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GREASES HYDRAULICS INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANTS SYNTHETICS FILTRATION STORAGE/HANDLING OIL ANALYSIS

Around and Around - Where the Oil Goes

in Your Engine
Phil Ramsey
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Tags: automotive, motor oils

Most people know to add oil to the top of their engines, and that oil drains out the bottom. Because I have
worked in auto repair for 35 years, it is no mystery to me what happens between filling and changing the oil.
But I am surprised at the number of people who do not have a true picture of the path the oil travels while it
makes its way around inside of the engine.

I am told that after the Noria seminars, informal question and answer periods turn to the most-often asked
question: “How often should I change my car’s oil, and what should I use?”

Click to see Figure 1 enlarged.

To answer that question, I would use the Socratic method and ask a few questions of my own: What kind of
car do you drive? What driving conditions do you encounter most? Where do you live? How old is your car?

The answer to these questions will determine the best oil for your vehicle, and how well it protects and
lubricates your engine while it goes around and around inside. Where does the oil travel, in what order, and
what exactly does it do inside your engine?

First, the oil you pour in the top of the engine goes through many paths eventually arriving in the bottom oil
pan, often called the sump, where the drain plug is located. The oil goes through several different paths
returning to the bottom - but only one path, under pressure, to do its job. Related Articles
Motor Oils - Fuel Economy vs. Wear
Figure 1 shows a tube with a loose-weave metal screen at the bottom of
Oil Consumption
the pan. The screen is attached to a pickup tube, which leads directly to Dipstick Oil Analysis
the oil pump. The tube and screen are submerged in the oil at a depth of
One of our readers wrote asking Condition Monitoring of Tactical Vehicle Engines
about four inches. The screen prevents large pieces of trash, usually lrger
than 1/32nd of an inch, from entering the oil pump. Many people do not three distinct questions about How to Choose the Right Engine Oil
realize that most oil pumps are just a set of special gears, which take in his car and its recently changed
the oil under low pressure and squeeze the oil to a high pressure, where it oil consumption. For 30,000
then passes through a chamber with a spring-loaded valve. The valve miles, his car had not used any
allows the oil to leave only under a specified pressure, usually between 1 oil between changes and
2 suddenly it consumed oil at the
and 60 lbs./in. Any pressure higher than this will be vented back to the
rate of one quart per 1,000
sump because high oil pressure can damage bearings.
miles. While the consumption
From the pump, it goes to the outside of the oil filter, and there it is forced rate is excessive, and I think
through the filter media to the center, where it exits into the oil galleries there is some leakage or oil
inside the engine. The oil filter also has a bypass valve to keep the being burned, he did ask the
pressure from dropping too low if the filter becomes clogged. The first and following valid questions:
most important job of motor oil is to lubricate the rotating components of
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an engine, and it must be under a good pressure to do its job. 1. What is normal
consumption? And why did his
Oil is forced into the space between the bearings making contact with the car not burn any oil for 30,000
crankshaft journals and the journals. The bearings are simple metal miles?
sleeves encircling the rotating components of the engine. The block has
main bearings on the crankshaft, and connecting rods bearings are on the 2. Why does the oil
crank throws. This thin space, usually one-thousandth of an inch on newer consumption occur during
engines, holds a thin film of oil between the bearings and the moving highway miles and not during
surfaces on the crankshaft. Under pressure and within the correct stop-and-go driving?
operating temperature, the oil protects and prolongs the life of the
machined parts. Metal should never touch other metallic surfaces while it 3. What caused the oil usage
is moving. pattern to change after having
driven the car this long (30,000
It is important to note that some of the oil is forced out of the sides of the miles)?
bearings and drips back into the sump. If the clearance is too much, say
Cars consume more and more
0.004 of an inch or better, pressure starts falling in the upper end of the
oil with age. Normal White Papers
engine. A flickering oil light or a slight tapping sound in the rocker arm
area on the topside of the motor is a good indication that not enough oil consumption is a subjective Ultrasound Lube Technician Handbook
under pressure is reaching the top end of the engine. call; I made mine at one quart
per 5,000 miles. I also stated How to Test Industrial and Engine Oils
Looking aside for a minute, I would like to see an automotive engine with that many cars will not burn oil Measuring Water Contamination in Industrial Oils: A
roller or needle bearings replace the far cheaper and sufficiently long-lived at all for a while - once again, a Practical Alternative to Karl Fischer Titration
sleeve bearings. I know it would cost a fortune to build such a motor, but it variable.
Filtration System Sizing Guide
would last forever. Many larger engines have needle/roller bearings.
Generally they turn at lower rpm (speed) than gasoline car motors. RPM is The fact that his consumption
not the limiting factor. I have flown model airplanes for 40 years and many is brought on by highway Buyers Guide
of my highest-revving engines (25,000+ rpm compared to 2,500 rpm in an conditions leads me to suspect
automobile engine) are equipped with roller bearings for lower friction and an internal oil leak around the Grease Guns
higher rpm. A roller/needle bearing-equipped auto engine would have valve stems seals or some
Oil Filtration
higher power and longer life, but at what production cost? failure in the PCV system (see
“A Breath of Fresh Air” in the Lubricants
Most of the oil lubricates the crankshaft area, while the remainder September 2001 issue of
lubricates the camshaft and rocker arms. If your car has pushrods rather Machinery Lubrication).
than an overhead camshaft, then oil is forced under pressure into the valve Poll
lifters. These lifters also pump oil up through the hollow push rods to The fact that the pattern
lubricate the rocker arm area. If your car has an overhead cam, the oil is changed abruptly would
carried to the cam and is spilled onto the contact points between the cam reinforce my belief that a failure Exit

