Many people do not attach importance to the cleanliness of the crankshaft oil passages, or simply do not know how to properly clean them. This operation is also very important because when grinding the crankshaft to the repair size of the liners, abrasive and processing products (metal dust) get into the oil channels. If you do not thoroughly rinse the crankshaft oil passages after this, then when you first start the engine, the remaining dirt can cause a lot of trouble, including best case scenario It will simply significantly reduce the life of the motor. And all expensive repairs may be in vain. Therefore, thorough washing of the internal cavities of the crankshaft is very important. We will look at how to do it correctly in this article.

You should also know that the crankshaft oil channels, in addition to their function of supplying oil to the friction pairs (crankshaft journals and bearings), also serve to trap using centrifugal force dirt particles (in special cavities) that can pass through the filter (very small particles). While the pressure relief valve is open (about oil valves I advise), or the quality of the oil filter is not very good, dirt particles entering the crankshaft channels are thrown, using centrifugal force, from the center of the shaft to the connecting rod journals, in which, as I said, there are special cavities closed with technological plugs (plugs).

There have been cases when dirt completely clogged the oil channels, and as a result, the friction pairs naturally began to run dry and quickly failed. This usually happens when drivers save on branded oil filters by buying them cheaper on the market. And even if the engine survived to the capital without breakdowns, then in crankshaft a lot of sediment was found. This, in addition to the risk of blocking the oil channels, also disrupted the balancing of the crankshaft, because dirt, with sufficient deposits, weighs tens of grams and is deposited unevenly. As a result, engine vibration occurs, and the life of the main bearings is sharply reduced.

From the above, I think the importance of cleaning the crankshaft channels is clear, but how to properly open and clean them? Let me start by saying that technological plugs There are two types. The first ones are screwed into a thread (reusable) - for example, in the crankshafts of a Dnepr motorcycle or a Volga car, old foreign cars. Plugs of the second type are pressed into the shaft journal with tension (disposable use) - for example, in Zhiguli cars or most foreign cars. Let's look at them separately.

Threaded plugs (of the first type), before unscrewing them, you need to sharpen the hole from the core (conveniently with a drill or a small chisel), since after tightening, on some motorcycles and old cars they are cored to be sure. On the Volga, for example, punching is not used, but they are simply wrapped with a certain torque - 4.0 - 4.2 kgf/m (but still, many mechanics also punch them). If there is a core, then after removing it, unscrew the plug with a 14mm internal hexagon (on the Volga), see photo 1, or with a powerful screwdriver (on the Dnepr motorcycle).

On a Volga car, for example, there are two plugs on each side of the connecting rod journal (eight in total). Having unscrewed everything, first with a screwdriver (you can use a drill - photo 3), and then with a metal brush, we clean the cavity of the connecting rod journal from dirt, and then, to be sure, we pour some kind of solvent into it (I recommend acetone or the branded deposit softener Dreumex Solu-Cleaner) and let it thoroughly acidify for a few hours. After this, we pour out all the blackness from the cavities and then I advise you to use a detergent (can be water-based), which should be used to rinse the channels and cavities under pressure. To do this, you can use the simplest homemade “Kärcher”, which I described in After washing detergent, we blow and at the same time dry the channels and cavities compressed air(compressor). All that remains is to clean the plugs themselves and their threads from dirt, using a metal brush, or the same attachment on a drill or grinder. The last operation is to screw the clean plugs into place using , with a torque of 4.0 - 4.2 kgf/m.

On Dnepr motorcycles, after washing the crankshaft channels, be sure to disassemble and wash the centrifuge, which replaces the oil filter. There is usually quite a lot of dirt in it. The same advice is also useful for owners of Zaporozhets, or old Volkswagen Beetles.

The second type of plugs are pressed into the shaft neck and are not reused (new ones are used and they are available for sale). These plugs are more difficult to remove than the first type, but it is quite possible. To do this, they need to be loosened in their seat (photo 5). By hitting the edges of the plug with a hammer through a steel pullout (steel rod) (we knock alternately, first on one edge, then on the opposite), we slightly warp the plug in its place, and when it becomes loose, we remove it. You can turn the crankshaft over with the plug down, and by lightly tapping the neck with a copper hammer, we ensure that the loose plug falls out from the blows. If you have difficulty removing it, you can heat the shaft neck a little (but not much). Plugs of this type are usually installed one on each crankshaft journal (four in total).

