oil pan baffles and trap doors

[johnny2quick]

Hi all,

I'm designing a baffled oil pan for a new company which makes aftermarket parts for 2000+ toyota celicas. The company's aim is to provide the best parts (best quality and performance gains) at the lowest costs possible. So far, we've come out with a cold air intake and an exhaust which beat all competitors in both performance gains and price, and are at the very least equal in quality.

So about the baffles and trap doors...

Basically, the trap doors will be set up so that when the oil is sent in any given direction, some doors will open and some will be held shut, all by the force of the oil itself.

The basic design is like a tick-tack-toe board: two baffles vertical, two horizontal. The center square baffles will have one-way doors opening inward (toward the center of the sqaure) to allow oil to get into the center of the pan, where the pickup line is.

As the oil comes from, say, left to right, the right door is forced shut and the left door is forced open by the oil. Same thing for front-back oil movement.

Here's what i'm not sure about: how to keep the oil from going under the doors, and whether the doors are practically made into the baffles (read: cost efficient). There would have to be hinges, obviously, so then the consumer cost goes up.

Moroso uses trap doors in a different way to accomplish the same task (getting oil to oil pickup when lateral forces are present). However, Moroso is a high dollar name, and we want to keep the consumer cost low.

Would it be possible to weld the baffles/trap doors into a cast aluminum pan (cast aluminum because of oil bungs and light weight)? If not, what might be the best way to go about this?

[RandomTask]

Great sales pitch!

Completely sealing the bottom shouldn't be a huge concern. As long as the bottoms of the baffles doors becoming flush with the pan, I really wouldn't worry about making it fluid tight rather just enough to effeciently impeded the oil for a period of time. You have to imagine what the vehicle will be doing:

Drag Strip: hold enough oil for 15 or so seconds
Auto-X: Hold enough oil for 6 seconds (for turns)

Also remember the oil supply is going to be constantly replenishing itself as well.

Welding aluminum is harder than welding steel for the fact that aluminum dissipates heat quicker. You would definetely want to find someone who has had a lot of practice. Using a TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welder, you need to be able to set it to an alternating current (AC) setting. (You weld normal steel on DC). Also, where as when welding steel you want a sharp tungsten point, while welding aluminum, you want a "balled" or dull tungsten tip. This can usually be aquired by trying to weld a piece of bronze. When welding be careful to not stay in the same spot for too long. The pan is fairly thin and as such, if you heat up one spot too long you can blow a hole into it causing a severe headache. Being that the baffle shouldn't see extreme stresses I wouldn't imagine you would have to run a full bead of weld on every point of contact rather than a few well placed tack's.
I hope this helps!
Good Luck!

[sierrap615]

ok, never dealt with this but i do know a few cars with distroyed engines from going around a sharp turn will low oil(one while autocrossing with full oil). but i would think you would want a little bit of a gap on the bottom for two reasons: to keep the different chambers atleast somewhat even, and for oil changes, unless you are going to have 9 drain plugs.

[johnny2quick]

Originally Posted by RandomTask

Great sales pitch!

Completely sealing the bottom shouldn't be a huge concern. As long as the bottoms of the baffles doors becoming flush with the pan, I really wouldn't worry about making it fluid tight rather just enough to effeciently impeded the oil for a period of time. You have to imagine what the vehicle will be doing:

Drag Strip: hold enough oil for 15 or so seconds
Auto-X: Hold enough oil for 6 seconds (for turns)

Also remember the oil supply is going to be constantly replenishing itself as well.

I hope this helps!
Good Luck!

Originally Posted by sierrap615

ok, never dealt with this but i do know a few cars with distroyed engines from going around a sharp turn will low oil(one while autocrossing with full oil). but i would think you would want a little bit of a gap on the bottom for two reasons: to keep the different chambers atleast somewhat even, and for oil changes, unless you are going to have 9 drain plugs.

Thanks for the replies!

I won't actually have anything to do with the production of the pans, I just have to decide how they're going to be made, since they'll be mass produced. RandomTask, I think you're right about not having to seal the bottoms. That way the oil level can be the same throughout the pan when the pan is level, like sierra615 says. However I would think that if there's a gap on the bottom, that will pretty much cancel out the purpose of the baffles. I will take a closer look at my design to ensure that changing oil won't be a pain in the neck.

[RandomTask]

So does this mean I'm on the pay role now?

[johnny2quick]

Originally Posted by RandomTask

So does this mean I'm on the pay role now?

LOL..
unfortunately, no. But then again, there's noone on the payroll. Like I said, it's a very small company trying to get it's start (with no loans, mind you) and I'm trying to get my own start with this company. But I do really appreciate the help!!