For the love of a tractor engine: The life and times of the 18R-G

[Slidin23]

interesting... guessing thats like goin dry sump with still using stock sump?

also if my crank is buggered are 18rc cranks the same??

[Pagie84a]

You may want to modify the pickup too as it sits way off centre

[Willofan]

i have a front sumped motor as i have rack and pinion..

the motor sounds a lil rattlly at around 3000. do you think i could just clean up the crank and wack a set of bearings back in it and itll be fine? or do these cranks crack and mark easy... ??

also anyone got and pics of their baffled sumps? and what would be considered over reving for these motors?? it seamed to love to rev the whole night! i have double valve springs and didnt hit valve float once! was really impressed

Anyone who has tracked an 18RG has experienced oil surge problems which comes from the oil moving away from the oil pick up when cornering right hand mostly. As the oil from the pump goes through the centre main journal to feed the rest of the crank, No 2 and 3 conrod will let go first.

There are many ways to help prevent this;

1. Top up oil about 1 litre above the full mark before going out on the track
2. Use and accusump - like Ian suggested
3. Get a baffled sump made to take an extra 1.5 to 2ltrs
4. Fit an mechanical oil gauge
5. Fit a big red oil light to the mechanical switch that comes on below 20psi
6. Go dry sump - there is no off the shelf solution

The cranks are fairly resistant to low oil and you could get away with a new set of bearings if the metal on the bearings is still intact, once they have spun, then it is crank out and machining. But bearings and machining are not a scary proposition, it just takes time and a few extra $$. The 18rc and rg cranks are interchangable.

When tuned and built right, these motors can rev to 8K all day with the occasional 8.5K. Stock motors are best kept to 7.5K.

You mentioned you have a front sump, these can be modded to be winged and baffled easily with a good metal fabricator/tig welder.

[Slidin23]

By the sounds of it I feel I have only touched a bearing. But I guess I'll see when the engine is out..

I'm thinking of baffeling the sump.. And maybe running an extra lt of oil when tracking it.. What oil do you guys run? And do you have any pics of baffled sumps?


I was rather surprised at how well it went with drifting! I have drifted many 180's r32's over the years and this is only a pretty basic set up with ra60 suspension etc. but the 18rg was able to hold good 3rd gear drifts! Very impressed! It's only making 80kws atw's with a set of cams to open it up the car should be mint! Just need a working hand brake and a bit more skill and I'll be right!

Btw anyone have a good ra23 front bumper? Stuffed mine up the other night.. Was mint to! Spewing..

[Willofan]

This is my 18rg mid sump, works well, still needs an extra litre to stop any fluctuations in oil pressure. I use 30W50 full synthetic

[ian]

By the sounds of it I feel I have only touched a bearing. But I guess I'll see when the engine is out..

I'm thinking of baffeling the sump.. And maybe running an extra lt of oil when tracking it.. What oil do you guys run? And do you have any pics of baffled sumps?


I was rather surprised at how well it went with drifting! I have drifted many 180's r32's over the years and this is only a pretty basic set up with ra60 suspension etc. but the 18rg was able to hold good 3rd gear drifts! Very impressed! It's only making 80kws atw's with a set of cams to open it up the car should be mint! Just need a working hand brake and a bit more skill and I'll be right!

Btw anyone have a good ra23 front bumper? Stuffed mine up the other night.. Was mint to! Spewing..

i can do you a fibreglass one for $235 Delivered

[mlw077]

anyone had experiance with over reving these engines?

i took my ra23 celica to drift prac last night and was giving it shit the whole night. dont have a working tach but i was 8000 plus in second gear in the s's
its a rebuild blanaced motor with 22r pistons and a ported and flowed head done 5000km since rebuild if that.

last session i noticed it had a drop in power so i backed off. heard a big end knock. came in and noticed the oil was slightly below full. had it fillled to over full before
ad now i noticed an oil leak to... :/
gonna pull the motor apart in the next few weeks when i have time..

Had the same issue with mine after running at Wakefield and getting a little enthusiastic. At the time it had an extra litre of oil. Ended up damaging number 2 bearing, metal through the engine, damaged oil pump and the number 2 rod was out of round. After some machine work, rebuild, and baffling the sump and an oil pressure gauge and idiot light all is good. Have run it several times with an extra litre of oil each time and had no issues. Looking at using an accumulator in the future.

[Slidin23]

Yeah I think possibly winging my sump with baffling sounds like the go.
Possibly not running such a light oil like I was might help to.
Has anyone got any pics of a baffled front sump? Even if it's not 18rg.. Just after ideas..

Also what cam grinds are people running? I'm looking for more revs.. I have tones of low down torque with running 22r pistons. But am after power gains all round really. What do you recommend? And how much should I be paying for cam grinds?

[Nevakikamukau]

Hi Slidin3,
Attached is a Tech article on how to baffle a sump. It relates to a Ford Kent Crossflow, but the principles will be the same.

Cheers,
PeterHow to Baffle Sump.pdf

[73GTV]

i have a front sumped motor

I would like to see pictures of that Oil Pan before you baffle it. Front sump18RG? I have never seen one!

[Slidin23]

Sure! I'll post up pics of it when I pull it apart!

I got the sump off a guy on here.. Pretty sure it's just off a late model 18rc? Possible a hilux or corona or something? It's defs not a custom job..

[Omegaman]

This has been answered somewhere in this thread, but for the life of me, I'm still looking for it.

But the question is. What would cause the chain to be so tight and stretched when fitting cams on the 18rgeu.
I have it at TDC. No chain dampener fitted.
The chain sits nicely on the bottom gear... but once the cam gears are on, its all tight.

[ra_28]

Does it stay tight if you turn the engine over a little by hand or 19mm spanner? Is all the slack after the cams. I know some times it looks tight and then you install the adjuster and the cams move backwards taking up all the extra slack?

Are they new chains or same you had before?

[Willofan]

This has been answered somewhere in this thread, but for the life of me, I'm still looking for it.

But the question is. What would cause the chain to be so tight and stretched when fitting cams on the 18rgeu.
I have it at TDC. No chain dampener fitted.
The chain sits nicely on the bottom gear... but once the cam gears are on, its all tight.

Put your finger down the distributor hole and touch the chain around the bottom of the gear, if it is loose/floppy is has gathered and caught on a tooth and the housing won't let it come free, even turning the crank around won't let it go. If it is loose, you will need to remove the head and timing cover to refit the chain again.

To stop this from happening I fit the chain to the gear and wrap a rubber band around the chain to hold it on fully before putting the front cover on, then remove the rubber band when I go to fit up the cam gears.

Good luck

[Omegaman]

Fuck duck fuck. Willofan your right. I used a torch and found the chain isn't seated properly, on the lower gear..fuk fuk funk.
Yep I know what I have to do no.

Thanks guys.