the passenger side. In this installation the alternator gets switched over to the drivers side. I didn't like that much as it means you then have the steering column and the alternator fighting for wiggle room underneath the induction. This means that access to the alternator is a p.i.t.a. should anything go wrong. IMHE alternators fail or have issues more frequently than dry sump pumps.

 

The other type, which I still have, uses the original Caterham setup which is a two stage scavenge pump from pace working in conjunction with the original (VX) oil pump. The disadvantage of this set up is that the mount for the oil pump (scavenge) is all tied up with the drivers side engine mount which has to be shimmed in to place. I guess the non-Caterham OEM kits don't have this issue. Another disadvantage is that the alternator is of course now closer to the exhaust manifold and can be awkward to work on when everything gets hot, but that is a rare issue (You can usually let it all cool down).

 

So,IMHO, either way has it's ups and downs. On balance I like the original Caterham system with the bell tank and would fit the pump on the drivers side again. Bottom line is it really depends on your own complete installation as to what makes sense, i.e. where will the tank be fitted etc. I think pipe runs in this context are immaterial, there are many rally cars out there for example sending engine oil to coolers fitted in the rear wings (Audi Quattro) without any issues, so a few extra cm in a Caterham should be trivial.

 

Vinnie