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Lubrications System
DETROIT DIESEL 53
Oil for lubricating the connecting rod bearings, piston pins, and for cooling the piston head is provided through the drilled
crankshaft from the adjacent forward main bearings. The gear train is lubricated by the overflow of oil from the camshaft
pocket through a communicating passage into the flywheel housing. Some oil spills into the flywheel housing from the
bearings of the camshafts, balance shaft (In-line engine).
Drilled oil passages on the camshaft side of the cylinder head (Fig. I are supplied with oil from the bores located at each
end of the cylinder block. Oil from these drilled passages enters the drilled rocker shaft brackets at the lower ends of the
drilled bolts and lubricates the rocker arm bearings and push rod clevis bearings. Excess oil from the rocker arms
lubricates the lower ends of the push rods and cam followers, then drains to cam pockets in the top of the cylinder block,
from which the cams are lubricated. When these pockets-are filled, the oil overflows through holes at each end of the
cylinder block and then through the flywheel housing and front cover to the crankcase. The blower bearings are pressure
lubricated by oil from drilled passages in the cylinder block which connect matching passages in the blower end plates
which, in turn, lead to the bearings. On current engines, lubricating oil is supplied directly to the front and rear right bank
camshaft end bearings and supplies oil to the blower bearings. On former engines, the blower bearings received
lubrication indirectly via the right rear camshaft end bearing only. Excess oil returns to the crankcase via drain holes in
the blower end plates which lead to corresponding drain holes in the cylinder block (In-line engines).
One tapped oil pressure take-off hole is provided in the lower engine front cover on some In-line engines. in addition,
tapped oil holes in the cylinder block, on the side opposite the blower, are also provided as follows:
three holes when the blower is on the right side of the engine.
Cleaning Lubrication System
Thorough flushing of the lubrication system is required at times. Should the engine lubrication system become
contaminated by ethylene glycol antifreeze solution or other soluble material, refer to Section 5 for the recommended
cleaning procedure.
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