wet sump zetec improvement

[michael bedard]

On a recent Malibu blat I noticed how low slung the wet sump was on the Zetec popwered cars and decided to do some research through Mike Macalear (a Westfield owner,but don't say anything he's very sensitive) who is a veritable fountain of continuous information. The normal Zetec sump is very lowslung and so ground clearance is limited. The oil baffles were designed to work with the engine installed in a transverse location so when used in an inline location there is a distinct possibility of oil starvation under heavy G forces such as experienced on a track day or even fast driving on a curvy road.
Raceline has created a beautifully cast alloy sump designed to allow the greatest possible ground clearance and also solve the oil starvation problem. They accomplish this by making the sump wide and shallow with extensive baffling to prevent any oil surging. It does mean youmust inscribe you dipstick to allow for the new full level. This is done by simply adding five quarts to a dry engine and marking the dipstick at the highest shown level. The sump is supplied with all accescories required and with full fitting instructions and is suitable with any Ford gearbox.

This new sump will give you an additional 36mm (1 1/2") of ground clearance. Raceline can be reached at;

www.raceline.co.uk

tel: o11 44 483 811 978

Michael Bedard

[slomove]

I have a Raceline wet sump but I always thought that is already quite low....But maybe the stock sump is even deeper :?

Same thing for the oil sloshing. The Raceline thing may be better than stock but not perfect. I don't believe the engine ever suffered from severe oil starvation but I did experience quite some aeration on the track. That improved after I installed the missing windage plate that the twat who assembled my engine forgot. Anyway, there is still occasional oil spitting with full 5 liters oil charge: I had to disconnect the PCV vent hose from the K&N air filters to avoid splattering the passenger side with oil (now have a separate catch tank).

I will have to watch it again after upgrade to the new ACB10 tires. They should allow for more transverse acceleration and a higher risk with the oil supply.

Gert

P.S.: I have the older ZX1 version (Contour/Mondeo). The Focus ZX3 is different and may not have these issues.