Engine Lubrication System

Diesel Engine - Systems Lubrication System

Lubrication is required in motor vehicle maintenance. To supply

lubricating oil between the moving parts is simply termed as lubrication.
Lubrication of all moving part [other than nylon, rubber bushed or pre-
lubricated components] is essential to reduce friction, wear and to prevent
seizure. Lubrication must be done properly, and right type of lubricant
should be use. Improper or inadequate lubrication of engine will cause
serious trouble such as scored cylinders, worn or burned-out bearings,
misfiring cylinders, dirty spark plugs, stuck piston rings, deposits and sludge
and excessive fuel consumption.

Objectives Of Lubrication

The primary objects of Iubrication are as follows :

1. To reduce friction between the moving parts.

2. To reduce wear of the moving parts.

3. To act as a cooling medium for removing heat.

4. To keep the engine parts clean, especially piston rings and ring grooves,
oilways and filters.
5. To absorb shocks between bearings and other engine parts thus reducing
engine noises and extending engine life.

6. To form a good seal between piston rings and cylinder walls.

7. To prevent deposition of carbon, soot and lacquer.

8. To absorb and carry away harmful substances resulting from incomplete

combustion.

9. To prevent metallic components from corrosive attack by the acid formed

during the combustion process.

10. To resist oxidation which causes sludge and Iacquers.

Lubricating systems :

In motor vehicles, there are two seperate systems of lubrication:

1. Engine lubrication system.

2. Chassis lubrication system.

The engine lubrication system may be either pressure type or splash

type, although various combinations of these two systems are used. A
single system lubricates the entire engine of all present day motor
vehicles. Only equipments outside the engine, such as starter,
generators, water pump and distributors, are separately lubricated.
This system circulates the oil from a common reservoir or sump to the
main bearings connecting rod bearings, wrist pins, camshaft bearings
and cams, cylinder walls, valves and timing drive. The pump is located
at the bottom of the crank case. All modern American passenger cars
and trucks use the pressure system in which oil is forced under
pressure by a geared pump to the various rotating and reciprocating
part. In splash system the connecting rod end has dipper which
splashes the oil on the various parts as it travels through the oil while
moving the connecting rod.

Functions Of Lubrication Oil :

There are five important functions of the lubricating oil in an

automotive engine:

1. To minimize friction and wear.

2. To cool by carrying away heat.

3. To seal the pistons and thus preventing escape of gases in the

cylinders with consequent loss of power.

4. To cushion the parts against vibration and impact.

5. To clean the parts as it lubricates them, carrying away impurities.

If there is no lubrication between the two surfaces, the heat generated

would bind or burn out the surfaces. Also there would be considerable
wear and power loss. If the surfaces are lubricated, like the engine
bearing, the shaft would float on a film of lubricant , The greasy
slippery particles of the oil film slide on each other, minimizing the
amount of friction, wear and heat generate. An adequate amount of
lubrication oil must be fed continuously to the bearing, so that a film of
oil is maintained in the bearing under practically all operating
conditions.

The thickness of the film between the baring and journal

depends upon the load and speed and also upon the type of the
Lubricant. The film is thinner at higher load, lower speed and lighter
oil. The heavier oil often cause rise in temperature of the bearing.
Also, heavier oil increases the friction. Therefore, oil companies
recommend the use the lightest oil in automotive engines, which can
maintain an oil film of satisfactory thickness and can provide
satisfactory boundary lubrication when the engine is starting from rest.

SAE NUMBER :

The Society of Automotive Engineers has recommended SAE

viscosity number for lubricating oils. The viscosity number of any
crankcase lubricating oil is determined by the range of viscosities
within which it falls at the given temperature.

5 W, 1 W and 20 W SAE number lubrication oils are for winter

use and the viscosity tests are made at 00 F.

20, 30 and 40 SAE number lubricating oils are for summer use
and the viscosity tests are made at 2100 F.

Types Of Lubricants :
 The lubricants are of three types :

1. Solid ---- graphite, mica, soap stone or steatite.

2. Semi- solid-----grease.

3. Liquid----- mineral oil, vegetable oil, animal oil, etc.

Lubricating Parts :

The Engine parts which are to be lubricated are as follows :

1. Main Crankshaft bearings

2. Big end bearings

3. Small end bearings

4. Camshaft bearings

5. Piston rings & Cylinder walls

6. Timing gears

7. Valve mechanism

The Lubricating system used on BEST buses is Pressure feed system. In

this system the engine parts are lubricated under pressure feed. The
lubricating oil is stored in a separate tank or the sump, from where an oil
pump takes the oil through a strainer and through a filter to the main oil
gallery goes to the main bearings, from where some of it after lubricating the
main bearings, fall back to the sump, some is splashed to lubricate the
cylinder walls and a remaining goes to through a hole to the crankpin. From
the crankpin it goes to the piston pin through a hole in the connecting rod
web, where it lubricates the piston rings. For lubricating camshaft and timing
gears, the oil is led through a separate oil line from the oil gallery. The valve
tappets are lubricated by connecting the main oil gallery to the tappet guide
surfaces through drilled holes.

An oil pressure guage at the instrument panel indicates the oil pressure in
the system. Oil filters and strainers in the system clears offal from dust,
metal particles and other harmful particles.

