Chapter ten

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
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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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 Quiz #3
#1 Discuss at least two systems for controlling
pollutants (use simple diagram)
#2 write down Requirements of lubrication oil
#3 why engine lubrication is needed? List the
main engine component that need to be
lubricated (use simple diagram)

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