Performance under pressure, an amazing look inside your Perkins engine

Fuel filter.

A diesel engine is a truly amazing piece of engineering that creates, contains and harnesses immense internal forces to power many of the machines that make modern life possible. While we can see the results of that technology all around us, knowing what actually goes on inside the engine has mostly been the province of the engineers who design and build them.

Performance Under Pressure, a series of short-animated videos from Perkins, provides a unique look into what goes on inside a typical 4.4 litre Perkins engine and why it is so important to protect the critical components with genuine Perkins products designed by the engineers who know exactly what’s needed. 

Starter motor.

Starting in the combustion chamber, the pressure exerted on the piston crown is equal to 13 tonnes, or roughly a dozen typical automobiles. The pressure inside the cylinder is 150 to 155 bar, which is the same pressure experienced at 1,500 metres under the ocean. All of that force is transmitted via the connecting rod to the crankshaft 750 times a minute. 

That’s why Perkins’ crankshafts are built to withstand massive and sustained pressures, and Perkins’ head gaskets are engineered to keep combustion pressures inside the cylinder bore.

Cylinder.

The fuel used to create those pressures must also be exceptionally clean because any particles it contains can cause wear in fuel pumps and injectors that reduces efficiency and increases emissions. 

Perkins® Ecoplus fuel filters remove particles less than four microns in size, about 1/10th of the diameter of an optical fibre so only clean fuel reaches the pump and injectors. 

All of the moving parts require clean oil to provide the lubrication that maximises their life in the harsh environment inside an engine, and coolant to maintain the correct temperature and pressure. In just 24 hours of operation the oil filter cleans 80,000 litres of oil, enough to fill two typical tanker trucks, and more than 360,000 litres of engine coolant circulates. 

Air filter.

Saving a small amount of money on a ‘might work’ aftermarket oil filter instead of a ‘designed for the job’ genuine Perkins filter puts the turbocharger and crankshaft, conrod and camshaft bearings at unnecessary risk. 

Now it’s time to take a look inside a Perkins engine to see how all of those components and systems work together to generate reliable, efficient power.

What goes on inside your Perkins engine really is amazing, and using genuine Perkins maintenance and service parts is the best way to continue enjoying optimum engine performance.

This Sponsored Editorial is brought to you by Allight Sykes. To watch Performance Under Pressure and learn more about your engine, visit https://www.allightsykes.com/perkinsenginesfacts. 

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