Do I need a "trap door" oil pan???

[SoCal Rebell]

Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

I've heard if you do alot of road racing (like myself) in older Vipers you need the trap door oil pan. In fact I have personally seen a '97 GTS put 3 holes in his block at WSIR because of oil starvation. But I have a '00 model with the 10 quart oil pan, do I need the trap doors? I am starting to run Hoosiers so I will be pulling more lateral g's.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

I would no matter what tires you run. The doors swing back and forth and I think would benefit hard braking and acceleration which you are doing already. Lateral wise should also se some benefit. With Hoosiers on I would now start inspecting your steering rack frame mounting welds at a minimum once every track day, unless you have the new and improved welded style of the 2001's and beyond. Especially if you like to drive over the rumble strips on the courses.

 

[Marv S]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

It's not very expensive protection. To modify your current pan there are 2 excellent kits to consider:

Joe Dozzo email makes a nice kit for both pre and post 2000 pans.


Jerry Scott email can hook you up with a baffle/door kit that has a bit different approach.



<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Marv S on 05-01-2002 at 11:36 AM</font>

 

[ntmatter]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

I installed the PartsRack Stage 1 and Stage 2 oil kit in my '98 - basically the higher-capacity 10 quart oil pan, baffles (which look like hinges), and an improved windage tray. The difference for me is noticable on road coursed. I used to hear engine parts click and pop from oil starvation during extended hard cornering - now those sounds have gone away. Plus, I replaced the oil pan gasket with the nice aluminum one for a bit of extra peace-of-mind.

 

[Greg 99ACR Red and Silver]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

Ron: It is cheap insurance. I had it put in by Said at Star Viper Inc. in Anaheim (714 6329990). He modified my existing pan.

 

[Sonny 00 GTS ACR]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

Hi Ron,

You might also consider an accusump tank which is designed to help maintain oil pressure. It helps on start up as well.

With better brakes and/or tires you should also look into venting your crankcase differently. The stock setup has the vents on each valve cover located low and in the front. After high RPM runs a good deal of oil finds it's way into the valve covers and then when followed by hard braking the oil runs to the front, down the tubes into the intake, back through the engine and out the exhaust. That is one reason why the stock Viper has black exhaust pipes after a day on the track.

The best way to fix the problem is to plug the existing vents and make new vents in each valve cover in the center and up high to eliminate the gravity issue. Hoses can then be added and tied back to a breather tank located back on the firewall. There is also a third "valley" vent coming out from the front of the intake manifold that should be connected to the other two hoses going to the breather tank. If you don't want to add holes to your valve covers, I have seen people use individual breathers in the stock positions but you still have gravity working against you and I would guess that they need to be cleaned often to be effective.

I'm sure others have experience with this problem so maybe you'll get some more input.

I hope this helps - good luck!

 

[Jay Lopez]

Re: Do I need a \"trap door\" oil pan???

http://www.northtexasviperclub.com/2000oilpan.htm