Any companies out there that make a dry sump oil system for the c63?

 

The new Mercedes SLS uses an upgraded version of our 63 engines and does come with a dry sump oil system. It'd be interesting if an aftermarket company offered a conversion kit.

 

The complex system on the sls would be $$$$$ to retrofit.. You would need a presure pump and a scavenging pump. Oil res. tank lots of hoses and asort. fittings But the main problem i would see would be moding a fitting to pum in to where the oil pick up tube feeds presurized oil now..

But at the end of the day one of the reasons for having a dry sump system is to lower the engine in the craddle / wieght distrubution .. Also for high speed cornering ..

You would have to redesign the subframe or the way the engine mounts to take advantange of the dry sump... Not sure if cost would be worth it

 

But on a side note i am sls cert. and had experiance with them and let me tell you how impresive the oiling system is .... and how low and far back they get the motor... the way they regulate oil presure is trick to

 

I was familiar with the sls having a dry sump oil system, Ive heard the slr comes with one too. But wow it really seems like it would cost alot of money to put one in the c63 , also alot of work too. It would be great for a ***** out out track version of a c63 though.

 

Ya after hearing about the dry sump system in the sls, i wondered if they could make one for the c63.

 

Sounds alot like how they mount the LS7 motor in the z06.

 

The HSV Holden Commodores here in Australia that are factory fitted with the LS7 also come with a dry sump system.

There are workshops here that will do a dry sump conversion for just about any make and model you can name.

It’s common modification for racers and I’m sure if you do an internet search you’ll find many places in the United States that can also do the same.

If you are serious about going in this direction, ask around and get some prices.

I’m sure the rest of us would like to know how you go with it.

.

 

They fit dry sump systems for a different reason. When the LS1 first came out it was nortorous for oil pickup problems. The 63 engine has no such issues with it's large well designed sump. Dry sumps allow for an engine to be mounted much lower than normal and are also benifical where oil pickup is a problem. Fitting a dry sump system to an existing C63 would provide little benifit and would probably cause a few issues if the fitment and design weren't as good as they could be.

 

For sure LS1’s did have a few problems and a number of these issues were address in later LS generations, though scavenging can still be a problem. As is the case with many engines when under load and directional forces.


I will bow to your MB experience.

Are you saying that the pump pickup in the C63 wet sump setup is well located and efficient enough to overcome the G Forces that can cause oil starvation during track conditions?

If so, that would be great ‘peace of mind’ for all owners.


.

 

I even have a very simple C240 V6 that holds 8.0L of oil in the sump, a LS1 held 5.0L and dealers were being directed to overfill them during oil changes. The oil pickup was on one side of the sump so when cornering in the opposite direction (I forget which direction) and the oil anythng but on the full mark they suffered brief oil starvation even during street driving.

M156 engines have sump capacities (oil change quantity) of between 8.0L and 9.7L depending on the chassis it's fitted too. Interestingly enough the smallest capacity sump in in the R230 (SL63). The pickup is in the middle of the sump, the sumps aren't relatively wide but they are deep.

The rear sumped C63 has the oil pump mounted in the front sump (they have a hump over the subframe) and it uses a scavenger pump to direct any oil from the front section of the sump to the deeper rear section. The main oil pickup is in the rear sump. A full crankshaft length windage tray stops the rotating crank from foaming the engine oil and reduces power losses.

In short, no AMG engine has any problems with oil starvation even during track events.

Out of interest though, watch this vid, it shows how much oil moves around during race conditions and to what lengths European manufactures test their products. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv53RbvgfGc

 

Very interesting.

From what you’ve explained, I couldn’t see the value in making any changes to the oiling system.

.

 

its so ironic i am watching NGC and they r talking about the 2010 Z6 LS7 motor and how the dry sump oil system works with the G Force playing a big roll.

 

Great post. Sure, dry sump is the way to go. But, I seriously doubt anyone will ever get a stock C63 (or any other 63 platform for that matter) into a high G load turn long enough for it to create an oil pressure loss that creates mechanical damage. The windage trays with all the trap doors and baffles etc are almost as good as a dry sump unless you are talking full race conditions (which the C63 was never designed or intended to see).

 

Another reason to use a dry sump is to vastly increase the oil supply. Most people think water cooled but in fact oil provides at least half and often the majority of cooling (air cooled 911's anyone?). By using a dry sump you could have an external oil storage tank that would allow you to carry an extra couple of gallons of oil and with auxilliary coolers you would not have to worry about engine over heating as much.

Jim