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Where is the best place to return oil to the engine from the turbo?


bubba_doc

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1985 Z24 engine in king cab 4x4. Looking at the engine there is a bolt going into the side of the block right behind the oil dipstick. Can I run it there? The oil pan is held captive by the front drivetrain and that makes taking the oil pan off a HUGE pain. I have also read some threads about poor oil return due to oil levels at or above oil return despite being at the uppermost part of the oil pan.

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Run it into the block vent. Drill and tap a hole lower down.

 

Plumb a line to the timing cover below the distributor and drill and tap a hole. Aluminum is soft and the timing gear won't mind the extra oil.

 

I would insulate any pipe from exhaust heat to prevent coking.

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I second the use of the vent, and make sure your oil line is stubbed well into that vent so pressurized oil has only one direction it can go - straight into the pan.  The vent should have a shield inside the block so the oil will not splash directly on the crank, creating excess windage.  

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Every turbo motor I can think of has it draining as low as possible. I wouldn't be afraid to drill and tap a hole into the block.

 

Keeping oil off the crank is ultimately the most important goal here, aside from draining the turbo. Why not have it drain right into the side of the pan? It would be easy enough to TIG weld a steel AN nipple onto the side of the pan.

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The pan is fine, as long as you don't put the fitting below the oil level.

Turbo drains must flow freely, and it has been shown that if the drain connects below the oil level, there is enough of a restriction that the turbo will start passing oil out from around the seals, either into the exhaust, or into the intake.

Especially if the manifold mounts the turbo low, AKA under hung.

 

One of the turbo manifolds I had was an under hung, and the only way to get the oil back to the engine without problems was to mount a low tank for it to drain into, and use an electric oil pump to scavenge the oil back to the block from there. 

 

Ball bearing turbos require much less oil, so the problem doesn't effect them.

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