A dry-sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in four-stroke and large two-

stroke piston driven internal combustion engines. The dry-sump system uses two or more oil
pumps and a separate oil reservoir, as opposed to a conventional wet-sump system, which uses
only the main sump (U.S.: oil pan) below the engine and a single pump. A dry-sump engine requires
a pressure relief valve to regulate negative pressure inside the engine, so internal seals are not
inverted.

ADVANTAGES:

 Improved engine reliability due to consistent oil pressure. This is the reason why dry-sumps
were invented.
 Increased oil capacity by using a large external reservoir, that would be impractical in a wet-
sump system.
 Prevention of the engine experiencing oil-starvation during high g-loads, which is particularly
useful in racing cars, high performance sports cars, and aerobatic aircraft. Dry-sump designs are
not susceptible to the oil movement problems from high cornering forces that wet-sump systems
can suffer where the force of the vehicle cornering can cause the oil to pool on one side of the
oil pan, possibly uncovering the oil pump pickup tube and causing cavitation and loss of oil
pressure.
 Improvements to vehicle handling and stability. The vehicle's center of gravity can be lowered by
mounting the engine lower in the chassis due to a shallow sump profile. A vehicle's
overall weight distribution can be modified by locating the external oil reservoir away from the
engine.
 Improved oil temperature control. This is due to increased oil volume providing resistance to
heat saturation, the positioning of the oil reservoir away from the hot engine, and the ability to
include cooling capabilities between the scavenger pumps and oil reservoir and also within the
reservoir itself.
 The ability to release gasses trapped in the oil from ring blow-by and the action of the crankshaft
and other moving parts in the oil, then return these gases via a line from the top of the oil
reservoir to the combustion chamber.
 Improved pump efficiency to maintain oil supply to the engine. Since scavenge pumps are
typically mounted at the lowest point on the engine, the oil flows into the pump intake by gravity
rather than having to be lifted up into the intake of the pump as in a wet-sump. Furthermore,
scavenge pumps can be of a design that is more tolerant of entrapped gasses than the typical
pressure pump, which can lose suction if too much air mixes into the oil. Since the pressure
pump is typically lower than the external oil tank, it always has a positive pressure on its suction
regardless of cornering forces.
 Increased engine horsepower due to reduced viscous and air friction. In a wet-sump engine the
crank shaft and other moving parts splash through the oil at thousands of RPM causing a
"hurricane that whips the oil in a wet-sump engine into an aerated froth like a milkshake in a
blender".[5] Additionally, in a wet-sump, each revolution generates minute amounts of parasitic
power loss caused by viscous drag and air drag (or 'windage') as the parts move rapidly through
the oil and air in the lower engine. At high RPM these small sources of drag compound
dramatically, resulting in significant power loss.[5][6] In a dry-sump, the scavenger pump removes
the oil and therefore the source of viscous friction, but also creates an air vacuum that
significantly reduces air-friction, thus freeing the moving parts of much viscous and air friction
and allowing engine power output to increase.[2][7]0

 A dry sump oil system uses a scavenge or suction pump to pull air and oil out of the oil pan. This
keeps oil away from the crankshaft to reduce oil drag, and also pulls out most of the air to reduce
windage and air drag (if the dry sump system has enough suction to produce vacuum in the
crankcase).
  Depending on the application, the resulting reduction in internal crankcase windage and drag may
increase the engine’s power output 5 to 15 hp or more. But to realize these gains, the dry sump
oil system has to pull at least 8 to 10 inches Hg or more of vacuum. Higher levels of vacuum (say
18 to 20 inches Hg) can yield more power gains, but typically only at very high engine speeds
(above 8,000 rpm).

 Otherwise, increasing crankcase vacuum with more and more suction incurs no extra power
gains. And with a low rpm, long stroke, high torque motor, a dry sump oil system is probably not
going to show any measurable power gain.

 Having the pumps external to the engine makes them easier to maintain or replace.
 Can use low tension piston rings, resulting in lower friction

DISADVANTAGES:

 Dry-sump systems add cost, complexity, and weight.

 The extra pumps and lines in dry-sump engines require additional oil and maintenance.
 The performance-enhancing features of dry-sump lubrication can hurt a car's day-to-day
driveability. A good example is the classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a car that was designed for
racing but sold to the general public and used on-road. The car had high oil capacity and a dry-
sump system to cope with continuous high-speed running while racing. Owners found in general
use, however, that the oil never achieved the correct operating temperature because the system
was so efficient at cooling the oil. A makeshift solution was devised to deliberately block the oil
cooler airflow to boost the oil temperature.
 The large external reservoir and pumps can be tricky to position around the engine and within
the engine bay due to their size.
 As wrist pins and pistons rely for lubrication and cooling respectively, on the oil being splashed
around in the crankcase, these parts might have inadequate oiling if too much oil is pulled away
by the pump. Installing piston oilers can circumvent this issue, but do so with additional cost and
complexity for the engine.[10]
 Inadequate upper valvetrain lubrication can also become an issue if too much oil vapor is being
pulled out from the area, especially with multi-staged pumps.[10]