Tech Corner: Proper Oiling in a Tight Space

Many builders are often surprised to discover that, after assembling a heavily modified machine, there may not be enough room beneath the engine for a regular oil pan. It’s not that they’re blind to the possibility of something like this happening; it’s just that, when your mind is occupied with all the other things you need to do to build a car, clearance for your oiling systems might not occupy the front of your mind.

Luckily, there are a lot of solutions to help you out with this – especially when you work with a manufacturer like Moroso, who’s spent more than 70 years building a catalog of product to help with pretty much any oiling system demand you can dream up.

When it comes to lack of room, specifically, you have a few key solutions to build the oiling system you need. Some are far simpler than others, but all are extremely effective for the right ride. We’re here to talk through some of the ways Moroso can help your engine stay lubricated in tight spaces.

Dry Sump Systems: Not the Universal Solution

In pretty much any situation where a factory oil pan simply won’t do the trick, it’s easy for your mind to dart right to a dry sump system. Why wouldn’t it? These are really cool, highly-effective solutions. Nothing says “racecar” quite like a dry sump system does, and Moroso has everything you need to put one in your vehicle. Sadly, that doesn’t mean they’re always the right fit for the job.

Don’t get us wrong, there’s no replacement for a dry sump system in many situations. Particularly when hard launches and cornering would otherwise pull oil away from a traditional oil pan’s sump, leaving the pickup tube dry and giving your engine a big gulp of air when it needs oil more than ever. So, if you’re building a serious racecar where situations like this are a real issue, don’t skip the dry sump.

However, when space is extremely limited, a dry sump system isn’t always the right fit.

Dry sump systems rely on big external reservoirs that take up a considerable amount of space. They also often run an external pump that needs to be driven by the engine’s serpentine belt. Paired with the plumbing, these features might present big problems to solve if you’re dedicating room in the engine bay to other space-consuming items like a blower or turbocharger.

That’s not to say you can’t locate the oil tank elsewhere. (In fact, you can mount the tank in the trunk if you need to.) However, the point is that for a modified street car – not a dedicated race vehicle – you might be better off skipping the dry-sump system altogether.

If hard Gs are something you’re worried about, then you can also add an oil accumulator to your vehicle if a dry sump system isn’t quite necessary. These are essentially pressurized oil reservoirs that will supplement oil if the pickup goes dry for a moment. They do take up some room, but not as much as a tank for a dry sump system, which makes them a fair compromise for hard-driven applications.

Low Profile Pans and Why They’re Great

Wet sump systems are perfectly viable solutions for most vehicles. In space-limited applications, it’s the sump that gives the most trouble. The right oil pan for the situation really comes down to what’s causing space concerns to begin with. If it’s contact with the ground that you’re worried about, Moroso’s low-profile oil pans might be just what you need.

A low-profile pan is simply an oil pan whose overall depth is shallower than the factory pans usually equipped with an engine. This effectively puts more room between it and the ground. This is massively beneficial to applications that sit low and are driven hard, as it reduces the risk of something coming in contact with the pan and creating a mess of a situation.

That’s not to say your only option is a low-profile pan in this scenario. Sometimes, you want more oil capacity but don’t want the sump depth to get any lower than stock. That’s where the shape of the sump becomes a consideration. Some Moroso pans widen the sump, rather than lowering it, to maintain ground clearance while boosting oil capacity.

Rethinking Your Sump

Custom chassis work and engine swaps present their own set of challenges for oil pan clearance –especially, when an engine and crossmember are mismatched. In many cases, this creates the need for an oil pan swap.

The factory sump location, determined by the design of the original vehicle’s engine crossmember, can be at the front, center, or rear of the engine. If the engine is installed in a different vehicle with a custom crossmember, then the original sump configuration might not fit the new setup. In such instances, simply swapping to an aftermarket pan with the sump in the right location can resolve the issue. Moroso is ready to assist with high-quality solutions for these situations.

Oil Filter Relocation

One last issue to keep in mind when it comes to available space is if you decide to run a different oil filter than what the engine had in its factory state. The reason for doing such a thing is that a different type of filter can offer greater capacity and filtering capabilities, which are highly beneficial characteristics for any engine.

The problem here is that an adapter and the filter itself can take up a lot more room than the stock filter. In this case, you can use one of Moroso’s oil filter remote mounting adapters  as a workaround.

When you do the homework and decide which mods will work for you, take our word for it — Moroso should be your first call. The company has been in the business of supplying aftermarket parts, including a wide array of oiling system upgrades since 1968. Its favorability among racers after all these years is proof that you can rely on it to keep your engine lubricated no matter what.

Suffice it to say, no matter what your situation, Moroso likely has a solution. Explore the brand’s extensive catalog to find versatile answers to all your engine modification questions: https://www.moroso.com/