REFLECTOR: Draining oil

[Scott Derrick]

I'm almost at the end of the never ending oil line fabrication/routing.  
The Turbo has presented some challenges which I think are finally near 
over.  The latest gotcha was finding out the oil system for the turbo 
bearing is designed to gravity drain out into a vented reservoir at 
engine shutdown, the output of the tiny 1/2 cup reservoir is connected 
directly to the oil pump which sucks the oil out at twice the rate the 
oil enters it.  I didn't realize the reservoir system was vented,  which 
requires the oil output from the turbo to gravity drain. Short story is 
the drain line and had to be relocated below the turbo and the input 
above.  Repositioning the turbo in/out oil ports to a vertical position 
was also big question at first.  The oil pump keeps the reservoir 
basically empty while the engine is running, once stopped there is 
enough room in the reservoir for the oil in the lines to drain out of 
the turbo into the reservoir and prevent it from coking up on the 
bearing.  Weird but KISS system.

The last lines to fabricate and route are the engine cooling lines that 
run from the engine block to the stubbed out 5/8 inch lines at the fire 
wall. A stub, AN10 female flare on the 5/8 tube running up each duct,  
sticks out about 4 inches from the firewall.

I'm getting close to my question, hang in there.

When I changed oil in my IO360 I was always conscience of the undrained 
oil in the oil lines and cooler being left in the system.  The oil never 
really looked clean after an oil change. Now with bigger lines, an 
additional oil filled cabin heater and nose oil cooler I would guess 
there is at least 3 quarts of oil that would never be drained.  I'm 
thinking about putting a T at each stub, a flare fitting on the long 
ends with a 1/2 inch pipe fitting on the 90 degree port of the T.  The 
stub on the line at the firewall is near the low point of the oil lines 
and would allow me to drain most of the 3 quarts out of the lines.

Anybody do this already.  I'm trying to think of any reason why I 
shouldn't do this?

Scott

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