Running K100 engine at an angle

My challenge project involves putting a BMW K100 motorcycle engine in a car (HERE). Mounting the engine at a slight angle with the head higher would possibly solve some fitment issues. Are there any ways to make this work without killing the engine? Revised oil pickup? Baffled pan? Run oil slightly overfilled?

This is the engine for reference. 

From looking at the last picture it appears that the oil pickup would be in the lowest part of the pan. 

Id say send it, slap a oil pressure gauge in and if you start having issues overfill. 

It probably would be fine, but if you are really worried there's one more option.

oldopelguy said:

It probably would be fine, but if you are really worried there's one more option.

I shouldn't have to get that drastic. I think I can get it to fit flat but a slight angle might make things easier. 5-10° maybe which shouldn't be an issue. 

Tomorrow I am stripping the engine down and dropping it in to see how it looks. 

How much is a "slight" angle? After all, a motorcycle engine doesn't tend to be perfectly horizontal all the time.

Edit: Looks like our posts crossed. I wouldn't worry too much about 5 degrees lean.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Shouldn't have to do more than 10°, probably less. I figured it would be fine just running like that since motorcycles will be leaned over while running but didn't know about that in combination with the side loads from the car cornering. 

BoxheadTim said:

How much is a "slight" angle? After all, a motorcycle engine doesn't tend to be perfectly horizontal all the time.

Agreed.  These things already run at a 90' angle, so technically you would be running it at less of an angle.  :)

Engine looks clean!

In reply to Tyler H :

That isn't my actual engine, just a picture I found online. Mine still needs some cleanup. 

I wouldn't even worry about a 10° lean on a bike engine.

If note is that while it looks like bike engines can run when tipped over pretty far, the acceleration vector is always very nearly straight towards the contact patch.  Otherwise the bike/rider would fall over! So bikes never really see much side loading, save for when transitioning, and even then it isn't anywhere close to the lateral loads experienced by a car.

Maybe a sump baffle? Or a deeper sump? Or a dry sump?

Where is the oil drain for the head? That needs to go on the low side. Other than that, send it.

Matthew Kennedy said:

If note is that while it looks like bike engines can run when tipped over pretty far, the acceleration vector is always very nearly straight towards the contact patch.  Otherwise the bike/rider would fall over! So bikes never really see much side loading, save for when transitioning, and even then it isn't anywhere close to the lateral loads experienced by a car.

This is an important consideration.  The cornering load vectors in a car are very different than in a bike and it's not uncommon to have oiling issues when bike engines are used in cars.  The best solution is to convert to a dry sump.  If that's not practical then the baffling may need to be reworked significantly.

Gaunt596 said:

Where is the oil drain for the head? That needs to go on the low side. Other than that, send it.

being a flat engine i'd think that even at a pretty steep angle the oil drain in the head would still be in a decent location

So Evan, did your experiments with this ever come to anything?

I wouldn't worry too much,you can wheelie a bike a LONG ways without worry.

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Not Ducatis at least, from a 25 year old memory of a service manager who kept eating engines on a regular basis.

Trent said:

So Evan, did your experiments with this ever come to anything?

Nope, the engine is still sitting under my work bench waiting for something.

I was just staring at the one under my workbench wondering if the pick up could be relocated and it tipped up. Quick google brought me here of course

In reply to Trent :

Suprtfastmatt made a dry sump with parts he had made from sendcutsend.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Haha,oppsie was his response? :)

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Two top end rebuilds, one bottom end rebuild, and a clutch in the first 3000mi.  And the fork seals blew out with regularity from landing.

This on a bike that was $25k in the mid 90s that he was making payments on.  It spent more time at the dealer than in his garage.

Sounded amazing, and might have been reliable if he wasn't a 20something with a sportbike.

Never buy a bike from a squid.  Doing a wheelie for 1/2 mile or so oil starves the top end.  I'm guessing the BMW Engineers designed it to strict parameters, I wouldn't mess with it for fear of having all your work be for naught.   Is there room behind the driver's seat to put it?  Or, put the driver in the back seat and the engine aft of the firewall?

This is what the critical oil lines look like during high lateral G loading. As long as there is enough oil to stay above the line, running it somewhat head up would look to be an overall improvement