Automatic lubrication (also called autolube or auto-lube) refers to a lubrication system on a

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...

, in which the

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

is automatically mixed with fuel and manual oil-fuel pre-mixing is not necessary. The oil is contained in a reservoir that connects to a small oil pump in the engine, which needs to be periodically refilled. 2 Strok oil pump

This system is commonly used for

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s as it eliminates the need of pre-mixing fuel and two-stroke oil.

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy, to a ...

is an example where pre-mixing of two-stroke oil is required. Automatic lubrication was introduced for motorcycles by

Velocette Velocette is a range of motorcycles made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during ...

in 1913. An example of application of automatic lubrication system is Suzuki AX100 motorcycle. The motorcycle has a separate oil reservoir on its right side which supplies the cylinder with two-stroke oil proportional to engine speed.

Advantages

#Consistent lubrication and oil consumption is reduced greatly #More effective lubrication results because the oil enters the engine in larger size droplets #There is much less unwanted carbon deposited on the spark plugs, cylinder heads, pistons and exhaust system. #There is much less exhaust smoke #Refueling is simplified

Disadvantages

#The system is more complicated compared to manual pre-mixing, although it is easier for the end user. #If for any reason the oil pump fails to operate properly, chance of damaging the engine is very high. #The two-stroke oil tank in scooters and motorcycles is usually hidden from direct view of the rider and needs filling up occasionally. Without any indicator to indicate oil level, it is possible for a novice rider to forget to fill up the oil tank. This can end up starving the engine of oil and cause damage.

References

{{reflist Motorcycle technology Engine lubrication systems

Advantages

Disadvantages

See also

References