Rare replacement engine oil: is There any harm

Really big change interval oil harms the engine.

Currently, everyone has become more common, large oil drain intervals in the engines of modern cars. Today, it is not uncommon, the manufacturer recommends to change the oil once in 15,000 km or even 20,000 km. But how justified is this? If the engine wears out in the long run from oil change intervals? And if so, why do car manufacturers gradually increase the interval for planned maintenance?

Not so long ago, each owner had to change the oil every 8,000-10,000 km if we are talking about a diesel engine or every 10,000-12,000 miles, if the fluid changes gasoline power unit.

If you look at the current situation in the automotive industry, the course change interval every 20,000 km still rare on the market, then oil change every 15,000 km has already become commonplace.

However it is worth noting that many modern vehicles are equipped with numerous electronics that monitor the progress of planned maintenance to replace the oil in the engine. In such vehicles the planned intervals, IT is constantly different, as the frequency of oil change depends on the conditions in which you operate the car (driving style, weather, traffic and more).

For example, if you often operate the machine at idle (often standing in traffic jams), the display contents changing the oil on the dashboard will appear much earlier than 15,000 km.

Although in theory, the software in modern vehicles is configured so that the vehicle can drive without an oil change even 40,000 km But in real life this mileage you hardly ever reach without an oil change.

Why the increased intervals of replacement of oil in the engine?

Before we talk about the technical details, I want to note that the long oil change intervals, it’s a very clever marketing move for any automaker. Because the consumer understands that the rarer the car changing the oil, the lower the cost will be to service the machine during its operation.

When it comes to changing the oil in the internal combustion engine, all drivers without exception (even blondes) understands that it is necessary to lubricate the internal parts of the power unit.

There are three main components of the engine that need lubrication is mandatory.

First, the oil necessary for the operation of the crankshaft, connecting rods and crankshaft bearing.

Second, lubrication is also needed for cylinders, gears, and camshafts and other elements of the gas distribution mechanism (RM).

Modern engines with valve timing become demanding to the quality of the engine oil. For example, the configuration of the modern camshafts became more innovative and radical – lifting and interval of opening the valves became much more. In the end, for opening the valves began to demand more power, and the camshafts have increased mechanical load.

This is one reason why modern powertrains require high quality engine oils with different chemical additives.

But, despite the fact that the design of modern engines has changed significantly over the past 20 years, the system of lubrication of cylinder walls and pistons have not changed. And this, despite the fact that the new motors have become more resourceful, and the configuration of the pistons has changed considerably.

There is a common misconception that the higher the engine can gain momentum, so it is more demanding to the quality of the oil. In fact, in such engines use the same principle lubrication of all components of the power unit, which was used 20-30 years ago.

Rarely is it possible to change the engine oil?

For a long time, many auto experts, to answer this question conducted various research to ascertain the level of degradation of engine oil (aging) from normal interval runs that are recommended by the carmakers.

It was necessary to understand how changing the oil properties in the process of machine operation immediately after the replacement of the liquid in the engine until the next scheduled replacement.

Many experiments were close to the actual car ownership. So the experts during their research, repeated frequent habits of drivers. For example, the car often standing in traffic jams. Or frequently operated in sport mode, etc.

Then after a certain mileage the oil drained from the engine and tested with a special tester that measures the dielectric constant of the oil. This property of oil is closely linked to the degradation (loss of properties) of the engine oil.

Dielectric permittivity, in principle, has nothing to do with the quality of the oil, but this indicator says about the testing of motor oil in the engine. The fact that the more waste oil of various impurities, particles and other contaminants, the higher its dielectric constant.

In many studies it was found that in the process of operation of any vehicle with an internal combustion engine, the oil in the power unit loses its property is not the same. It all depends on the operating conditions of the machine.

So, if you often travel long distances on the highway and rarely crank the car, the oil to run 10,000 miles saves 40 percent of its properties. If you often use the car for short distances with a large number of cold starts, mileage 10,000 km, the oil will retain its original property only 5 percent.

Also as a result of research, the experts realized that the degradation of engine oil deterioration of the lubricating and protective properties of the oil) is mainly related to the chemical processes that occur in the fluid during operation of the engine. So the view that the oil loses its property only because of the physical wear of the engine parts (which supposedly clog up the oil) in the process of friction is wrong.

Of course, we all know that over time, any engine oil in the engine starts to get dark. But this is not a sign of loss of properties of the oil. Yes, the oil darkened in connection with the accumulation of some contaminants. But often darkening the oil became less viscous. But the main thing for any engine. That is, if the oil became more liquid, it will not be able to provide motor protection and should therefore be replaced. So remember that the dark color of the engine oil nothing can speak and possible fluid in the engine is still quite normal.

So the main enemy of engine oil are mechanical loads in the engine, not the phase shift of the timing system, no pressure and even high temperature. Most of the problems associated with the chemical substances generated in the engine oil: sulphur accumulation and an increase in the oil acidity.

All of this causes chemical corrosion inside the engine crankcase and the bearings.

Plus add to this a variety of modern chemical additives for fuel (which in Russia leaves much to be desired), and various electronic fuel system governing the different fuel mixture and you will get a more rapid process of oxidation of the engine oil.

Of course, know this, oil producers, who, in order to balance the above chemical properties, added to modern oil additives, strictly dosing them depending on the brand and type of fluid for modern powertrains.

