SECTION 2.

30
LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION The flow of oil passes from the main bearing journals
into the T-drilled crankshaft and then up through drilled
The lubrication system consists of the following com- passages in the connecting rods. After lubricating the
ponents: connecting rod bearing, piston pin bushing, and piston
• Oil Pan And Pickup Screen pin, the pressurized oil passes through an opening in
the top of the rod. The oil spray exiting the rod cools
• Oil Pump the underside of the piston crown and drains back to
• Oil Cooler the oil pan.

• Temperature Control Valve Oil supply tubes tapped off of the internal oil passage
leading to the front main bearing, supply a continuous
• Pressure Regulating Valve spray of oil to the gear train.
• Full-Flow Oil Filter Internal passages in the crankcase casting also direct
• Filter Relief Valve(s) the flow of pressurized oil to the camshaft bearing sad-
dles to provide lubrication of the main camshaft bear-
• Oil Strainer ings (bushings). Oil flows through holes in the cam
• External Piping (Customer-Supplied) bearing caps and down passageways in the valve lifter
housing. Oil lubricates the roller followers and cam
PRELUBE SYSTEM COMPONENTS lobes, after which it drops back to the oil pan.
• Prelube Pump/Motor An external oil supply line off the main oil header car-
• Prelube Operation ries oil to a separate external rocker arm oil header.
Supply tubes from the rocker arm oil header direct the
• Pilot-Operated Prelube Valve flow of oil to the rocker arm assemblies and valves.
• Inline Lubricator Excess oil drains down a cored passage in the cylinder
• Oil Pressure Gauge head and runs down the outside of the pushrod tubes
to a drainage passage in the valve lifter guides. The
INTERNAL OIL CONTROL passage directs the flow of oil to a drainage hole in the
The main oil header is an integral part of the crank- valve lifter housing, where it flows back to the oil pan
case casting (see Figure 2.30-1). Internal passages in via the camshaft recess.
the crankcase direct the flow of pressurized oil to the The flow of pressurized oil through the fixed valve lifter
main bearings via drillings in the main bearing sad- screws of the rocker arm assemblies also supplies oil
dles. to the lifters, where the excess oil joins the flow from
the cored passage in the cylinder head.
The flow of pressurized oil through the external system
is depicted in Figure 2.30-2.

FORM 6300 2.30-1

LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

TURBOCHARGER

CORED
PASSAGE

CYLINDER
HEAD
PUSHROD
TUBE

TO SUMP
ROCKER ARM CAMSHAFT
OIL HEADER
TO SUMP

MAGNETIC
PLUG
CHECK
VALVE

SPRAY
NOZZLE(S)

GEAR
TRAIN

OIL
STRAINER
INTERNAL
OIL HEADER MAIN
CRANKSHAFT BEARING FRONT MAIN
BEARING CAP

Figure 2.30-1 Internal Oil Flow System

2.30-2 FORM 6300

 LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

CUSTOMER
FINAL OIL
SUPPLIED PIPING
STRAINER
OIL PUMP
DISCHARGE HOUSING

OIL PUMP
RELIEF VALVE
ENGINE

ENGINE OIL
PUMP

OIL PRESSURE
CONTROL VALVE
ADJUST IN FIELD
AT OPERATING
TEMPERATURE
PRELUBE PUMP
CHECK VALVE

TEMPERATURE
CONTROL VALVE

A
C B

OIL
FILTER

OIL COOLER

Figure 2.30-2 External Oil System Schematic

OIL PAN AND PICKUP SCREEN

The bottom of the crankcase is enclosed by the oil
pan. The oil pump draws oil from the lowest point in
the oil pan and delivers it to the oil cooler. The oil
pickup screen (see Figure 2.30-3) prevents foreign
material in the oil pan from entering the oil circuit.

FORM 6300 2.30-3

LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

OIL PUMP

OIL PAN AND PICKUP

SCREEN ASSEMBLY

Figure 2.30-4 Engine Oil Pump –

(With Guards Removed For Clarity) 12 Cylinder

OIL COOLER
The oil cooler (see Figure 2.30-5 and Figure 2.30-6) is
a tube and baffle type assembly. The auxiliary water
pump circulates coolant through the oil cooler tube
bundle. The oil circulates around the tube bundle. Heat
from the oil passes through the tubes to the coolant,
which then carries it to a heat transfer device for dissi-
pation.

OIL COOLER

Figure 2.30-3 Oil Pan And

Pickup Screen Assembly – 6 Cylinder

OIL PUMP
The gear-driven oil pump is externally mounted. On
VHP Series Four engines the oil pump is located on
the front of the engine, below the crankshaft (see
Figure 2.30-4).

Figure 2.30-5 Engine Mounted Oil Cooler – 12 Cylinder

The thermostat is enclosed in a housing mounted at

the oil cooler outlet (see Figure 2.30-6).

