Engine oil: what is the most convenient and how often should it be changed

“Do you want us to check the water and oil levels?” This question is frequently asked at gas stations when you are going to fill up, and it is very good that it is the case, because for many people having a car is only for getting from place to place. another, and all you have to do is add gas when the needle indicates that there is little left in the tank. And it’s not like that.

Is that oil and water are vital for the operation of an engine. One because it lubricates the internal parts, and the other maintains the temperature of the whole assembly. You just have to imagine that an engine has a constant internal knock in each of its cylinders, if there was no refrigeration circuit, it would melt due to the high temperature in a few minutes. This is why coolant is used instead of running water, because in addition to preventing rust and corrosion, it has a greater thermal tolerance.

A heat engine, named precisely because it works from explosions, must move a large number of parts to generate the movement which is transmitted to the wheels. And all these movements come from metal to metalit is therefore essential that they have a friction-reducing lubrication so that everything is as light as possible. The oil performs this function, in addition to also cooling the parts, which naturally have an extreme working temperature.

This temperature slowly burns the oil., which deprives it of its properties of viscosity and thermal resistance. That is why it must be changed periodically. With see how old oil comes out when the service of the car, no more explanation is needed, because this thick and crystalline fluid of creamy color, becomes much more liquid and completely black.

The oil circuit starts from a tank in the lower part of the engine, the crankcase. To go up and reach every corner of the engine, the oil pump is used, and once the complete cycle is completed, the oil returns to the crankcase. In this process, as soon as the circuit starts, there is the oil filter, which performs the function of keeping the fluid clean of impurities.

This explanation is necessary to give importance to the type of oil that is placed in the engineat the time of use that is given, and the need to change it with the oil filter in this same operation. There are two main types of oil: minerals and synthetics. Although virtually all new cars use synthetics or semi-synthetics, where part oil distilled from petroleum and part from a lab are combined, since these contain detergents and additives that keep lubricated parts cleaner. Mineral oil is cheaper and the 100% most expensive synthetic.

Oil and filter should be changed every 10,000 km or 12 months. since the last time it was placed. A car that is not in use but sits idle for an entire year without being started should have its oil and filter changed before driving.

Each manufacturer in the car manual specifies what kind of oil should be used, and it is very important that this quality of the lubricant is respected, because each engine is designed with certain specifications. In any case, in the same manual, in addition to the recommended oil, the options or margins up to those that can be achieved with lubricants of other viscosities.

Thus, giving an example, if for a 4-cylinder, 1.8-litre internal combustion engine, recommended oil is 0W16but the manufacturer himself considers options 0W20, 5W20, 5W30 or 10W30.

The code preceding the letter “W”whose meaning is Winter (winter in English), mark that the oil promotes cold startingthe lower this number, the better off you are in that condition. The number after the “W” specifies the high temperature viscosity. Oils with this higher number are thicker and therefore take longer to reach every nook and cranny of the engine. The more viscous oils are recommended for use at high speeds, high horsepower requirements, or in older engines.since metal wear, most liquid oil can easily strain and not lubricate when needed.

Modern engines, especially those with small displacement and turbo engines are more efficient with oils whose two values ​​are as low as possible, as they will also consume less fuel as they have less friction. This often creates the characteristic blue smoke sometimes seen from car exhausts.

One could say in general to have as a parameter, that the oils 10W40 are recommended oils for engines over 20 years of lifewhile the 5W30 and 5W40 are most common for used cars between 10 and 20 years old. of use, while the opposite of the current cars or less than ten years of use already mentioned, are the high performance engines, which use 0W60 or 10W60 oils.

A few final tips. When possible, always have a liter of oil of the same that was placed during the last oil change, allows to reload the engine with the same specification. If you don’t have one, save the data of the viscosity applied last time, to order this same type of lubricant. And finally, always try putting in drum oil instead of barrel oil, because there is no way to check the quality and the compound which is sold in large quantities in many lube centers.

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