[StarfireIV]

I was reading about Rotec; the company making the engine. There was mention of a supplemental electric oil pump which drains the oil out of the lower cylinders on shutdown thus preventing piston rod damage and also builds up oil pressure before the thing gets fired up. I wonder if having such an oil pump on car and bike engines would prolong engine life by building oil pressure even before the motor was started.

[nightdriver]

"I wonder if having such an oil pump on car and bike engines would prolong engine life by building oil pressure even before the motor was started."

It sure would. Not to mention making it easier for the starter to turn the engine over if all the bearings were flooded beforehand.

It's SOP for large marine diesel engines and it's found on some aircraft, but I specified it on auxiliary and emergency generator sets that sit for days and weeks at a time with their heaters going. I know that it dries out the bearings and when they start up, they are required to almost instantly provide full power.

That's gotta be hard on dry bearings.

[CrazyIvan]

There used to be such a thing marketed as an "Accu-Sump" It's a pre-oiler that saves oil and pressure in a tank kind of like a pressure tank for a well. It used an electric valve to release the oil pressurized during the last running before starting and also made up for low pressure at low rpm or pump cavitation. Not hard to make, especially if you substitute a manual valve. It may still be around.

[dljordan]

"There was mention of a supplemental electric oil pump which drains the oil out of the lower cylinders on shutdown thus preventing piston rod damage and also builds up oil pressure before the thing gets fired up."

That's a problem. I had a friend that had a 39' Scarab radial on his plane and he always checked by pulling the prop through to see if it was locked up.