It takes many systems to get a car engine running correctly. You need a fuel system to supply fuel and air for the combustion process, plus a cooling system to ensure the engine doesn’t overheat. On top of that is a lubrication system to keep everything running smoothly.
The engine lubrication system ensures that all the engine's parts can move freely without grinding against each other and generating too much friction. It keeps the engine running efficiently while simultaneously reducing vibrations, heat, and wear and keeping the engine's internals.
Like any other system in your car, the engine lubrication system is complex. It, too, relies on several moving parts that work together in harmony to deliver a long list of benefits to your engine.
So, keep reading to understand why the engine lubrication system is so important, and why you’ll want to take good care of yours.
What Is the Purpose of the Engine Lubrication System?
The primary role of the engine oil system is to ensure that all the moving metal parts of the engine don’t generate friction against one another. Thus, it protects these engine parts from damaging each other.
Other Benefits of a Well-Maintained Engine Oil System
Not only does the oil lubrication system prevent damage of parts due to friction, but it also fulfils other purposes and offers benefits like:
- Increases efficiency: When the engine’s metal parts create friction, they waste energy in the form of heat. The lubrication system prevents that, thereby making the engine more efficient.
- Cleans: Engine oil also offers the added benefit of cleaning as it flows around. Simply put, the engine oil captures any contaminants inside the engine, deposits them on the filter, and prevents them from sticking to the engine’s parts.
- Maintains high-pressure seals: Some engine sections are under high pressure, like the combustion chambers. Lubrication helps parts like the piston rings keep a tight seal even at high pressures.
- Reduces vibrations: Anyone who knows a thing or two about cars knows that excess vibrations are a terrible thing. The lubrication system reduces at least some of the vibrations produced by the engine when it’s running.
- Prevents overheating: Besides vibrations, heat is also another element inside the engine that you must keep under control. Sure, your car has a separate cooling system that handles most of that work. But the engine lubrication system helps manage temperatures within the engine itself.
- Reduces wear: Overall, the engine lubrication system reduces wear and tear. That’s what you get when you combine all the qualities above, like reducing friction, vibrations, and heat, while maintaining high-pressure seals and cleaning as it goes.
I hope these reasons have brought the engine oil system front and centre in your attention. It’s now easy to see why it’s crucial to constantly monitor and change the engine oil in your car.
What Are the Main Components of a Car's Lubrication System?
The engine lubrication system is complex by itself. So, what are the components that ensure it works effectively?
For starters, you must understand that the system is not separate from the engine but integrated with the engine itself.
Here are the main parts of a car’s lubrication system and their functions:
1. Engine Oil Filter
The engine oil filter has an obvious purpose: it removes all contaminants from the engine oil. That’s a crucial component to have because the engine oil cleans the inside of the engine by trapping pollutants in it.
So, when the engine oil passes through the filter, it can deposit all the dirt and debris that it captures along the way.
That way, the lubrication system can stay running without any clogs or other problems caused by contaminant build-up.
2. Oil Pump
Of course, something needs to drive the engine oil throughout the system to do its job. That’s where the oil pump comes in.
Firstly, the oil pump circulates the engine oil throughout the engine to wherever it needs to be. At the same time, it also ensures that the engine oil circulates at the correct pressure levels.
3. Oil Cooler
Engine oil also helps to capture and remove heat from inside the engine. However, that heat needs to go somewhere, or else it’ll just recirculate throughout the lubrication system.
That’s why the system includes an oil cooler that circulates the coolant. As the engine oil passes through the oil cooler, it can release heat to the cooler and drop its temperature.
4. Oil Sump
Most people are familiar with the oil sump, even if they don’t know about other lubrication system parts. This engine section is where the engine oil rests when it’s not circulating throughout the engine.
It also prevents the oil from foaming since it has a place to settle. The oil pump will extract oil from the sump and circulate it through the lubrication system when the engine is running.
5. Oil Galleries
Oil galleries are the ‘tunnels’ inside the engine through which the engine oil flows. Aside from channelling the oil to where it needs to go, these galleries help the oil absorb heat from the engine.
That’s because the hot cylinder walls and pistons are all around the galleries, transferring heat to the engine oil inside.
6. Oil Pressure Indicator
Like many other car systems, the engine lubrication system also has a warning indicator. In this case, the indicator gauges the oil pressure inside that system.
It'll warn you if the engine oil pressure drops too low, indicating several different problems with the lubrication system.
Which Engine Parts Need Lubrication?
So far, we’ve seen why the lubrication system in an engine is so important, but which part of a combustion engine does a lubrication system serve?
There’s roughly 200 parts inside a combustion engine, and it’s safe to say that all moving parts require lubrication to protect them and ensure they work smoothly.
Some of these parts are:
- All kinds of bearings (e.g., those at the crankshaft, camshaft, water pump, and more)
- Individual cylinder walls
- Parts of the oil pump
- Turbocharger and vacuum pump bearings (if your car has these parts)
- Piston rings
- Timing gears
- And many more
If you’re looking for a reliable place to help you maintain, troubleshoot, or repair your engine’s lubrication system, check out the Directory at CarPart AU. It’s the quickest place to find the pros!
By Ray Hasbollah