Chapter nine

Engine Lubrication System

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 Engine Lubrication
 The engine has many moving parts.
 All the moving parts are operating at high
temperatures and at high speeds and most of these
components are subjected to very high pressures.
 If the parts rub against one another, they will wear
out quickly due to friction.
 It becomes essential to reduce this friction.
 The purpose of the engine lubricating system is to
minimize friction and wear.
 Thereby reducing power loss.
 The lubricating system performs this job by supplying
oil to prevent metal-to-metal contact.

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 Engine Lubrication cont…
It also performs the following tasks:
 Act as a seal and prevent leakage between the
parts such as pistons, rings and cylinders.
 Remove the heat generated by friction. This
keeps down the temperature of the moving parts
and thus prevents seizure.
 Act as a cleaning agent. Wash away dirt, carbon
particles and abrasive metal worn from the
friction surfaces.
 Absorbs shock between bearings and other
engine parts, thus reducing engine noise and
extended engine life.
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 Engine Lubrication cont..
 The internal combustion engine consists of many
moving parts that rub against each other.
 The principal friction surfaces in an engine are
piston, cylinder, crankshaft, camshaft, main
bearings, timing gear, valves and valve
operating mechanism.
 Friction between moving surfaces can be reduced
by interposing a lubricant between them.
 The lubricant actually replaces dry friction with a
fluid friction
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 Engine Lubrication cont…
 In the lubrication system, oil is delivered to the various parts of the
engine by the oil pump and after performing its functions, returns to
the oil pan.
 Oil circulates through the systems as follows:
 Oil Pump: The pump is driven by the engine and takes oil from the
oil pan through the strainer and pickup pipe.
 The strainer is provided to prevent any foreign matter present in the
oil from reaching the pump.
 Oil leaving the pump is directed to the filter.
 Relief(or) Regulator Valve: This valve regulates pressure in the
system.
 As the engine speed increases, pump output increases and this must
be controlled to prevent excessive pressure in the system.
 When the specified pressure for the engine is reached, the relief
valve opens to regulate the pressure.
 Excess oil from the relief valve is then bypassed to the intake side
of the pump.
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 Engine Lubrication cont…
 Oil Filter: This is a full flow oil filter (commonly used
type) which means all the oil entering the engine is filtered.
 The filter also includes a relief or bypass valve which will
open if the filter becomes blocked.
 This will allow unfiltered oil to be circulated in the system,
thus preventing the damage to the engine that would occur
if were being starved of oil.
 Main Oil Gallery: The main oil gallery is a passage that
runs full length of the crankcase.
 A number of drillings and passages from the gallery to other
parts of the lubrication system.
 Figure shows two passages from the gallery, one to the
crankshaft and its associated parts, and the other to the
camshaft and its associated parts.

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 Engine Lubrication cont…
 Crankshaft Main Bearings: Each of the crankshaft
main bearings is supplied with oil through a separate
drilling from the main oil gallery.
 Connecting Rod Bearings: Oil from the drillings in
the crankshaft lubricates the connecting rod bearings.
 Oil Jet: An oil jet is used to lubricate the cylinder walls
and pistons.
 A small hole in the side of the connecting rod is
arranged to line up with the oil drilling in the crankpin
journal.
 As this occurs, a stream of oil is directed onto the
cylinder walls as a mist to provide lubrication. This
happens once in each crankshaft revolution.

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 Engine Lubrication cont…
 Camshaft Bearings: The camshaft receives its oil
supply from the main oil gallery.
 The oil to lubricate the camshaft bearings is carried
through the hollow rocker shaft to the camshaft bearing
caps where drillings take it to the camshaft bearings.
 Rocker Shafts: Drillings in the rocker shafts provide
oil to the rocker arms and these in turn have a small
drilling to provide lubrication to the cams.
 Cams: After receiving oil directly from the rocker
arms, the cams and the other parts are lubricated by
splash.
 The cylinder head under the camshaft is shaped to form
an oil reservoir, from which oil is splashed by the cams
to lubricate the cam surface, valve stems and valve
springs.
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 Engine Lubrication cont…
Timing Chain: Where a timing chain is fitted,
oil is provided from the end of camshaft
bearing or similar source to that the chain and
sprockets are lubricated.
Return Oil: After lubricating the various
components, oil from the cylinder head drains
back to the oil pan through oil drain holes
provided for this purpose. Oil from the
camshaft drops directly back to the oil pan.