2.30-4 FORM 6300


PRESSURE THERMOSTAT
REGULATING VALVE
OIL COOLER
Figure 2.30-6 Oil Cooler – 6 Cylinder
NOTE: An optional oil cooler assembly is shipped
loose for 12 cylinder engines, and must be either skid
or remote mounted by the customer. The assembly
consists of the oil cooler, temperature control valve,
and pressure regulating valve.
OIL STRAINER
The oil strainer contains one bypass pressure relief
valve. A pressure differential of 15 psi (103 kPa) opens
the valve and allows the oil flow to bypass the strainer
element enroute to the main oil header (see
Figure 2.30-7).
OIL STRAINER
Figure 2.30-7 Oil Strainer
MICROSPIN CLEANABLE OIL FILTERING SYSTEM
The Microspin system consists of two major compo-
nents, cleanable oil filter elements (see Figure 2.30-8)
and centrifuge (see Figure 2.30-9). The Microspin sys-
tem filter elements are installed in the existing oil filtra-
tion canister. The centrifuge is installed as a bypass
system, working in conjunction with the filter elements.
The centrifuge is driven by the engine’s oil pressure.
The spinning action of the centrifuge’s internal turbine
FORM 6300
LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
assembly develops a force that exceeds 2000G’s,
which compacts the contaminants against the turbine’s
housing. The centrifuge will remove oil contaminating
particles as small as 0.5 microns. The cleanable filter
elements remove remaining particles as small as
25 microns absolute. The Microspin system is more
environmentally friendly than systems that utilize dis-
posable elements. Cleaning the elements eliminates
the expense of replacement elements and the cost of
hazardous waste disposal. See Section 4.30 Lubrica-
tion System Description for information.
Figure 2.30-8 Optional Cleanable Oil Filter Elements
ENGINE MOUNTED
MICROSPIN
Figure 2.30-9 Microspin Centrifuge Assembly
PRELUBE OPERATION
Oil drains back into the
CAUTION oil sump after engine
shutdown, leaving a minimal amount of oil at key
wear points. Since the crankshaft starts to turn
before the oil pump begins to circulate oil, failure
to prelube the engine will result in “dry” starts,
resulting in bearing damage and an accelerated
wear rate.
The ESM system manages the start, stop, and emer-
gency stop sequences of the engine including pre- and
post-lube. Logic to start and stop the engine is built
into the ECU, but the customer supplies the user inter-
face (control panel buttons, switches, touch screen) to
the ESM system.
2.30-5
LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

PRELUBE PUMP/MOTOR INLINE LUBRICATOR

The function of the prelube pump/motor is to purge the
lubrication system of air and to ensure that all moving WARNING
parts, especially the turbochargers, are properly lubri-
If high pressure gas is used to drive the air/gas
cated before the engine is started (see
prelube pump motor, vent the motor exhaust to a
Figure 2.30-10).
safe area in conformance with all applicable
codes. Improper venting may result in severe per-
INLINE sonal injury or death.
LUBRICATOR

The inline lubricator injects oil into a stream of com-

pressed air/gas to automatically provide the proper
internal lubrication for the vanes of the air/gas oper-
ated prelube pump motor (see Figure 2.30-12). The
air/gas starting system also has a lubrication reser-
voir. See Section 4.45 Starting System Maintenance
for information.

PRELUBE AIR/GAS VENT INLINE

PUMP (CUSTOMER LUBRICATOR
PRELUBE PRELUBE CONNECTION)
PUMP MOTOR

Figure 2.30-10 Prelube Motor/Pump Assembly

PRELUBE VALVE
The prelube valve opens to admit air from a branch of
the main air/gas supply line, which turns the prelube
pump air motor to activate the prelube pump (see
Figure 2.30-11).
PRELUBE
PRELUBE MOTOR
VALVE
Figure 2.30-12 Inline Lubricator, Prelube Pump, And
Motor – 12 Cylinder

OIL LEVEL REGULATOR – OPTIONAL

The regulator is mounted on the left lower side of the
engine (see Figure 2.30-13). The regulator maintains
the engine crankcase oil at the correct level. Makeup
oil from an elevated tank is supplied at the regulator
inlet.
NOTE: The regulator should be adjusted so that when
MOUNTING the engine oil is at the proper level, the regulator sight
BRACKET
glass is full to the midpoint.
Figure 2.30-11 Prelube Valve – 6 Cylinder To prevent the regula-
CAUTION tor from malfunction-
ing, the inlet screen to the regulator should be
cleaned regularly.

2.30-6 FORM 6300

 LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

OIL LEVEL
REGULATOR

Figure 2.30-13 Optional Oil Level Regulator

If the oil level should drop for any reason, the float will
also drop, opening the float valve and allowing make-
up oil to be added to the crankcase. A contact is avail-
able for a customer-supplied low oil warning or shut-
down system.

FORM 6300 2.30-7

LUBRICATION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

2.30-8 FORM 6300