Oil Level 94/95 VD

[canuk]

Hi everyone.
Quick question: Does anyone know what the correct oil level setting is for a 94/95 VD?

And are you measuring it to the bottom of the tank or to the top of the tube inside?

Thanks for your help.
Cheers.
Canuk

[Rick Kirchner]

put it in until it pukes some out, then a few oz more each session so it pukes just a little more

[jaxssnake]

Canuk,
Rick is correct on how to do it but you should have a sight glass in the right side of the sump onless somebody removed it. I followed Ricks proceedure and found the correct level was to be able to just see the oil in the sight glass when it is cold. After I found the correct level I made a dipstick from 3/8" wooden dowel and put a mark on the stick that would be the top of the swirl pot and marked the stick below at the correct oil operating leve. That is a quick and easy way to check the oil level from there.
Jack

[EYERACE]

with the engine running, look down into the bellhouse, if the oil is not just barely covering the shaft down there, add some

[Rick Kirchner]

my sight glass was such a leaker I had to plug it.

[jaxssnake]

So was mine. I installed an O-ring that was slightly larger and permatex gray.
Jack

[canuk]

Thanks for all the info guys.
Better too have a little too much instead of not enough.

[CGOffroad]

my sight glass was such a leaker I had to plug it.

Sounds like I may be having the same problem as Rick with leaking sight glass. Does anyone have some info on how they pulled the sight glass and what they used to plug it?

[Rick Kirchner]

IIRC, it's installed from the outside. I tapped mine out from the inside with a big drift and then did an aluminum plug/o-ring design with grey permatex to stop the leak.

[hdsporty1988]

My 94 came with a dipstick with the quarts marked on it. If you want,I would be glad to make you a replica of it.

[Rick Kirchner]

please post pictures!

[hdsporty1988]

please post pictures!

Here it is, very basic but does the job. when reading 5 quarts it pukes out a little into the overflow.

[Rick Kirchner]

so this goes in the breather tower? For a moment I thought someone had modified one of the unused plugs to hold a dipstick just like a regular car.

[CGOffroad]

I contacted Brad at Primus and he says that he keeps these sight glasses in stock. His recommendation is to be sure and use a 'heat resistant O-ring'. My car came with a dipstick that is not quite as fancy as the one shown above. It is a wood stick with notches in it. But it does the trick.

I had the '95 running in the shop for the first time a couple days ago. This car has been in a garage in Phoenix area for quite some time and has not been on track in years. It is starting to come together and should be ready for testing in a couple weeks. Getting to the engine sump on this car is more problematic than others I have messed with. What does everyone do for oil changes and getting oil out of the sump?

[David Ferguson]

On my VD Sports 2000 (rear is the same as a 94/95 FC), we like to see 1-3" of oil over the top of the internal tube. This is measured at the end of a session with the oil hot, and the engine stopped.

We just measure that with a steel tape measure.

[hdsporty1988]

so this goes in the breather tower? For a moment I thought someone had modified one of the unused plugs to hold a dipstick just like a regular car.

Yes

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Not to hijack this thread, but as anyone done any baffling in the tank for a 94-96.

I'm also looking for pictures of a scalloped pickup tube to help prevent cavitation
and any improvements in the pickup tube assembly and connection.

[Rick Kirchner]

What does everyone do for oil changes and getting oil out of the sump?

For a simple drain/change I get the car up in the air, remove the diffuser, and get a stool for a catch pan to go on. Remove the plugs, and hookup the jump battery. Split the oil line at the pickup. remove the return line from the separator tower and point it at the pan. I usually have some clamps and zip ties handy to help keep things in place.

As the oil drains out of the tank I crank it over several times to move the oil out of the system.

Finally, I have an AN fitting with an air connector on it. i hook this up to my compressor at about 60 psi and use air blowing through to force as much as I can of the remaining out.

You can also remove the 4 bolts that hold the cleanout cover in place on the bottom, but that's just inviting leaks down the road. I only take that out for major rebuilds.

Paul - my pickup is just a beveled 90 degree.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Paul - my pickup is just a beveled 90 degree.

Inside the tank?

I currently have the original:
https://www.primusracingparts.com/Be...en_p_4247.html

[Rick Kirchner]

not that but close. They probably made it from one of those.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

not that but close. They probably made it from one of those.

Mine has a -10 M fitting on it. But the pickup portion is lacking per the oil experts.
Should be extended and the bottom portion should be scalloped - sitting mid tank - and the open end plugged.

My first oil problems started at Thunder Hill. I'm now suspecting oil starvation in T2 - long 180+ sweeper.
I have no tank baffling.

[Rick Kirchner]

I have no baffling either, stock pickup as far as the inside piece goes, but I do have the catch tank section drilled to increase capacity.

[problemchild]

put it in until it pukes some out, then a few oz more each session so it pukes just a little more

That is the correct answer to this question. Subtle differences in plumbing, fabricated parts, and engine performance, breathing, scavenging mean that every engine and car combo may be unique.

[CGOffroad]

, but I do have the catch tank section drilled to increase capacity.

How did you drill the catch tank? You are talking about increasing capacity by making a mod to the tank in bell housing? How is this done?

[David Ferguson]

The casting has two tanks, the main drysump tank, and the overflow tank. The drysump tank is too small, so when the gearbox is removed, you can remove the aluminum plate and it's easy to drill/machine several 3/4" - 1" holes in the casting between the tanks.

My VD Sports2000 (which used this 94/95 casting) had this done from Van Diemen when delivered new in 2003. Of course the brand new casting was porous and leaked into the input shaft tube, so I had to seal it with epoxy within the first few weeks I had the car.... That's when I noticed how the tank size was increased.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

How did you drill the catch tank? You are talking about increasing capacity by making a mod to the tank in bell housing? How is this done?

Mine has 2 upper holes and 2 lower holes.

What you can't see is below the 2 lower holes are a few (IIR 3) 1/4" sized holes as close to the bottom as they could get.

Attachment 86739Attachment 86740

My 94 (pictures) never had the drain installed and the top port is plugged.
Attachment 86742

On my 93 tank the back section was a catch tank as originally intended. Had a drain and top input port provisioned , etc.
Attachment 86741

[CGOffroad]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Thank you for posting.

How much does this increase the oil capacity?

[Rick Kirchner]

roughly 2 qt

[rg2]

roughly 2 qt

Guys, unrelated subject other than it's about the VD bellhousing/oil tank discussion. Does anyone have a source for the aluminum hold downs for the oil tank swirl pot? Mine are butchered up and I really don't want to have make these. Primus says they don't have them and I don't see them on the Velocity site.

[Rick Kirchner]

I can think of an "easy" way to make 'em:

Using commercial bushings or making your own, fabricate a plate with a central spud. Bolt the bushings to the plate on the same bolt circle as the tower.

Then mount the plate on a lathe via the spud and turn to the appropriate step height, with pretty high speed and pretty low feed, at least until you get consistent cuts.

[rg2]

I can think of an "easy" way to make 'em:

Using commercial bushings or making your own, fabricate a plate with a central spud. Bolt the bushings to the plate on the same bolt circle as the tower.

Then mount the plate on a lathe via the spud and turn to the appropriate step height, with pretty high speed and pretty low feed, at least until you get consistent cuts.

Thanks Rick. Obviously you know how to machine stuff as do I although you're probably better at it. I'm just getting frustrated that everything on this restoration project including simple little things like these hold downs are dicked up and it just takes more time to assemble things as a result. As they say, some people (as in the previous owner) could destroy an anvil with a Q tip.