EngineLabs

Ask experienced engine builders where reliability lives, and the conversation always circles back to lubrication. It doesn’t matter how much horsepower an engine makes if the oil system can’t keep up with the demands placed on it. Beyond just the pump that you bolt up, bearing clearances, oil temperature, crankcase vacuum, drainback, and pressure stability are all parts of getting the oiling system right.

According to Peterson Fluid Systems’ Peter Byrne and Technical Manager Wade Moon, the company’s approach goes far beyond simply moving oil from one place to another. The goal is to build pumps that improve efficiency, maintain stability under extreme conditions, and adapt to the increasingly specialized demands of modern racing engines.

The company’s pumps utilize a four-lobe twisted rotor design that differs from many traditional external oil pumps. Byrne explains that the twisted-lobe arrangement eliminates the need for additional timing gears inside the pump body. Instead of requiring spur gears to synchronize the rotors, the design of the rotors automatically aligns.

Never see a spraypainted piston get rusty, right? 😆

Quick Tech: Magnetic Particle Inspecting Engine Components

If you’ve been around engine building for any length of time, you’ve probably heard about components — usually blocks, connecting rods, and cylinder heads — being “Magnafluxed,” “mag checked,” or simply “magged.” You’ll notice that “Magnaflux” is capitalized, because that is a proper noun — it’s a brand name. Much like how “Kleenex,” “Q-Tip,” or “Thermos” have become eponyms to describe the items, rather than just a brand, Magnaflux has done the same for automotive magnetic particle inspection.

By magnetizing the surface to be inspected, usually with a handheld electromagnet, and then adding a magnetic particle powder (either wet or dry), any surface imperfections will disrupt the magnetic field, which allows the powder to settle into them. Once the excess powder is removed, the previously invisible (or barely visible) imperfections stand out as bold streaks of color (based on the color of the powder used).

Mercedes-AMG’s M139 Is The Most Powerful 4-Cylinder For 7-Years Running

👉 https://www.enginelabs.com/news/mercedes-amgs-m139-is-the-most-powerful-4-cylinder-for-7-years-running/

Seven years ago, Mercedes-AMG released the M139 engine as “the world’s most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder in series production.” On debut, it produced 416 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, displacing its own M133 engine from the throne by 40 horsepower and 19 lb-ft of torque. As we sit here in June of 2026, the M139 retains the title, but with 50 more horsepower and 33 additional pound-feet of twist. Producing 469 horsepower and 402 lb-ft of torque out of a scant 1,991cc (121.5 cubic inches) is no small feat of engineering.