Engine Lubrication: Description and Operation

Lubrication system







The lubrication system in the new engine is of a new design.

Driven by the camshaft belt, the oil pump draws oil through a strainer in the sump.

The oil filter (to which the oil flows through a passage at the front of the cylinder block) is mounted on the opposite side to the pump. The filter is of the conventional type with a paper element and by-pass valve which opens if the filter becomes clogged.

Located in the passage downstream of the filter, the oil pressure switch operates the low oil pressure warning lamp.

The crankshaft is lubricated in conventional manner through passages cast and drilled in the block, and in the shaft itself.

The pistons and cylinder walls are lubricated by oil mist and by splash lubrication from the crankshaft.

Lubrication for the right-hand balance shaft is supplied through a passage formed in the righthand side of the block.

The left-hand balance shaft is lubricated from the third main crankshaft bearing through a milled slot.






The camshafts and hydraulic tappets are supplied with lubricating oil under pressure through a channel adjacent to the second cylinder head bolt on the right-hand side. Within the head, the channel is integral with the bolt for half of its length, following which the oil is conveyed through a drilled passage to the gallery in the right-hand side of the camshaft carrier.

The left-hand gallery, which supplies the camshaft and tappets on that side, is supplied with pressurized oil through a passage connecting it with the right-hand gallery.



Oil pump







A higher oil flow is required to supply the new components - balance shafts, extra camshaft and hydraulic tappets - particularly when the engine is hot.


The new pump is an Eaton type - essentially an internal gear pump consisting of a 4-lobed rotor running inside a 5-lobed ring. The pumping action is achieved by the continuous increase and decrease in volume which occurs as the elements rotate. Although the capacity is comparable to that of earlier gear pumps, it is higher at low speeds and when the oil is hot (120°C). The capacity at an engine speed of 4000 rpm is approximately 360 l/min.