PT Hydraulic Tank Question

KentT · May 21, 2007

woodlandfarms said:
I've always liked the plenum you put in front of your carb to "stabilize" the air flow.

Tuned plenums on carbs really work to effect the power, not the mileage -- just as tuned exhausts with equal-length pipes do on the exhaust side.

What doesn't work (as far as I know) are the "vortex" kinds of gimmicks that try to get the air spinning in the right direction or something...

On a carb engine you can experiment with plenums on the carbs and different exhausts on a dyno, and they'll have pretty dramatic results -- easily 5% to 10% or more. But, they're very RPM dependent. A large, open (i.e. tall plenum) will boost power at the very top end of the RPM range, yet decrease (or have no effect on) power at low RPM. Short, individual plenums or runners for each cylinder will boost torque and power at the bottom of the RPM range, yet decrease it (or have no effect on it) at the top of the RPM range.

Similarly, backpressure in an exhaust system will increase torque at low RPMs but cost you power at high RPMs. But, no need to go into that...

woodlandfarms · May 21, 2007

Sorry, I meant vortex... I am going to Fuel Inject my charger this summer if the money gods allow. That and some aluminum heads. I get 9MPG which is wrong for this car. Just put on a new edelbrock and have to rejet it a bit.

cqaigy2 · May 21, 2007

woodlandfarms said:
Sorry, I meant vortex... I am going to Fuel Inject my charger this summer if the money gods allow. That and some aluminum heads. I get 9MPG which is wrong for this car. Just put on a new edelbrock and have to rejet it a bit.

Hmm looks like a subject for a new, slightly off topic, PT thread w/pictures.

SpringHollow · May 21, 2007

I talked to Terry. The reason for the baffle is to prevent the hydraulic oil from short circuiting between the supply and return. If it did that, the oil in the lines would be hotter since it would not getting a chance to mix well with the oil in the tank due to a direct path between the supply and return. The baffle prevents that direct path but there is a penetration to allow flow through the baffle.

Ken

ponytug · May 25, 2007

There are also the magnetic straps that go around oil filters. I put a couple hundred thousand miles on a car with a magnetic drain plug and I was always amazed at the continual amount of fines sticking to it at each oil change. I think that the filter units don't work quite as well, since they have to go through the metal of the filter, but the biggest risk on cars is that some mechanic will toss it with the filter. On the PT, it should be easy to put on. You might need two to get around the hydraulic filter, or one plus some surgery. The leftover piece would probably go around the engine oil filter.

Great to see the the filtration project moving forward. How are you rigging the 1 micron filter?

All the best,

Peter

ksimolo said:
I think more is going on than just a baffle. The plate felt like it was going all the way. If it was just a baffle, then I would have thought it would not go all the way to the bottom or not go all of the way above the oil. I wonder if it is a "cleaner" reservoir for the makeup pump.

Yes, my thermometer, etc. came in a couple of days ago so I will be installing it. Started looking to see the best location for everything. I cleaned up the top of the tank real well before removing it. Now, I taped foil over the top until I can put the cover back on.

I did stick a magnetic retriever down into the tank and a few small filings came up. When I slid it around on its side, I get a layer of sludge sticking to the plastic sides of the probe. Removed a bunch of that but I know there is more still there. I will have to stir it up and filter it out.

Ken

NJBill · May 25, 2007

Hi
a little late coming into this thread, this is as much as I know so far about the tank on my 422. the small circle at the right is of course the drain plug.
Bill