I was just wondering how oil gets onto the cylinder wall to keep everything smooth. Does the piston actually dip into the oil and oil gets on the rings or is it something else?

 

oil pump kind of forces it up there..

 

Within the engine is a variety of pathways for oil to be sent to moving parts. These pathways are designed to deliver the same pressure of fresh lubricating oil to all parts. If the pathways become clogged, the affected parts will lock together. This usually destroys parts that are not lubricated, and often ruins the entire engine.

The oil passages are cleverly drilled into the connecting parts of the engine, which allows the highly mobile ones (like the pistons) to have ample lubrication. Originating at the oil pump, they flow through all of the major components of the engine. In the case of the pistons and rods, the passages are designed to open each time the holes in the crankshaft and rods align.

 

Just out of curiousity, is it from the crank's oil gallories that splash oil onto the walls as it spins or the crank hitting the oil in the oil pan that come up and hit the cylinder walls? No hurry I am just wondering.

 

Read my edited version above.

 

Sorry I asked that and didn't realize you answered it. So basically the oil in the pan does nothing for lubricating, it is only when the oil pump pushes the oil into the passage ways. Does the crank even hit the oil sitting in the oil pan?

 

It is not supposed to.

 

When it does, it's called parasitic drag. When the crankshaft contacts the oil in the pan it adds resistance to the crank rotating; thus wasting HP. This is why high-end engines have "knife-edged" cranks, to reduce this parasitic drag as much as possible.

 

Ahhh I see. I do remember the word parasitic drag, and never knew what it meant. Well thanks for all of ya'lls help. I asked several people and no one could answer so I decided to come to my good ole friends on camaroz28.com. Thanks again.

 

Another way things are lubed is the oil being forced to the cam and crank gets slung out, when something is spinning even say just the 400rpms a cam does at idle oil isn't dripping stright down off of it. Imagine the coverage a dog and get just shaking, now imagine what oil is doing coming off the crank spinning at 5000rpms.

 

I believe the edges are knife edged to reduce windage. If your crank actually hit the oil in the pan it will froth up. The crank can aerate the oil even without physically touching oil in the pan. That is why many engines have windage trays.

Here's a little experiment fill sink with water and punch it as fast as you can (only hit the water without hitting the sink) now imagine your crank doing that a few thousand times a second.


Mike

 

Make sure you film that experiment though and post it on the boards.

Steve

 

and make sure your camera has a bag over it

 

the cylinder walls are lubed from excess oil splashed from the rod bearings/journals while the crank is rotating. if your crank counter weights are contacting the oil in the pan, youve got big problems.