Oil circulation
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1 - Oil channel to the cylinder head and valve drives,
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5 - Main oil channel,
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Rotary oil pump
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1 - Oil pump,
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3 - Outer rotor,
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Check every third stop at the gas station: engine oil level. While Duratec and DuraTorg engines are slow to follow the dubious call of becoming big «oil glutton», we recommend that you check the oil level after every third stop at a gas station. Until the oil level on the dipstick is between the marks «MIN» And «MAX», there is no compelling reason to add engine oil. Depending on the engine version, the amount of oil to be added is between 0.5 and 2 liters. Never add oil above the level «MAX» – the radial sealing rings of the crankshaft may be «raw» and the air filter may be polluted by oil mist from the engine vents.
Without sufficient lubrication, the motors would have already stopped after a few minutes of operation. Therefore, the thinnest oil film protects the engine everywhere where moving parts «consult with each other» for questions «destructive friction»: e.g. pistons and piston pins, cylinder sliding surfaces, connecting rod and crankshaft main bearings or all valve trains.
So that the oil film does not «broke down», when the engine is running, the oil circulates through a filigree pipeline, channel and labyrinth with many holes. This controlled oil transport is organized by the oil pump, which directly sucks the engine oil from the oil sump and «accelerates» him inside the above maze in the direction of the required addresses. But for the oil to get there if possible «fresh», it pre-passes the oil filter, which is located in the Mondeo shortly after the rotor oil filter directly in the main flow of the circulation system. Oil filter free «butter juice» from soot particles, metal abrasion and other foreign objects. Naturally, such a filter serves as long as its microscopic thin paper plates are still permeable and not contaminated.
Joint replacement - engine oil and oil filter
The oil filter should generally be changed along with the engine oil. A dirty filter allows engine oil to circulate even through the pressure reducing valve «past the oil filter», however, unrefined oil will accelerate the wear process of the engine - mainly the crank mechanism, piston and cylinder running surfaces and the location of the bearings in the cylinder head. Typically, engine oil enters all significant lubrication points in the engine block and crankshaft through holes and channels, and it also reaches the cylinder head with camshafts and valve drives in similar ways.
Pistons and cylinders, as a rule, are quite satisfied with the usual supply of lubricant by spraying, which is provided by a rotating crankshaft: it swirls the oil flowing from the lubrication points around the surrounding space. On their planned «grease gates» through the engine, the oil not only maintains a good mood inside, it absorbs most of the excess heat that appears in the bearings and during each operating cycle.
Special maintenance - oil sprays cool the piston crowns
In order to unload the hot piston bottoms of Mondeo engines in a thermal sense even more efficiently, they purposefully «take a shower» from the engine block through oil sprayers. On the way back to the oil pan, engine oil «going down» through relatively large drain channels into a waste oil collector. Here «lubricant juice» calms down a bit, cools down in an oil pan to 75°C and then sets off on its journey again.
Pressure Matter - Oil Circulation
In order for the oil film to withstand even high loads, oil must be continuously supplied under pressure to the lubrication points. However, too high a pressure, for example with cold and viscous oil, can lead to engine defects. This is counteracted by a safety valve (bypass) in the connecting flange of the oil filter. It opens at approximately 4 bar and allows oil to flow back directly to the suction side of the oil pump. At medium engine speeds, oil enters a technically healthy Mondeo power unit with a pressure of about 2–3 bar (oil temperature 80–100°С, all-weather oil SAE 10W-30) to lubrication points. At idle, on the other hand, only about 0.6–1 bar is sufficient. An oil pressure gauge provides accurate information about oil pressure. The serial Mondeo does not have such a device on board, but it is enough for an amateur to purchase it and retrofit his car.
Signals only the minimum pressure - oil pressure warning light
The serial oil pressure monitor is not as accurate, it «warns» only with a pressure of 0.3 - 0.5 bar. In other words, the oil pressure indicator lights up when engine defects are already on the way: sufficient oil supply is not so reliable at a pressure of 0.3 - 0.5 bar. «Trouble», for example, can happen when your low oil Mondeo speeds around a corner: the resulting centrifugal forces «move» the oil present in the oil sump to the outside of the turn - in this situation, the oil pump delivers from the reservoir only «hot air». The oil pressure is inevitably transferred «Into the basement», and severe engine damage is an expensive outcome of this situation.
Even if the oil pressure warning light flashes at idle after fast driving on a motorway or mountain road, this is a sure sign that the desired oil pressure has not been reached. During the time when the signaling device naturally goes out again with a slight gas supply, there is no particular reason for concern - you can continue dreamily on your way, «healthy» the engine cools down again while driving.
Only when the warning light is on...
- stop immediately and turn off the engine.
- Check the oil level and...
- add the required volume as soon as possible. Otherwise, drive very carefully to the next gas station and top up the oil there. Check up then, whether the control bulb has gone out.
- If it does not go out, tow the car to the nearest workshop and show it to a specialist. Depending on the circumstances, in this way you can avoid serious engine malfunctions.
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