Cleaning of cavities and channels is carried out in the same way as on a crankshaft with plugs of the first type. After cleaning, washing and blowing, we insert new plugs and, using a mandrel with light blows of a hammer, press the new plugs in until they stop. Of course, in this case it is better to use a special mandrel on which the plug is placed, and then the plug together with the mandrel is inserted into its seat and pressed into place. You can buy the mandrel along with the plugs (sometimes sold as a set), and if you can’t find it in the store, you can order it from a turner.

Tool for pressing in a new crankshaft plug. a - plug, b - mandrel for pressing the plug, c - mandrel for flaring the plug, d - tetrahedral core, but you can also use a regular one.

When you press in the plugs, they will still need to be flared along the edge (to be sure). For flaring, a special mandrel with a protrusion is also used (see photo 8). Well, in the end, as they say, to calm the soul, we open the plugs with a center punch in three or four places.

And one last piece of advice. Before purchasing new plugs, measure seats plugs in your crankshaft (inner diameter), and when you buy the plugs themselves, measure them outside diameter. The tension during pressing should be 0.3 mm (the outer diameter of the plugs is 0.3 mm larger than the inner diameter mounting hole in the shaft journal). Free seating is not allowed here.

In general, I personally don’t like the second type of plugs. There is more fiddling with them, both when removing old ones and when pressing in new ones. Another thing is the plugs of the first type, which are threaded. And they are easy to work with, and the reliability of their fit is quite high. And you don’t need to look for new ones on sale, since the old ones are screwed into place. I think that the designers who came up with the idea of ​​pressing plugs in instead of fitting them on threads probably had nothing to do, so they came up with an extra mess.

Well, that seems to be all the nuances in this matter. I hope this article will help beginners who have decided to overhaul the engine of their car or motorcycle themselves. Well, and most importantly, it will help to properly clean the crankshaft oil channels, which, as many understand, is very important for the health of the engine; good luck to everyone!

Changing oil and filter
Engine oil contamination occurs continuously, which causes increased wear And premature exit failure of rubbing parts. From purity motor oil depend on the resource and reliability of the internal combustion engine, its power and environmental performance.

Contaminants are divided into two main groups: organic and inorganic. Organic impurities are formed as a by-product of fuel combustion, as well as thermal decomposition, oxidation and polymerization of oil and fuel. Reactions involving sulfur compounds and water worsen the situation.

Inorganic impurities are dust, technological pollution during the manufacture and repair of an engine, particles mechanical wear parts, as well as waste ash additive products.

Oil contamination in diesel engines occurs more intensely than in gasoline and gas engines. Therefore, they produce “diesel” oils with special package additives

The technological process of changing the oil is quite simple and there is no doubt about its necessity:

Purchased oil, filter, flushing
The flush is filled with old oil and the engine runs. allotted time(More details below)
The "old" oil is drained
The filter is changed and “new” oil is added.

Flushing is an important part of the oil change process
When changing oil without flushing, a significant part of the contaminants remains in the engine, and this is: carbon deposits(carbon deposits, sludge, spongy formations), varnishes, paints.

Flushing:

Softens and removes carbon deposits, wear products, carbon deposits
Releases coked piston rings and stuck hydraulic compensators
Cleans oil channels, improving oil circulation
Provides more complete drainage of old oil
Safe for rubber seals, oil seals, valve stem seals

There are 2 types of washings used - fast and soft.

A quick flush is poured into the “old” oil immediately before changing the oil and “works” for 5-10 minutes, radically cleaning the engine.

It must be used regularly from the very beginning of using the car. It has a strong cleaning effect; if such a product is added to the oil of a “slagged” engine, solid mechanical particles can clog the oil receiver mesh, preventing normal oil circulation. And they can only be removed from there when disassembling the engine.

Soft flushing is poured into the “old” oil and runs in the engine for 200 - 500 km before changing the oil, in order to dissolve accumulated carbon deposits, varnishes, and resins.

It is recommended to use “soft” washes that last for a long time; they are much gentler on car parts. This is especially true for older engines with a large amount of solid deposits, where there is a possibility of chipping of large pieces of carbon deposits with the subsequent formation of dust scoring and the possibility of clogging of the shaft channels.

Flushing oil can be used. It is more suitable for gasoline units. IN flushing oil It does not contain anti-foam additives and foams easily. If the diesel engine is not in its first youth, then through the ventilation hose crankcase gases this foam is often sucked into intake manifold motor, which can damage the latter.

