Sources of wear from cold starts?

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If I've missed a discussion that speaks of wear element sources induced from cold start situations, sorry for the topic duplication.

During a walk today I pondered just what areas would mostly be impacted during cold start/warm-up. I pondered plain bearings (mains and connecting rod), be them lead overlay or aluminum (any bronze?), but aside from the initial traction of the rotating shaft within the circumference of plain bearing riding up and then slipping (grip'n slip), a film would quickly be generated as rotation increased assuming a supply of oil is availible.

As was read in a question-answer section of a lube site, using too thick a viscosity for the temperatures in which unadded/unheated starting would likely occur, a case of bearing siezure was given. It's been a while since i read this, but IIRC the responses pointed to oil refill rates in the bearings being unable to keep-up with the bleed-out rates...ultimately being unable to support the load. For similar reasons I would try to avoid high rpm/high load conditions until fluids are at or shy of full operating temperature. That said, it would seem then that the more common occurrances with bearing wear is rather brief - grip, slip, hydrodynamic film.

Cylinder liner and piston ring wear would be another location of increased wear. Not only is there a likelihood for oil washout from an enriched fuel mixture, the viscous oil now has to keep up with the pistons rate of movement along the walls. Granted, work upon the oil here would lead to thermal thinning and yielding better lubricating results with the prime heat source of combustion so near, but how much? Engines not equiped with piston squirters rely on splash/oil slinging...how well does that work with thick oil?

How much might cam bearings be impacted during cold start conditions? Lobes? The longer the lubricant travel from pump to port, the less desireable for any oil, any temp? There is also the inevitable thermally related part fitment as a constant in any thermal cycling of mechanical equipment for which there is little any of us can do beyond reducing such cycling. Is there truth to what I heard somewhere that diesels suffer more wear during cold start/short trip operations than gasoline counter parts...and if so, what regions might they be?

So, coming to terms with an engine receiving a majority of it's wear during start/warm-up conditions, let's talk about regions, likely localized conditions and constraints, and see if once and for all, one can or cannot find solutions to atleast help minimize such situations. I know an engine is likely to outlive the vehicle it's in, but for the sake of understanding and comprehension, work with me. We're visiting BITOG for pete sake;-).
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Here is the way I see it:

  • Lack of oil flow at startups results in boundary and thin film lubrication Both of these states results in some wear.
  • On a typical cold start, there is no pressure, therefore no flow of oil to bearings & rings for aroun .5 seconds. At 3000 RPMs, this means the engine turns (typically) 50 revolutions without any oil flow.
  • Particulates in the oil (especially silicates ingested through the air intake) act as abrasives, especially with minimal film thickness
  • Once oil pressure is attained, bearing film thickness increases with engine RPMs, making wear almost nonexistent.
  • In other words, you have metal surfaces sliding over metal surfaces with grit (particulates in the oil)contacting both surfaces until oil pressure is attained. In addition, cold (higher viscosity) oil will have a larger percentage of volume flow through larger passageways. As the oil gets warm and the viscosity reduces, a larger percentage of the oil will flow through the smaller, more restrictive ports. Therefore there's a relative starvation of oil in some areas of the engine.

    I should mention that oil pressure is not the same as oil flow.

    This is why it is so important to obtain oil pressure as soon as possible at startup, why UOAs with high silicon levels almost always show high wear metals, and why it is important to keep the largest particulates out of your oil.

    There's another huge reason for cold start wear - corrosive wear. Cold starts generate water, which mixes with the oil on the cylinder walls and gets washed into the crankcase. If you run your car long enough, this water vaporizes and exits through your PCV valve. Because there is sulfur and carbon (soot) in your oil already, a dilute sulfuric and carbonic acid forms. Capillary action will keep the formed emulsion in the crevices formed at the bearings and rings, resulting in surface corrosion. When the engine is started, this "surface rust" gets flushed off the surface.

    IMO, the amount of wear at startups is greater than most people realize. There just isn't any metal-to-metal contact when the car is running and UOAs have proven this.
 
Thanks. I found myself forgetting/having difficulty making connections with what would otherwise be everyday information. It's the holidays - a lot going on...upstairs especially if you know what I mean.
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Makes sense...and no there doesn't seem like there's much one can do about it. I wonder how Gary A.'s coming along with his oil volume/temp management system which serves to minimize oil warm-up and temperature stabilization times???

Thanks again, and I hope all have a safe and happy new year!

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