Parts of Lubricating System :

1. Oil sump or tank

2. Oil pump

3. Oil cooler

4. Oil filter and strainer

5. Oil pressure guage

6. Oil level indicator

Crankcase Ventilation :

The products of combustion contain mainly nitrogen, water and CO2 ,

Sulphuric acid particles may also be present due to sulphur content in
the fuel. It is quite possible that the product of combustion may leak
through the piston rings into the crankcase. The gasoline also finds its
way into the crankcase oil by slipping past the piston rings. Thus the
lubricating oil in the crankcase becomes dilute when mixed with water
and gasoline which leak past the piston rings. The acid causes
corrosion of the crankcase metals as does water, if either or both are
allowed to collect and remain in the crankcase.

The crankcase ventilation is used in all automotive engines. It

consist of passing through the crankcase a constant steam of air which
picks up and carries away most of the fuel vapour and water vapour
before they can condense out and dilute the lubricating oil. Air is
drawn into the crankcase through a breather cap and is discharge
through an outlet tube at the side of the engine. The circulation of the
air in the crankcase takes place due to the motion of the vehicle,
moving piston and fanning action of the crankshaft.

Engine Lubricating Troubles :

The engine lubricating system may fail due to any one of the following
reasons :

1. Failure of Oil Pump

2. Clogged Oil lines and oil passage

3. Contaminated oil
Low oil pressure :

The oil pressure may be low due to anyone of the following reasons :

1. Less oil in the oil pan

2. Loose connections in the oil lines

3. Faulty pressure guage giving incorrect reading

4. Excessive clearance in the bearing causing rapid oil leakage from the
bearing ends.

5. Too weak relief valve spring

Oil Consumption More (OCM) :

The oil consumption may be high due to the following reasons :

1. Loose bearing

2. Tapered or Out of round (ovality) of cylinders

3. Excessive clearance in the intake valve guides

4. Worn piston rings

5. Improperly installed Oil sump, tappet cover gasket or timing cover

gasket leak.

6. Worn oil seats at front or rear main bearings.

7. Lose connections in filter lines.

8. Worn rear camshaft oil seal.

9. Excessive oil pressure.

10. Clogged oil breather.

11. Clogged oil return from the distributor.

12. Stuck positive crankcase ventilation regulator valve.

13. Cylinder distortion due to improper tightening of the cylinder

head nuts.
14. Leaky fuel pump vacuum booster diaphragm which sucks oil
from the crankcase.

15. Excessive clearance in the intake value guides.

16. High speed and high temperature, which reduce oil viscosity.
More oil flows and more oil leaks and more oil burns.

Sources Of Loss :

1. Combustion :- The oil leaks past the piston rings into the
combustion chamber, where it is burnt up. This cannot be avoided
because some oil must have to reach the upper position of the
cylinder lubrication of the cylinder walls and piston rings.

2. Leakage :- The oil leaks through the bearings and loose

connections. This can, however, be reduced to a minimum in a well
design engine Iubricating system.

3. Crankcase ventilation :- Some of the oil is carried out in the from of

vapours through the crankcase ventilation.
Bus No. Eng. type Findings

8460 Hino (EII) Eng. Full Dismantled for blowing found all liner w/o and
main bearing w/o piston bearing w/o criss cross holes
checked found ok.

2006 BSIII Eng. Full Dismantled for sleeve crack found 5th no cylinder
MUTP(OE) sleeve cracked criss cross holes found ok

7096 A/L EII Eng. Full Dismantled for blowing found all piston rings w/o &
liner w/oand second no. piston scuffing Con. Rod and main
bearing w/o.

3121 A/L CNG Eng. Full Dismantled for piston damage found 5th no.
cylinder exhaust valve seat and valve broken. Piston
scuffing and cylinder head surface damaged B. bearing
worn out.

6781 Hino EII Eng. Full Dismantled for Noisy, found M/Brg. And B/Brg.
W/out Piston and Piston rings W/out.

6697 Tata CNG Eng. Full Dismantled for Noisy, found 3rd no. cyl and 5th no.
cylinder scuffing.

5122 Tata CNG Eng. Full Dismantled for noisy and main flywheel(bolt),
mouting crankshaft hole thread w/o
 ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM

Heat energy produced by a spark ignition engine constitutes less than 30 per cent of
the total energy required for useful work, while the rest has to be disposed of without
causing any harm to the engine parts. About 36 per cent passes out of the exhaust system,
some 7 per cent is lost to internal friction and heating the lubricating oil, while another 33
per cent is dissipated in the cooling system.

There are two types of cooling systems, direct and indirect. In the direct system, air is
blown over the cooling fins on the outside of the cylinder heads. In the indirect system a
coolant which is generally water, flows through passages in the engine.
The essential parts of a modern water cooled engine are:

 A jacket that surrounds all hot regions such as the combustion chamber, cylinder bores,
inlet manifolds and exhaust ports.

 Radiator that cools water that returns from the engine.

 A pump
to circulate water through the passages.

 A fan to cool water in the radiator.

 Hoses connecting radiator to the engine to make a circulatory system.

 Thermostat to control circulation of cooling water so that engine remains at efficient

running temperature.
 Pressure cap on radiator to raise boiling point of water and thereby suppress formation of
steam pockets near combustion spaces.

 The ideal temperature for an engine to operate efficiently is that which heats the coolant
to a point near the thermostat housing to about 80-8500C.