Why Must You Change Your Engine Oil?

Internal combustion engines consist of hundreds of moving parts that need to work at an important level of efficiency. This movement creates friction and in turn causes excessive amount of heat which can critically damage them beyond repair.

What’s The Importance of Oil?

In the case of engine pistons, excessive friction and heat could wear them down and cause catastrophic damage. This is why the use of good engine oil is critical to ensuring that the components are properly protected. Lubrication lowers friction, absorbs heat, and protects metal components from excessive wear.

Each engine consists of various metallic components such as iron, steel, aluminum, magnesium and several others. The more performance oriented the engine the more exotic the metallurgy of its composition due to increased power demands. Besides composition, engine oil viscosity is also important in lubricating the engine without affecting its overall performance.

As such, manufacturers must make sure that the perfect engine oil is formulated to suit their engine’s tolerances. Most oils have a long shelf life, however, once poured into an engine and allowed to circulate, only have a finite service life.

How Long Does Engine Oil Last?

Most engine oils are effective at protecting an engine for about 5,000km to 10,000km or about 6 months (whichever comes first), but that depends entirely on the manufacturer. It’s always important to follow the recommended guidelines on a lubricant’s service life.

In the case of engine oil, as it circulates throughout the engine it picks up debris from combustion and metal flakes from worn components. In addition to this, over time, engine oil breaks down due to chemical aging, prolonged use, and continuous absorption of heat.

What Happens to Over Used Engine Oil?

Eventually, oil that was once clean and clear turns into a dirtier, thicker version of itself. By changing the engine oil at recommended intervals, you would avoid this happening. However, continuous neglect would reduce the oil to a dirty sludge that clogs up the oil filter and other areas of the engine.

The engine would then begin to run inefficiently. Fuel consumption would also rise as a result and the continual buildup of viscosity of the oil would prevent proper lubrication leading to eventual catastrophic failure.

Each type of engine oil has been formulated for certain engines to ensure proper protection for the various components and ensure they have a long service life. As the engine ages so will its servicing requirements and it’s best to adhere to the counsel of a trained mechanic to avoid costly repair bills.