An automatic lubrication system (fig. 3-18) ensures that lubricant is automatically provided to the arresting engine crosshead and fixed sheave assembly during arrestment operations (pendant engines only). The ship's low-pressure air, is piped to a regulator, which reduces the air to the required operating pressure of between 75 and 85 psi. Air is fed through a rubber hose to a pump mounted on top of a 120-pound drum of lubricant. Lubricant is pumped from the drum through hoses to control valves mounted on the engine structure. These control valves adjust the rate of flow of lubricant to the high-speed sheaves. The control valves are operated by plunger rollers, which are cam-actuated at a set position of the engine crosshead  arrestment  stroke.  An  ounce  of  lubricant  is pumped to the high-speed sheaves during the arrestment and the retraction cycles. A hose reel with a flexible rubber hose is mounted on the crosshead end of the engine structure, with the hose connected to metal tubing   on   the   engine   crosshead.   As   the   crosshead moves toward the fixed sheaves during arrestment, the hose pays out and spring tension in the hose reel takes up the hose during retraction. The spring tension on the hose reel must be 9 pounds (±1/2 pound), with the hose fully retracted, at all times. The   automatic   lubrication   controller   (fig.   3-19) allows  the  engine  room  operator  to  set  both  a  pulse counter and a timer unit which deliver a predetermined amount  of  lubricant  to  every  lubrication  point.  The controller signals when the system is ready, when it is operation or when a malfunction occurs. The controller can be operated manually to initiate a lubrication cycle without movement of the crosshead and cal reset itself after a malfunction has been corrected in the lubrication system. The  28-inch  pitch  diameter  sheave  containing  the ball thrust bearing is not lubricated with the automatic lubricating  system.  The  ball  thrust  bearing  eliminates the  need  for  constant  lubrication.  Lubricating  the  ball thrust bearing sheave is accomplished with a manually operated  grease  gun  after  every  20  to  30  arrestments. (See   fig.   3-18   for   an   illustration   of   the   automatic lubrication system.) 3-20 PRIMARY DISTRIBUTION BLOCK (HIGH-SPEED) (FIXED SHEAVE END) LUBRICANT CONTROLLER SECONDARY DISTRIBUTION BLOCKS MASTER DISTRIBUTION BLOCK ASSEMBLY LUBRICANT FILTER LUBRICANT PUMP LUBRICANT GREASE DRUM ISOLATION SHUTOFF VALVE PRESSURE REGULATOR (CROSSHEAD END) HOSE REEL SECONDARY DISTRIBUTION BLOCKS PRIMARY DISTRIBUTION BLOCK (LOW SPEED) SOLENOID VALVE ABEf0318 Figure 3-18.—Automatic lubrication system.