The LT4 runs a dry sump oiling system, meaning it does not have traditional oil pan holding the engine oil supply. Instead, the oil is stored in a seperate tank outside the engine and is pumped through the engine. The benefit is more consistent oil delivery during high speed turns and increased oil cooling and capacity. Also, the pump is more efficient and easier to service than a traditional oil pump.
The down side is the need for complex plumbing and an oil reservoir tank under the hood. Also, it can be challenging to bring the engine oil up to operating temperature in daily-driving conditions thanks to the higher capacity and cooling effects of remote tanks and plumbing.
Locating the tank can be tricky, as one must consider packaging under the hood. In a race car, you ideally want the tank to be “inside” the wheelbase of the car where you can place it to compliment the vehicle’s balance. However, packaging compromises can dictate otherwise.
In our case, we elected to install the custom Peterson Fluid Systems tank in the forward part of the passenger fender.
Baffle in the tank
The footprint of our tank is 7” in diameter. We cut a hole in the inner fender to accommodate the tank.