and valve stems. (either an undetected leak or

abnormal consumption) is the
After lubricating the camshaft and the related components, the oil flows by culprit.
gravity back down channels in the head and motor block to the sump,
I have one car with more than Which strategy for cleaning an
ready to begin another journey.
175,000 miles and it consumes oil system is used most often
In many of the connecting rod designs, there is a small hole that sprays oil oil at the rate I like: one quart at your plant?
onto the cylinder to lubricate the piston ring contact area of that cylinder. every 4,000 miles. My newer car
Special rings on the bottom of the piston ring set wipe off excess oil and with only 70,000 miles also Mechanical cleaning with
return it to the sump. consumes one quart per 4,000 ramrods
miles, and it has always done
Regarding oil consumption, it may likely be necessary for you to add a that. Chemical cleaning with
quart of oil to your engine, at regular 3,000-mile intervals. Most of the
solvents, oil additives, etc.
newer cars will not consume any oil the first few oil changes. Afterward, oil Oil leaks are difficult to detect in
consumption will gradually increase with age. What is too much a car. The engines are tightly Steam blowing
consumption? If I had to pick an ideal figure, I would say one quart every enclosed and difficult to see
5,000 miles. The best car I ever owned let me know it was time for a from any angle. Add a list of Utilizing different oil flushing
change by being a quart low regularly at 4,000 miles. I saved adding a accessories bolted to the block procedures
quart and changed the whole sump and the filter. and visibility approaches
impossibility. However, in the
Why do I prefer a little oil consumption? In my opinion as a lifelong auto next issue of Machinery
mechanic, those engines that consumed a little oil by allowing it to pass Lubrication, I am going to
around the rings, kept wear on the upper cylinder and rings to a minimum. introduce some of the latest
Years ago, we used to add top oil to our gasoline for that same purpose. leak-finding techniques.
Phosphorescence, polymer
External oil leaks can be messy, a potential fire hazard, and just plain ugly.
acrylic, ultraviolet, smoke, and
Why do used car dealers go to great effort to clean a motor before
maybe even mirrors will be
exhibiting it for sale? Our general impression of the engine is formed
discussed next issue.
around how clean it is and how smooth it runs. Most people open the hood
before starting it up. If the salesman starts it up before he opens the hood,
he is depending on the first impression of a well-running motor negating what will likely be a dirty motor
under the hood. If the dealer has failed to clean the motor, it most likely has a bad oil leak he doesn’t want to
fix. If he opens the hood and it runs well, look where the car is parked as you test drive it. Oil on the lot will
give you a bargaining tool. Many types of leaks can be fixed for less than $100.
 Machinery Lubrication (9/2003)

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Motor Oils - Fuel Economy vs. Wear

Dipstick Oil Analysis

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