Why is oil specification such a big risk in modern engines

The pressure on emissions is forcing car companies Constantly innovatingEven in the really small details. It is not surprising that instead of chain distributions came a more economical solution in the form of a timing belt. However, the designers went further and were not afraid to get started Exposing the sensitive belt to oil. that do not agree? We’re not surprised.

Ford 1.0 EcoBoost

At one time, the three-cylinder liter was passed off by the media as something that definitely couldn’t stand in, say, highway traffic. And not at all in the big world, bastards! Reality has shown it The aggregate mechanics are very solid, the problem is elsewhere – in the belt. The engine, overgrown with technology, began to break down after a while for its owners.

The problem was, as I have already indicated, in the belt. To be more precise, he caused it Belt with oil and fuel. Ford didn’t do it badly and chose a belt additive lubricant so as not to cause it deterioration and cracking (Ford specification WSS-M2C948-B). Unfortunately, users didn’t want to understand it much and weren’t aware of the dangers that a belt drive brings with it. An oil change outside the official service network usually ends with a universal 5W-30 lubricant that does not meet the required standard. However, this slowly began to wear out the belt, which reflected on it by collapsing. Small impurities slowly It was blocking the suction basket of the oil pumpThe oil pressure dropped and it didn’t take long for the driver to see the low oil pressure message on the display. This was followed either by a repair associated with a new filter, a change in the oil pump and oil, associated with a belt change and instructing the car owner, or perhaps a very expensive repair, or immediately Complete engine replacement.

In order not to blame only the ignorant car owners, another factor comes into play – gasoline in the oil. On short roads, almost all current engines experience more or less fuel penetration in the oil sump. This loosens the lubricant, which can largely be dealt with, because it is further treated to bear, if no more than approx. 4% vol. But the already sensitive belt takes it much worse, and gasoline does It literally digs. In extreme cases, it can eventually broke it.

PSA 1.2 PureTech

They thought they looked like Ford with EcoBoost Designers from PSA (currently Stellantis). There, too, they decided to reduce friction and, accordingly, emissions by using an oil-lubricated belt. At first it worked reasonably well, two brands supplied the belts and the motors were running fine. But then a supplier came up with an improved belt that no longer held strong and suffered from gasoline getting into the oil. relaxed It began to flatten and crumble. He choked again Oil pump strainerbut it was not very strong, so either the unit reached low lubricating pressure, or even the strainer cracked, bringing with it other defects, including The vacuum pump is damaged. When it failed, the brake booster stopped working, which is really a very serious defect. The case was resolved by Stellantis concerns with an invitation.

Of course, it also has an effect Engine oil quality. Anyone who deviates from the vehicle manufacturer’s regulation will almost certainly start to see the belt break. Its condition can be visually assessed through the inspection window, in the authorized services of the concern Measures the width of the belt itself. As it is chiseled, it is smoothed and flattened until it grows in width.

What’s with this?

The two examples above just show how important that is It corresponds to the oil standard given by the manufacturer And don’t try to experiment. In addition to these examples, we can also name some sensitive engines produced by Italian car companies, or units of the Volkswagen concern with pump-dose injection, which require lubricant specification 505.01 and not others, otherwise there is a risk of sticking the cam that controls the injector. Along with the right oil, we will also shorten the oil change interval to 10,000 km.