Anyone know what this is??

[blulite]

black canister with hose connecting to oil pressure sensor. has wires running from the battery and then to an unknown location.

There was same grade wire connected to a rocker switch in the steering column that had been cut so I removed it. I'm assuming they have something in common. any ideas guys??

 

[SoHK_alumni]

I could well be incorrect but given the slightly non-oem look of the install, I think it's a post-factory install of a pre-oiler.

Accumulates oil under pressure when the engine is running, then dumps that oil back into the oil gallery on (or just before) start.

Can work two ways:

The oil enters via a one-way valve, exits via a solenoid controlled by the wires

Or, the solenoid controls the valve/pressure all the time. With the engine running, the valve is energized allowing to pressure to accumulate in the pressure vessel. The solenoid closes with engine shut down.

 

[blulite]

sounds plausible, but why would such a device be needed? also I discovered that the wires and rocker switch were not related as the cylinder is crudely wired into the harness.

also is there any real use for such a device and why is it causing a half amp drain from the battery?

 

[SoHK_alumni]

The idea of the thing is to build oil pressure to the engine internals before starting it. Many feel the lack of lubrication at startup is a major cause of premature engine wear (hence all the assembly lubes on the market for building/rebuilding engines)

So, with the engine running, the valve is opened to accumulate oil under pressure. The valve is closed before shutting off the engine to preserve the pressure in the can and then just before starting, the valve is opened allowing it to flood oil system.

It's a fact they work, how critical the issue/problem is and the need for a pre-oiler is very much open to debate.

The reason there's a power draw is the valve is being left energized by the switch, completely bypassing the whole point of the thing anyway. Kind of funny, a pre-oiler is a fairly esoteric bit of hardware and to see one so poorly installed and wired is certainly comical.

Only on a turbo charged engine have I seen them set up as a "post-oiler" to ensure the turbo bearings retain oil pressure during spin down/shut down.

 

[blulite]

I would like to wire it up properly to enable it to function correctly but without the battery drain.

do you have any idea how these things should be wired?

it seems to only have 2 x positive leads. One from battery to unit, and one from unit to harness. It is horribly connected to a pale blue w/pink stripe wire located as in the pics here.

any idea what this pale blue w/pink wire is for? And why it's wired to there? It seems a bit strange to me.

It would make more sense that it be connected in such a way that it powers down with the engine???

 

[SoHK_alumni]

Hmmm, I'd expect just the two wires.

One for power when the engine is on (maybe sourced from the fuel pump relay?) and the other to earth/ground.

Think I'd start by cleaning up that mess and then checking for continuity between each wire and earth/ground. If (and I'm hoping it's the case) neither wire has continuity to earth but do have with a few ohms between each other, I'd wire it as I've described.

If both wires have continuity to the body of the Expo, I'd be at a loss to explain the function of the two.

If there are any markings/labels on the canister or valve, maybe a bit of sleuthing with the model number or other identification markings might be fruitful.

 

[blulite]

Before I start searching for the model number etc I could do with finding out what the pale blue with pink stripe wire is for...

If the unit needs one positive and one ground then why has it been wired from the battery to the unit, then back into the harness?

personally I would have wired it from a switchable + in the harness to the unit, then run it to ground via the battery.

The fuel pump is a good item for connection as it primes on ignition position 1, that means the unit would kick in at the same time. so good call on that note