What Is An Oil Pump?

Surprisingly, the circulation of oil in an internal combustion engine is achieved by the oil pump. The oil pump is a part of an engine lubrication system that pumps oil under pressure. It pumps oil from the sump through the galleries to the rotating bearing, the sliding pistons, and the camshaft of the engine. The primary purpose of the system is to pressurise lubricating oil to circulate within the moving parts of the engine. The pumped oil also maintained the temperature of the engine.

Contents

Recap

The oil pump is an internal combustion engine part that circulates engine oil under pressure to the rotating bearings, the sliding pistons, and the camshaft of the engine.
Its primary function is to transfer oil under pressure to the essential parts of the engine, lubricating the bearings, enabling the use of higher-capacity fluid bearings, and aiding in engine cooling.
The rotor oil pump, twin gear pump, and front-cover oil pump are the three major types of car engine oil pumps.

Let’s get into more detail!

The oil pump is a mechanical device that is used in an engine to circulate oil to moving parts like bearings, camshafts, and pistons in order to avoid wear and tear on the parts. It is one of the essential parts of an engine lubrication system that must not go wrong or be faulty; otherwise, a breakdown will occur.

The functions of an oil pump in an automobile include:

Transferring oil to the essential parts of the engine under pressure.
Ease movement of the engine lubricant around the engine.
Offers direction to the movement of the oil through the galleries to various parts.
It helps return the hot oil to the coolant oil in the reservoir.
Keeps the oil circulation within the engine constant.

Types of oil pump

Below are the three types of oil pumps used in engines and how they work:

Rotor oil pump

A rotor type of oil pump is also called a gerotor pump. It contains an inner gear that turns inside the outer rotor. The inner rotor features one less lobe than the outer one, and it’s mounted slightly off-center of the outer rotor. This forces the outer rotor to spin at about 80% of the speed of the inner gear.

Twin Gear Pump

The twin-gear pump is also known as an external pump. It is mounted inside the oil pan on the bottom of the engine. it uses two intermeshing gears to pump oil. A shaft drives the first gear and the second gear is driven by the first gear. The shaft that drives the first gear is usually connected to the crankshaft, camshaft, or distributor shaft.

Front-cover oil pump

The front-cover oil pump is also known as an internal or external pump. It’s often mounted in front of the engine cover. Its working is similar to that of the rotor pump, which uses an inner drive gear and outer rotor. In this case, the inner drive is mounted directly on the crankshaft.

How does an oil pump work?

From a strainer, oil passes into the oil pump and then flows through the heat exchanger, where it’s cooled. The cooled oil then flows through the galleries to the moving parts of the engine before returning to the sump. If an engine is designed with an injector, a small portion of oil is diverted to it.

The oil that is injected into the cylinder seals the space between the cylinder wall and the piston rings. This prevents the compressed air from escaping through the pistons, which increases the overall efficiency of the engine. An engine’s oil pressure generates up to 10 psi per 1000 revolutions per minute (rpm), which is about 55–65 psi.

The pressure of the crankshaft journal and bearing is much higher than 50 or 60 psi, which is set by the relative pump’s relief valve and will reach hundreds of psi. This high pressure is produced by the relative speeds in feet per second of the crankshaft journal and not rpm. The bearing, the bearing width, oil viscosity, and temperature, balanced against the bearing clearance (the leakage rate), are considered.

Watch the video to get a better understanding of how an oil pump works:

Common Failures on Oil Pump

The failure of an oil pump could cause serious damage to a vehicle, especially if the driver did not know its failure symptoms. Well, drivers are notified when a problem occurs in the engine when the oil light indicator on the car’s dashboard is turned on, which alerts them that there is a problem. Below are the failure symptoms of an oil pump:

Low oil pressure: A faulty or worn oil pump won’t be able to properly pump oil through the system. This will result in low oil pressure and could cause damage to the engine. although there are several symptoms of low oil pressure, which were stated earlier in this pose.
Increased engine working temperature: oil acts as a cooling agent in a vehicle’s engine as it reduces friction. The engine will be at normal temperature when the pump is in good condition and the flow of oil is constant. But when the flow of the engine oil is slow or stopped, the parts continue to be lubricated by hot oil, which is not allowed to flow.
Noise: A hydraulic lifter in a vehicle begins to make noise if it is not properly lubricated. When the oil pump is in good condition and the oil is properly circulated, these tend to be silent. The lifters are extremely expensive to replace, which is why it’s important that engines never lack oil.

Thanks for reading this article, in which we talked about the oil pump, a component that is responsible for circulating engine oil throughout the engine and lubricating its various components. If it was helpful, kindly share it with others.

Understanding Engine Oil Pump

Recap