sbalmos
Well Known Member
Hi all,
I need a bit of education or at least a talking through. I have a IO-320-E1A originally off a Citabria. It's one of those sumps with a vertical oil suction tube inside, and was factory STC'd with an inverted oil system. At one point or another during the engine's life, it had a full Christen inverted oil system installed.
For various reasons, I cracked off the sump last week. I was surprised to find the suction tube had no oil screen on it at all. This seems to be because the central 1.5" port, which is normally plugged off, has a reducer screwed in it, so a large AN elbow fitting could be installed. Don't know if this would've been part of the normal setup for an inverted oil system. Anyway, apparently the suction tube fits straight down into this reducer, so the screen (which I have bought a replacement one) won't even fit on. And the only way the suction tube would get oil is if this elbow is connected to one of the other ports on the sump.
Like I said, I'm completely ignorant of how an inverted oil system would've normally been plumbed to the sump, so maybe this was normal to not have a screen inside to begin with? Can I remove the reducer, plug the central port back up with a plug (I have one of those also, I know it's a special size), and thus I'm guessing the screen will properly fit on the suction tube then, allowing the tube to suck straight from the bottom of the sump? I /really/ don't like the idea of my whole oil feed being dependent on a tube connecting from one port of the sump to another.
--Headscratching in The Queen City
I need a bit of education or at least a talking through. I have a IO-320-E1A originally off a Citabria. It's one of those sumps with a vertical oil suction tube inside, and was factory STC'd with an inverted oil system. At one point or another during the engine's life, it had a full Christen inverted oil system installed.
For various reasons, I cracked off the sump last week. I was surprised to find the suction tube had no oil screen on it at all. This seems to be because the central 1.5" port, which is normally plugged off, has a reducer screwed in it, so a large AN elbow fitting could be installed. Don't know if this would've been part of the normal setup for an inverted oil system. Anyway, apparently the suction tube fits straight down into this reducer, so the screen (which I have bought a replacement one) won't even fit on. And the only way the suction tube would get oil is if this elbow is connected to one of the other ports on the sump.
Like I said, I'm completely ignorant of how an inverted oil system would've normally been plumbed to the sump, so maybe this was normal to not have a screen inside to begin with? Can I remove the reducer, plug the central port back up with a plug (I have one of those also, I know it's a special size), and thus I'm guessing the screen will properly fit on the suction tube then, allowing the tube to suck straight from the bottom of the sump? I /really/ don't like the idea of my whole oil feed being dependent on a tube connecting from one port of the sump to another.
--Headscratching in The Queen City