Yes, some oil producers still produce a motor oil with the same chemical formulas as it was 20 years ago. But overall lubricating modern materials are very different from the lubricants of the past.

In addition, our auto industry at the moment, lives in the synthetic era, when the engine oil is fully a product of the chemical industry. So if you have based any oil was oil and its product processing (mineral oil), but today, many synthetic lubricants are created entirely of chemical elements.

It should be noted that synthetic oils have a longer service life in contrast to mineral or semi-synthetic lubricating fluids. In the end, this made it possible to increase maintenance intervals of modern cars.

In particular, we often see that the manufacturers oils are produced for each brand and even model their own individual engine oil that was specially developed for a specific vehicle. In such oils, as a rule, use a special additive package, which is ideal for specific modifications of the engine or model.

However, this is not some incredible special oil. In principle, this oil is designed specifically for a vehicle model based on the same synthetic or mineral lubricating fluid. The manufacturer simply added to conventional oil special set of additives and all.

These supplements are determining factors in the quality of the oil. The more expensive additives in the oil, the better the lubricating properties and the slower the process of oxidation inside the engine, which directly affects the aging of the oil in the engine (loss of viscosity and other important properties).

Currently in the world there are only a few major manufacturers of chemical additives for engine oil. Earlier, the market looked different additives. For example, 10 years ago chemical additives in the oil were made of hundreds of small chemical factories located around the world.

But in the end, this market is currently divided between a few companies. This led to the fact that, in principle, each manufacturer of chemical additives began to produce chemical additives for oils of the same quality.

Aging and degradation of the lubricant in the end depends on the additives that the manufacturer uses. That is why the automakers, setting the service interval of the vehicle in the user manual of the vehicle, indicate the type and brand authorized for use of motor oils.

In the end, if you do not follow these intervals between oil changes, the liquid will not be able properly to protect internal engine components from harmful chemical processes.

However it should be noted that the condition of the oil affects not only the replacement interval and chemical additives in the liquid. For example, the aging of engine oil also affects the design of the power unit, oil temperature, filtration and the remaining oil in the engine after its scheduled replacement.

That is, if not drained used oil to the end, new engine oil will lose the property faster than the manufacturer. In the end, the oil change interval must be reduced.

In conclusion, I want to note that in principle, a large oil change interval in modern cars does not lead to rapid wear of the power unit. But true only when certain conditions and rules.

The main rule of this quality is poured into the engine oil. Remember that we need to pour into the engine, only the oil recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

In addition, the vehicle must be operated in a normal mode, as the engineers involved in the development process of the car.

So, for example a regular passenger car must be operated on conventional roads and shall not be used for sports riding. If you are planning a sports operation, the engine oil should be replaced by a stamp which is created for sporty operation of the power unit. Also in this case, the oil change interval should be reduced.

If we fill the car with a bad fuel often use it for short distances, and constantly drive at high engine speeds and change the oil as recommended by the manufacturer, then unfortunately, the engine’s service life greatly reduced very quickly.

If we want rarely change the oil after long periods of time then we need to follow the above rules.

Also note that as the mileage of the car is becoming more and more, the number of penetrating into the crankcase gases increases. This means that even on a small mileage after engine oil change it will be present a large amount of carbon, dirt and other deposits. In the end, the oil change interval must be reduced.

That is, the more the mileage, the faster flows the degradation (aging) of the engine oil. Remember this is your enemy No. 1. So after 50,000 km mileage new car interval oil change should be reduced by 10-20 percent.

It is noteworthy that this recommendation you will not find in any manual for any car. But this is another marketing ploy of manufacturers. Because they are not interested to keep you owned your car. They have a task that you have changed your car to a new, as often as possible.

Why Russian engines are less than in other countries?

The thing is that at our filling stations in the country often gets poor fuel quality, which directly affects the property of the oil and its rate of oxidation (aging).

But, unfortunately, the world’s automakers for some reason were not cut for our country’s service intervals scheduled. In the end, due to the rapid loss of oil due to poor quality of fuel, the engines fitted to modern cars are easily damaged during the operation in Russia.

Also in our country a huge number of counterfeit motor oil. According to some estimates about 60 per cent of motorists pours fake oil on the engine, without even knowing it. The result is an explosive mixture of counterfeit oil with poor quality gasoline or diesel fuel, which eventually reduces the life of any powertrain internal combustion several times.

Don’t forget about poor quality services in the technical centres of vehicles in Russia, which are myriad. For example, the most common deceptions in the service station is underfilling the engine oil when replacing. This is possible if an unscrupulous wizard drains the engine oil completely. In the end, you will pay at the technical center for the entire volume of engine oil, but your engine will be a mixture of old burnt oil mixed with the new.

Unfortunately, to protect yourself from poor quality of fuel, the fake oil and dishonest mechanics in our country is almost impossible. Therefore, all without exception to owners of cars we recommend to change the oil more often than recommended by the automaker, as well as conduct maintenance only in those technical centres, where you can trust the master and to see your car at any moment when will wish.

For example, if your car has less than 100 thousand. km and its manufacturer recommended to change oil once in 15,000 km, then change the oil no later than 10,000-12,000 km. And then with the quiet operation of the vehicle without frequent short trips and cold starts of the engine.

If you often stand in traffic and use the car mostly for short distances, the oil change even on a new car should be every 9,000-10,000 km.

Also, if your machine has more than 100 thousand km, you regardless of the recommendations of the automaker should change engine oil every 8,000 km.