Roamerdrive lubrication modification

[4159pjh]

Please find modification photos from my recent inclusion of an oil pump and second oil cooler to stop overheating and lubrication starvation of the Roamerdrive unit. I made the 12 volt pump myself as I couldn't find a suitable low volume of the shelf one which would have sped up the installation. Pump volume needs to be no more than 2 litres a minute so as not to case oil level issues in the LT230.

[Snagger]

Funnily enough, I had been thinking when I rebuilt mine about doing something similar, taking a feed from the transfer box through a coil of CuNiFer brake line (for cooling as well as passage) through a low volume electrical pump to a tapping in the centre of the aft face of the Roverdrive, right behind the bearing that suffers the worst starvation and lowest “thermal washing” from oil.  I never got beyond the concept stage because of the same issue with every pump I looked at being far too high capacity.  Even a windscreen washer pump has too high a flow (I wouldn’t expect one of those to tolerate the heat or viscosity, though).  I wonder if one of the pulse pumps from a fuel based cabin heater (Eberspacher or Planar type) might work on a continuous cycle - it really doesn’t need much.

[Gazzar]

Can we have details of the pump please?

[FridgeFreezer]

16 hours ago, Gazzar said:

Can we have details of the pump please?

And details of the fitting and which units this is applicable to / an issue with.

[Gazzar]

I can see a real benefit to doing this to a series fairey overdrive, incorporating a larger oil tank and a temperature gauge.

[4159pjh]

On 12/14/2022 at 2:46 AM, Gazzar said:

Can we have details of the pump please?

I made my pump from a bronze gear type ebay 12volt unit and after removing the motor supplied I fitted a 24:1 geared motor I had from a machine I used to work on. If you have access to a small lathe and milling machine it is not a difficult task to engineer. The diesel heater pump you mentioned may be suitable for this job but I think the flow rate is only a dribble which may be enough but I was aiming at oil circulating through another oil cooler to help reduce oil temps as well.

[Gazzar]

Additional photos as emailed by @4159pjh

 

@4159pjh

I'd like to know more about the pump.

[Northwards]

There's no way I'd be able to make my own pump, but I am really interested in this addition to my Roamerdrive. Has anyone found anything else suitable in the meantime? 

[Northwards]

On 12/12/2022 at 7:56 AM, 4159pjh said:

Pump volume needs to be no more than 2 litres a minute so as not to case oil level issues in the LT230.

Can I ask where the 2Lpm figure came from? I’m absolutely not questioning it, just wondering why that specifically? I’ve been continuing to Google and found this: 2LPM pump  which might be worth a go? There’s nothing to see about its duty cycle - i.e. is it rated for full time/100% operation. It also doesn’t look very waterproof, but for my usage that might not be a big issue. Maybe some judiciously applied sealant would help prolong its life. 

An alternative, which would be kinder on any pump, would be something bigger but timed, though my skills with electrics might be pushed by that. It also occurs to me that if the oil return is to the very back of the OD casing, then the oil needs to be able to get out of that small space through the bearing and the tiny oil ways. Too big a pump and I think the oil might struggle to flow through enough.

If I get this far, my thoughts would be to have the pump thermostatically controlled via a temperature sender and my Madman EMS - this has a fan control option, which can be activated by any of its 3 temperature sensor channels. I’d try and relay that into an oil pump; so thermostatically activated and/or timed depending on whatever pump seems the best option.

 

 

[FridgeFreezer]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:24 PM, Northwards said:

Can I ask where the 2Lpm figure came from? I’m absolutely not questioning it, just wondering why that specifically?

My guess is there's not enough ways for the oil to get back out of the roamerdrive, although I'd suspect over-filling of the LT230 would counteract that it's not optimal to drastically over-fill a transmission.

On 4/4/2023 at 12:24 PM, Northwards said:

I’ve been continuing to Google and found this: 2LPM pump  which might be worth a go? There’s nothing to see about its duty cycle - i.e. is it rated for full time/100% operation. It also doesn’t look very waterproof, but for my usage that might not be a big issue. Maybe some judiciously applied sealant would help prolong its life.

Other than the fact it's on Aliexpress and hence about as trustworthy as a Labrador at an archaeological dig... I'm sure it would work for a bit in dry conditions, although the 2Lpm figure could be wildly out in either direction and you'd never know.

Given the overall suggestion that the rear bearing needs little more than drip oiling to help it out, pumping any great quantity of oil into the back of the unit feels like overkill to me.