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 Boundary Lubrication &
Hydrodynamic Lubrication

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 Boundary Lubrication
 Dry friction occurs between unlubricated clean
surfaces.
 Fluid friction occurs because of the internal friction of
the lubricant separating the moving surfaces.
 Boundary friction refers to a condition between the
dry friction and fluid friction where the surfaces are
almost unprotected, being coated only by a greasy
lubricant film.
 These surfaces are therefore actually in contact and not
separated by a layer of lubricant oil.
 If we consider a crankshaft bearing, when the shaft
comes to rest any lubricant that is in the bearing will be
forced out due to the load of the shaft.
 This is particularly true if the shaft remains stationary
for quite some time.
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 Boundary Lubrication cont.
 When the shaft starts to rotate, then several revolutions
occur before the lubricant circulates completely around
the bearings (and then shaft is floating on the oil).
 During this time, boundary friction occurs and
bearing wear takes place.
 Chemical additives in the oil can assist in protecting the
parts against the effects of boundary friction.
 The term boundary lubrication may be used in relation
to very small amount of lubricant (oil film) on the shaft
and bearing under these conditions.
 All engine parts rely on boundary lubrication alone
when the engine is first started.
 This is the critical period that is responsible for most
engine parts wear.
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 Hydrodynamic Lubrication
(Oil-Wedge Principle)
 Oil supplied under pressure from a pump to bearings
does not, as might at first be imagined, merely force the
shaft off the bearing and cause it to float on the oil.
 The rotation of the shaft is responsible for this. It
collects layers of the oil delivered to a bearing and
carries them around with it.
 These layers of oil are wedged between the shaft and
the bearing, so that the shaft is forced to rise (or float)
on the oil.
 Thus prevents metal-to-metal contact.
 This is known as hydrodynamic lubrication.

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 Lubrication of small four-stroke engines
(splash lubrication)

 Small four-stroke engines of the type used in

motor bikes and for small stationary engines, use
a splash system of lubrication, although a small
pump may be used as well.
 Oil is held in the crankcase and a dipper on the
bottom of the connecting rod bearing cap is used
to pick up oil for the bearings.
 The dipper also splashes oil into the upper parts of
the engine to lubricate the valve mechanism.
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 Classification of lubrication oils
The lubricating oils used in automotive
vehicles are usually petroleum base and a
variety of additives.
Requirements
The following properties are required of
engine lubricating oil:
 It must have an appropriate viscosity.
 The viscosity level must remain relatively stable regardless of
changes in temperature.
 Engine oil must be suitable for use with metals
 It must not corrode or rust parts
 It must not form foam

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 Classification of lubrication oils
1.Classification by Viscosity
2.Classification by Quality

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 1.Classification by Viscosity
 To simplify the overall range of engine oil
viscosities, the American Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) has drawn up a table of SAE
viscosities classes.
 SAE indexes are usually determined according to
the temperature at which a particular oil may be
used.
 But engine oil must be selected carefully not only
according to the expected ambient temperatures
but also to the expected operating conditions of
the vehicle.

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 1.Classification by Viscosity cont..
 Viscosity of an oil is expressed by a number called the
viscosity index.
 The lower the index, the thinner the oil.
 The higher the index, the thicker the oil.
 Oil whose viscosity indexes are indicated as a range
(10 W-30, 15 W-40, etc) are called "multi-grade" oils.
 Since their viscosity is not affected much by a change
in temperature, they are usually used throughout the
year.
 These oils are easier starting in cold weather and
stability at high temperatures.

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 1.Classification by Viscosity cont..
 Viscosity indexes followed by the letter “W” (10
W, etc) indicate oil's viscosity measured at -20C
(-4F).
 Using a low viscosity oil helps to start the engine
more easily in cold climates.
 Viscosity numbers after a "W" indicate the
viscosity at 100C (212F).
 For example, "SAE 10 W-30" means that the
engine oil meets standards for SAE10 oil at -20C
(-4F) and standards for SAE30 oil at 100C
(212F).
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 2. Classification by Quality
Engine oil is classified by quality according to
standards set by American Petroleum Institute
(API) and by test methods also set by API.

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Thank You

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