WEBVTT - Why do some engines use a dry sump oil system?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff from hastaff works dot com where smart happens. Hi.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Marshall Brain with today's question. Why do some engines

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<v Speaker 1>use a dry sump oil system? Most production cars have

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<v Speaker 1>a wet sump oil system. The oil that you put

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<v Speaker 1>into the engine is stored beneath the crankshaft in the

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<v Speaker 1>oil pan. This pan has to be large enough and

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<v Speaker 1>deep enough to hold four to six quarts of oil.

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<v Speaker 1>Think about two three liter bottles of soda and you

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<v Speaker 1>can see that this storage area can be pretty big.

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<v Speaker 1>A wet sump, the oil pump sucks oil from the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom of the oil pan through a tube and then

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<v Speaker 1>pumps it to the rest of the engine. In a

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<v Speaker 1>dry sump, extra oil is stored in a tank outside

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<v Speaker 1>the engine rather than in the oil pan. There are

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<v Speaker 1>at least two oil pumps in a dry sump system,

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<v Speaker 1>one polls oil from the sump and sends it to

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<v Speaker 1>the tank, and the other takes oil from the tank

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<v Speaker 1>and sends it to lubricate the engine. The minimum amount

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<v Speaker 1>of oil possible remains in the engine. Dry sump systems

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<v Speaker 1>have several important advantages over wet sums. First, because of

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<v Speaker 1>dry sump doesn't need to have an oil pan big

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<v Speaker 1>enough to hold the oil under the engine, the main

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<v Speaker 1>mass of the engine can be placed lower in the vehicle.

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<v Speaker 1>This helps lower the center of gravity of the engine

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<v Speaker 1>and can also help aerodynamics by allowing a lower hoodline.

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<v Speaker 1>The oil capacity of a dry sump system can be

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<v Speaker 1>as big as you want. The tank holding the oil

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<v Speaker 1>can be placed anywhere on the vehicle. In a wet

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<v Speaker 1>sud ump, turning, breaking and acceleration can cause the oil

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<v Speaker 1>to pool on one side of the engine. This sloshing

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<v Speaker 1>can dip the crank shaft into the oil as it turns,

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<v Speaker 1>or it can uncover the pumps pick up to excess

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<v Speaker 1>oil around the crank shaft in a wet sump can

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<v Speaker 1>get on the shaft and cut horse power. Some people

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<v Speaker 1>claim improvements of as much as fifteen horse power by

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<v Speaker 1>switching to a dry sump. The disadvantage of the dry

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<v Speaker 1>sump system is the increased weight, complexity, and cost from

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<v Speaker 1>that extra pump and the tank itself, but that's a

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<v Speaker 1>small price to pay for such big benefits. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>have any ideas or suggestions for this podcast? If so,

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<v Speaker 1>please send me an email at podcast at how stuff

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