After applying the flush, the new filter and oil work more efficiently, extending engine life.
Oil drain
There are two ways to drain the oil:

Through a drain pipe installed in the oil pan
"suck out" using a vacuum unit through the hole oil dipstick

Method one: drain

An important rule: before the procedure, the engine must be warmed up to operating temperature, otherwise mechanical impurities will remain at the bottom. Then you need to remove the old filter element because after stopping the unit, a slight reverse flow of oil is observed, as a result of which dirt particles located in the oil filter return to the crankcase. After this you can unscrew drain plug oil pan For the old oil to completely drain from the crankcase, you need to wait about 10 minutes! After completely removing any remaining oil, you need to tighten the drain plug, after carefully wiping it with a clean cloth. To avoid leakage from the system, it is advisable to install a new gasket on the plug at each oil change.

Second method: vacuum

The advantages of this method of draining oil are that it is environmentally friendly and does not allow accidental release of oil into the environment.

The disadvantages of this method are that not all oil is removed from the crankcase; approximately 250 ml of dirty, used oil remains in the oil pump and oil receiver. You can reduce the negative impact of incomplete oil extraction by placing the car on inclined surface. If the car is tilted (usually backwards), you can improve the flow of old oil to the inner hole of the dipstick channel and thereby increase the amount of lubricant removed from the system

Replacing the oil filter

Wipe the seating surface on the engine block with a clean cloth
Lubricate pure oil sealing ring a new filter so that when screwing it in, the seal does not get damaged

Some service providers suggest pouring about 1 cup of fresh oil into it before installing the filter.
This is not recommended for several reasons:

It is much easier for the oil pump to remove excess air from the system if the filter element is dry
When installing the filter, some of the oil from it will inevitably spill into engine compartment, getting it dirty. Subsequently, dirt will begin to stick to the oil slick and the engine will have to be washed

Filling oil
This procedure is best performed with the probe extended. When the required amount of oil has already been filled into the engine (it is indicated in the technical documentation of the car), it is necessary to measure its level using a dipstick.

If the oil level is slightly above the “maximum” mark, it doesn’t matter; after starting the engine, the oil channels will be filled and it will return to normal.

First start power unit After changing the oil it is a very responsible matter. The oil system is not yet filled and lubricant cannot instantly reach all rubbing surfaces. Reminds you of insufficient oil when you turn on the ignition emergency light oil pressure.

To protect the engine as much as possible from wear due to oil starvation, it is better to “twist the starter” for 5-7 seconds during the first start so that the pump can “pump” oil through the system. For this purpose, you can specifically turn off the ignition or fuel supply system so that the engine does not start prematurely.

In a car with diesel engine it is problematic to launch with a delay, so in in this case We recommend not increasing the speed until the oil pressure warning light goes out. After letting the engine run for idle speed about 1 minute, you need to turn it off and, if necessary, add oil until the required level, guided by the probe.
About motor oil compatibility
The issue of compatibility includes three: compatibility of the same type of mineral or synthetic oils, or compatibility of mineral and synthetic oils.

Bases mineral oils compatible, but the issue of additive compatibility remains, which requires verification when developing the composition new brand oils Various synthetic fluids(non-motor) are usually not compatible.

The American Petroleum Institute, in its standards for motor oils, stipulates all their properties designed to ensure minimal wear engine, fuel consumption, reduce pollution environment and etc..

It also strictly regulates the compatibility of produced or newly developed oils with existing and reference oils. No self-respecting company will allow itself to put on the market a motor oil that does not meet at least one point API standard or by failing to carry out the full range of tests required by this standard.

Any motor oil being prepared for release is tested for compatibility with six reference oils. Tests include deep and long-term cooling of mixtures, high-temperature heating, holding at high temperatures, subsequent repeated cooling, then taking rheological characteristics, constructing calorimetric curves, homogeneity analysis and sedimentation.

Tests are carried out with mineral and synthetic oils, high and low classes, diesel and gasoline. If the result of these tests is positive, subsequent ones are carried out, including expensive motor tests; if there is no oil, the candidate is removed from further tests.

The oil will be on the market only if it meets this standard in all respects.

Conclusion: in the high-quality market lubricants There can be no truly API compliant motor oils that are incompatible. This statement has been tested for decades on the roads of Europe and America.

Another thing is that you need to be careful in this matter. Counterfeit oils appearing on the market famous brands, the addition of questionable additives to the engine by the consumer, indeed, often leads to negative consequences, manifested in the formation of clots, carbon deposits, gelation, followed by clogging of the oil channels and engine shutdown.

This is the current experience of many motorists who cannot always establish the true cause of such phenomena, attributing them to the incompatibility of mixed oils.

Motor oil performs several functions: it lubricates rubbing parts, cools and lubricates them. Without engine oil, the engine will immediately stall - the first to fail will be the crankshaft liners, which will turn into foil, and there will also be scuffing on the crankshaft itself. In principle, other parts will not have time to fail, since the liners without oil turn into foil within a minute.

