Continued from page 1
All
sliding parts can become a hotspot whenever there is insufficient lubrication to reduce
friction, probably during starting of
engine or any abnormal interruption in
force lubrication oil system.
Next,
use of fuel oil in
engine. Dripping fuel injectors will result in incomplete combustion of
fuel above
piston top. If
dripping is serious,
liquid fuel can find their way through
piston rings aided by
high pressure of
combustion process to eventually find its way into
crankcase. For trunk type engines, this is a direct path to
crankcase. It can become a source of low flash point fuel when mixed with
lubricating oil!
For dripping fuel injectors, it is common to find unburnt carbon that will cause
piston rings to stick within their grooves, thus destroying
sealing function of
piston rings. This will not only cause
fuel to drip through, but can also cause fire from
combustion space to blow past through
gaps between
piston rings and
cylinder bore. This can be a source of heat!
There are other conditions favorable to cause an explosion, for example
quality of
oil and
effects of oxidation after a long period of use,
generation of oil mist due to agitation of
oil spray,
property of
oil, etc.
It is impossible to guarantee that any engine will operate for
whole of its life without, somewhere, at some time, a hot spot appearing. Therefore it is essential that should a hot spot occur and if it goes undetected, an explosion will not result.
That could be
subject of another article... Meanwhile procuring hard-to-find tools is just as important for making engine adjustments.
