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Enough protection for the engine?
franky - 11/9/09 at 05:25 PM

Due to digging around forums/ebay and merlin motorsport i've got the following together to help look after my BEC... its a zx12r lump, shortened and baffled sump, running a 19row oil cooler with stat, remote filter and a accusump system.

I think thats all I can do with my budget but am I right in thinking that should do for road/track use?


sorens2 - 11/9/09 at 05:40 PM

I have the same engine. I love it.
Same oilcooler and oiltemp is always 85 deg. C.
Mine runs dry sump so I don´t know about the accu.
Don´t forget a quick shifter kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajGoWEL12fE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVSLAhb3xkU

Soren S2


twybrow - 11/9/09 at 05:51 PM

That sounds more than adequate... Some just run a modded sump. With the accusump as well, I think you'll be fine....


owelly - 11/9/09 at 06:03 PM

Is it possible to fit oil pressure senders in the oil ways somewhere? On my Alfa engine I have oil gauges in the remote filter housing, main oil gallery and the head feed gallery! I may spend more time watching the dash than the road but I'll be able to stop the engine from running dry!!


orton1966 - 12/9/09 at 06:07 AM

I went round and round in circles trying to decide what to do about oiling for my zx12r engine. Whilst several people seem happy with a shortened sump, my concern was that this could be, at best, marginal for heavy track use. In the end I went with the advice I got from Andy at AB performance, this guy has massive experience of dealing with oil surge in bike engines, first from a background in sidecar racing, same issues as our own, then kit cars and RGB racing. He also has a lot of experience of the 12r and 14r engines.

Here was his advice to me:

Dry sumps – expensive, complicated, heavy and subject to its own reliability issues

Shortened/baffled sump – Marginal, at best for Track use, track testing with two spire RGB cars both with the 12r engine, they rodded both in a single day

Swinging pickup sump- They have a lot of time for this set-up, partly because they sell it but the system makes perfect sense, the pick up follows the oil and reports seem to suggest it is very reliable. Also very popular with the drag bike boys. I think at around £600 it is very good value piece of mind.

Anyway as I’m sure you know opinions are many and varied, I just considered £600 good value against the value of an expensive engine. I think if I was using a cheaper early blade, R1 or zzr10 engine I would take more risk


mrwibble - 12/9/09 at 11:21 AM

what is an accusump?


Andy B - 12/9/09 at 07:11 PM

Just spotted your question
accusumps were originally designed for oval circuit racecars suffering surge, they consist of a cylinder with a piston installed, one end has a shrader valve and air pressure guage, the other end has an outlet with a valve - either mechanical or electric - this connects direct to the engines main oil gallery.
You pump the piston forward with a foot pumpuntil it is all the way to the outlet end. Then let the air pressure down to 3 psi. Next depending on the size of accusump, most cars use 4 or 6 pint you add that quantity of oil extra to your normal sump fill.
Start the engine and hey presto oil pressure pushes the extra oil into the accusump and as it does the air pressure behind the piston increases until it equals oil pressure, lets say 75psi.
If your engine suffers surge the air pressure pushes oil into the main gallery and then when oil pressure returns the oil goes back into the accusump.
So in effect you have oil shuttling backwards and forwards
It must be noted that accusumps do not tackle surge (billet sumps, dry sumps do that) they tackle the symptoms of surge and as such should be viewed as additional insurance.
They also allow you to open the valve pre start up and prelube your engine.
We stockk 4 pint and 6 pint systems
Hope that helps
Andy