What is an Accusump?
The Accusump is the original automotive oil accumulator. It is a cylinder shaped aluminum storage container that acts as a reservoir of pressurized oil, to be released when there is a drop in the oil pressure. The Accusump is connected to the pressure side of an engine’s oiling system and is charged by the engines own oil pump. Its simple, efficient design revolves around a hydraulic piston separating an air pre-charge side and an oil reservoir side. On the oil side of the Accusump it has an outlet that goes into the engine’s oiling system, controlled by a valve. On the air side it’s equipped with a pressure gauge(on oil accumulators only) and a schrader air valve, which allows you to add a pre-charge of air pressure to the Accusump.
The basic design of our Accusump Oil Accumulators and Accusump Turbo-Oilers are the same. However, the oil accumulators deliver oil to the engine before starting to eliminate dry start scuffing (pre-oiling) and discharges oil during low oil pressure surges to protect against engine damage during demanding racing conditions. The Turbo-Oilers deliver oil to turbos after shut down to lubricate and cool hot turbo components and prevent coke build up and turbo damage.
How does an Accusump Oil Accumulator Work?
Accusumps Oil Accumulators are designed collect pressurized oil from your engine and store it so it may be discharged later. At the time the engine is shut off and the Accusump valve closes any oil pressure in the Accusump is held there. On engine start-up when the valve on the oil side is opened the pressurized oil is released into the engine and therefore pre-lubricates the engine prior to start-up.
After the engine is started and the oil pump has taken over, oil is pumped back into the Accusump. This moves the piston back and pressurizes the Accusump until it equalizes with engine’s oil pressure. While driving, if the engine’s oil pressure is interrupted for any reason, the Accusump releases its oil reserve again, keeping the engine lubricated until the engine’s oil pressure comes back to normal. This release of oil could last from 15 to 60 seconds, depending on the size and speed of the engine. In racing or hard driving conditions, the Accusump will automatically fill and discharge when needed as you corner, accelerate and brake.