Oil starvation of the engine leads to irreversible consequences - in addition to cheap bearings, the crankshaft is damaged. And it often happens that the scuffs on the crankshaft remain larger than the last repair size, which means purchasing a new expensive part.

Engine oil starvation does not mean that there is no oil at all, just that some parts did not have enough of it due to a low level, low throughput of the lubrication system due to clogging or other reasons. Not necessarily the entire engine does not receive oil - more often All the oil is not enough for individual engine components.

Causes of engine oil starvation

There may be several reasons.

1. No sufficient quantity oils in engine - low level, someone stuck it and didn’t top it up
2. The oil has not been changed for a long time, it has thickened, collected in pieces on the walls of the engine and does not flow into the sump
3. The oil receiver screen is clogged
4. The oil filter is clogged and bypass valve jammed
5. The oil injectors are stuck in the open position and the pressure in the system has dropped
6. The pressure reducing valve on the oil pump is broken and oil flows through it into the return line.
7. Oil channels clogged
8. Come up with a reason yourself (if possible, write down in the comments what other reasons there may be)

1. Any engine consumes oil through waste - some more, some less. If you don’t look under the hood and check the oil level for a long time, then at one point the oil will become so low that it will no longer reach the oil receiver. First, this will happen when the car leans over while climbing a hill, then when it turns at speed and the oil, under the influence of centrifugal force, rushes away from the oil receiver. It is, of course, small things, but gradually the oil will become less and less, but it will stop flowing to the most remote corners of the engine.

2. When the oil is not changed for a long time, some kind of thick and non-flowing fuel oil is formed in it, which likes to collect on the walls of the block and in the head. The liquid fraction is becoming less and less, and hence we look at point 1. This happens especially often on modern cars, for which the manufacturer recommends extended oil change intervals ( Long Life, up to 30,000 km). And if at the service you come across not very responsible technicians who do not drain all the old oil, there will be problems. Change the oil at least once every 10,000, or better yet, more often.

3. The dung that forms in the old oil (see point 2) can clog the oil receiver screen and then the oil will stop flowing into the lubrication system. Although the grid becomes clogged for other reasons.

4. Oil filter consists of a housing and the actual paper filter element. All the smallest particles of dirt clog the pores in the paper and over time throughput filter is lost. To prevent oil starvation when the filter is clogged (usually this does not happen if you change the oil on time, although there is also air filter and how much dirt gets into the engine depends on operating conditions on dusty roads), the filter has a bypass valve - in the normal position it is closed, but as soon as the throughput is lost, the valve opens under the action of vacuum created by the oil pump. When the valve jams, then naturally the oil will not come from anywhere, and less and less will circulate through the lubrication system. less oil with less pressure.

5. Some engines, mostly turbocharged ones, have oil injectors that spray oil onto the pistons to cool them. The injectors open under pressure, and when there is no oil pressure in the system, they close. If the injector is faulty and opens, the pressure in the system will decrease, which means the oil will not reach remote corners of the engine. Although if you budget foreign car With low-power engine, such as Ford Focus or Chevrolet Aveo, then you don’t have to worry - they don’t have such a system

6. The oil pump has a pressure relief valve, which is designed to relieve excess pressure. If it jams, the pressure in the system will drop, especially at low revs, which will lead to oil starvation.

7. The engine lubrication system consists of oil channels. The most vulnerable part is the crankshaft. The crankshaft has oil channels through which oil flows from the main journals to the connecting rods. These channels are very narrow and can very easily become clogged with all sorts of dirt, which will lead to oil starvation of the connecting rod bearings.

8. You can come up with some other reasons, if you missed something, write in the comments

Consequences of engine oil starvation

The consequences are terrible. For example, when crankshaft rotates, it does not come into contact with the liners, there is always oil between them, the so-called oil wedge. But when there is not enough oil, it stops flowing to the crankshaft and liners, then this oil wedge disappears and the shaft begins to rub against the liners and from friction and the resulting increased temperature, the shaft wedges, but since it continues to rotate by inertia, this wedge breaks off, thereby thereby tearing out the surface layer of metal from both surfaces. The result is an insert in foil, deep scuff marks on the crankshaft.

If the oil pressure methodically begins to decrease little by little in the system, that is, less of it passes through the pipeline, the crankshaft connecting rod bearings will be the first to suffer, since they are located the farthest away and the oil approaches them according to the residual principle.

But before this, the hydraulic compensators will most likely start knocking (if they exist, of course), and the turbine also suffers greatly from oil starvation.

