Why your Car needs Frequent Engine Lubricant change or Top up

Your vehicle may at times consumes more engine oil than usual, even though?there could be no leaks noted anywhere below your car. At times you may notice that your oil wears out faster than usual, requiring a change. This could happen even though your vehicle is new or you are using the best quality lubricant.

Normally,?the conventional way is to conduct a change of oil after 3 months or once you hit between?5000?km - 7500?km?for mineral engine oils. The mileage is determined by how well the manufacture has engineered the lubricant; by the additive treat-rate or the type and quality of base oil used. The vehicle manufacturer also has a manual guide on frequency of changing the engine oil based on the design of the engine and how well the engine can run before it requires an oil change and service based. This all the information provided by the lubricant manufacturer and the vehicle manufacturers is scientifically proven based on research and laboratory tests done. It is therefore the best option to stick to these guides. However, there are some factors that will cause your engine to consume more oil without leakages despite adhering to all the specified requirements.

The nature of using your vehicle could greatly contribute to oil consumption. Driving for long durations without stopping the engine will lead to a faster wearing out of the engine than short drive durations. At high temperatures that are experienced during longer driving periods, the lubricant?deteriorates?faster than using the vehicle on short intervals and switching it off.

Extreme driving condition and severe engine performance experienced in racing cars, hospital ambulances, heavy load carrying vehicles could also leads to frequent oil?changeovers.

Aging of the lubricant. It is a good practice to replace your engine oil regularly based on the requirements. Over time, the oil thins and becomes less viscous, this reduces its ability to protect your engine. Dirt and debris accumulate in the oil over time, these materials burn at high temperatures affecting the lubricant performance that would lead to higher oil consumption or premature engine damage. Aging oil also?causes?engine noise indicating that the oil is losing its ability to lubricate. It is important to always change the oil filter as you change your oil to avoid the risk of contaminating the newly replaced oil with the dirt trapped on the old oil filter. Gasoline engines produce very little colored exhaust, unlike diesel engines, which produce black, soot-like exhaust.?If?you notice that you have blueish smoke coming from your exhaust, it’s a sign that there’s something wrong. If the exhaust is grayish, it is more likely to be caused by an incorrect fuel-to-air ratio, as your engine is burning “rich” – too much fuel is being combusted.

Damaged or worn out piston rings and seals, damaged cylinder walls, and loose seals is one of the major causes of higher oil consumption. The oil slowly passes through them entering the internal combustion chamber. This causes the engine oil to mix with burning fuel leaving carbon deposits on the piston rings that eventually damage the rings. The excess oil burning in the internal combustion chamber is characterized by; low engine performance, blue smoke, and poor acceleration. You are generally safe up to about a quarter below the level of engine oil, driving your car below this level may result in wear to internal engine components and damaged piston rings, these may lead to expensive repairs. However, if you were to drive with no engine oil at all, the engine would quickly seize up, and you would need to replace the entire engine.

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Use of poor quality oil as a result of wrong formulation, poor additives used, low additive treat rate and use of recycled substandard base oils could lead to faster?deterioration?of the oil in your car. It is good to use a reliable brand that is strict on quality and customer experience.

Aging of the vehicle. New engines have lower oil consumption, over time, the engine components?start?to deteriorate, wear and tear increases, engine seals harden and shrink over time. It's normal. This causes oil leakages, meaning the engine will consume oil faster during engine operation. The leakage would happen more at high temperatures and long driving periods.

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Overheating is generally not associated with low oil levels. It’s usually noticed when your coolant is below the required level. However, low oil level can also cause the engine to overheat. This can occur even if your coolant level is fine. If there is too little oil in the engine, it will continue to heat up because it is limited to the opportunity to cool the engine. Apart from lubrication the lubricant plays a vital role of taking the heat away from the engine to the surfaces in contact with the coolant. Running an overheating engine could cause serious damage that could include cracking the engine block, which essentially destroys the engine.

Therefore,?do not be worried if you notice a higher oil consumption in your car. It could be because?of?one of the above. If you follow the right advice, your engine should be in good shape with your engine’s oil consumption.