What happens in your car's sump when you start it?

Have you ever stopped to think about what actually happens inside your car’s engine when you start it up? If the answer is yes, today we bring you the answer. This is what happens inside the engine when you start it. It is truly fascinating, and no matter how much you know about mechanics, you won’t believe it until you see it for yourself.

The guys at Garage 54 only needed a Lada whose some parts were replaced with plastic replicas so we could see the whole process, plus oil. What happens in the sump is a hypnotic process and you won’t be able to stop watching it. You probably know that car sumps are usually made of aluminium or some alloy that provides hardness and prevents possible breakage while driving. Still, we warn you that the plastic sump on this Lada is not at all recommended for going out on the road.

What happens inside an engine at the moment we start it up?

To take on this challenge, the creators tried several thicknesses of different plastics to carry out the experiment. In the end, they opted for 2 mm thick polystyrene. For the oil sump, the team replaced the vacuum-formed plastic mounting flange with a steel one to avoid major leaks.

https://youtu.be/gxw3rLFlsTc

After installing the transparent oil sump and the valve cover and filling the Lada with oil, the Garage 54 team brings the engine to life and, as expected, the oil gets everywhere. If you look closely at the video, you can see oil splashing back onto the transparent oil sump, the timing chain throwing oil around, and the valvetrain spraying oil over the upper half of the engine.

Don’t try this at home. We don’t recommend that you mould your own oil sumps. However, if you have a Chevrolet with a small block, you can always buy the transparent valve covers that are available. Even so, we recommend that you don’t miss the video. You’ll want to watch it on repeat again and again.