If at one point the oil suddenly suddenly stops flowing into the lubrication system, then most likely the main bearings will go first, since they are closest to the pump and receive the first batch of oil.

Restoring such an engine is very difficult and expensive; in addition to replacing the liners, you need to grind the crankshaft if it falls within the repair size or buy a new one.

The oil that we pour into the engine wears out on its own, even when the car sits quietly in the garage - it oxidizes. Moreover, oil wear is inevitable during active engine operation under heavy loads. One of the biggest tests for an engine can be oil starvation - we’ll find out how to avoid it, signs and consequences, and how to determine oil starvation right now.

What is engine oil starvation?

Due to insufficient lubrication, the aluminum almost melted

The lack of lubrication in some components in certain engine operating modes is theoretically called oil starvation.

For obvious reasons, if there is no lubrication in the rubbing units, they instantly fail. The danger of oil starvation motor is that it can occur instantly and almost completely destroy the main components of the engine:

• crankshaft,
• camshaft,
• gas distribution mechanism,
• cylinder-piston group,
• other vital and expensive components and assemblies.

Broken camshaft key (due to insufficient lubrication)

Out of the blue!

Oil starvation does not occur out of the blue , and as a rule, all the blame for a breakdown lies only with the owner of the car or the mechanics who made the repairs. As you know, oil is in the crankcase in the quantity required for lubrication and is supplied to the system using an oil pump. In the case when the oil cannot reach individual rubbing units, oil starvation occurs. There can be a lot of reasons for this.

How to determine oil starvation

It was immediately clear that the engine was “starved of oil”

First, about the definition of engine oil starvation, since the range of symptoms is quite wide - from a drop in engine power to overheating, extraneous noise and knocks. All this indicates wear of certain components characteristic of each engine. For example, in the most common upper gasoline engines Accelerated wear and increased noise during operation of the gas distribution mechanism are often encountered.

Consequences

The consequences can be very different - jamming of the camshaft, bending of the camshaft, bending of the valves, destruction of the rocker arms, cranking of the crankshaft liners, jamming of the rings in the liner until the destruction of the pistons.

In addition, the oil scraper rings may become stuck, which will lead to even greater excess oil consumption and engine seizure. Blue thick smoke from exhaust pipe will just indicate a malfunction of the oil scraper rings and high oil consumption.

Causes of oil starvation

Engine operation in oil starvation mode is in almost all cases accompanied by elevated temperature, which you should definitely pay attention to. In addition, the oil pressure in the system can be either very low (as indicated by warning lamp oil pressure on the instrument panel) or unstable. All this can be caused by the following reasons:

1. Insufficient oil level in the pan . There is simply not enough lubricant to process all the sliding bearings, there is no oil film, and the parts run almost dry. That is why at least once a week, and even more often during active use. In addition, it is necessary to carefully monitor oil leaks and, if necessary, take measures to eliminate leaks.

   

   Engine oil dipstick (analog on top, original on bottom). Incorrect dipstick readings may not indicate to the car owner in time insufficient level lubricants

2. Using oil of unsuitable viscosity . This is a very important point, since, for example, 5w-30 oil, when used in summer, may not provide the required viscosity, engine lubrication will be insufficient, pressure at high temperatures may fall critically. To avoid this, you must follow the car manufacturer's recommendations when choosing motor oils.
3. The oil receiver screen is clogged . Oil pump unable to overcome the resistance of the clogged mesh, so oil cannot flow into the right quantity and under the required pressure to all nodes. The same applies to clogged oil lines. The ideal way out of this situation is to disassemble and mechanically clean the channels and oil receiver; flushing agents can only make things worse.

   

   Oil pan clogged with dirt

4. Irregular or untimely replacement oil and filter . Each brand of oil has its own resource, which must be strictly observed. During operation, the lubricant loses most of its lubricating properties and by the end of its service life it can be almost completely oxidized and lose viscosity.

   

   Disassembling the oil filter

5. Wear oil scraper rings And increased consumption oils . Wear of valve stem seals and crankshaft seals will also lead to high consumption oils
6. Poor quality engine assembly after repair . A competent motor mechanic will never use sealant where a simple gasket is sufficient - the fact is that excess sealant is pressed not only outward, but also into the oil channels, clogging them over time.
7. Failure, clogging pressure reducing valve lubrication systems.
8. Oil filter clogged.

Video about engine oil starvation at high speeds

conclusions

As you can see, there can be plenty of reasons for oil starvation, and in order to prevent breakdowns, you just need to check the oil level from time to time and follow the rules for changing it, and eliminate leaks in a timely manner. Then the engine will last a long time without expensive repairs. Good quality oil to everyone and good roads!