12-12-2020, 05:25 PM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
Ultimate Fail
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin,Texas
Posts: 3,585
Thanks: 2,872
Thanked 1,121 Times in 679 Posts
|
What are the signs of oil viscosity breakdown ?
From what I am reading, the engine will run hotter, and the oil will thicken.
I drive my car on one long trip a year to see my parents . 140 there and back, so 280 miles.
Other than this, I will drive the car around two miles to the grocery store every couple of weeks.
And the car sits.
I start it for a few seconds to make sure the battery is still ok, and every so often top off my tires.
The last time I changed my oil was maybe two years ago.
Maybe even longer than that.
The oil looks like it should. Like a dark honey color, and it does not seem either thicker or thinner than normal oil.
It smells like normal dirty oil as well.
I think the last time I did the oil change, I use zero weight oil. 0-40 or whatever.
The car has around 140,000 miles on it - very few are mine.
I added half a quart of ( new ) 10-40w or 10w-50 around 4 months ago, since it looked slightly low.
The car seems to run fine so far.
What symptoms are going to show up by me not changing the oil ?
I notice the engine seens to warm up quite fast, but this could just be me being paranoid.
The rest of the time when driving the engine is at normal temp.
When driving on the highway, I get slightly higher than EPA, but I had a few aero mods on the car ( and now have even MWOOOOR ! ( never enough ! )
Is the engine going to suddenly sieze on me and then i dieeee ? Or is this not really something to care about. ( I don't care )
The car is a piece of crap, but has never let me down.
|
|
|
Today
|
|
|
Other popular topics in this forum...
|
|
|
12-12-2020, 06:41 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
|
Corporate imperialist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: NewMexico (USA)
Posts: 11,277
Thanks: 273
Thanked 3,575 Times in 2,838 Posts
|
It smells like gasoline, it quickly spreads out like water when dripped on a polished metal surface.
__________________
1984 chevy suburban, custom made 6.5L diesel turbocharged with a Garrett T76 and Holset HE351VE, 22:1 compression 13psi of intercooled boost.
1989 firebird mostly stock. Aside from the 6-speed manual trans, corvette gen 5 front brakes, 1LE drive shaft, 4th Gen disc brake fbody rear end.
2011 leaf SL, white, portable 240v CHAdeMO, trailer hitch, new batt as of 2014.
|
|
|
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to oil pan 4 For This Useful Post:
|
|
12-12-2020, 06:41 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
|
High Altitude Hybrid
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Gunnison, CO
Posts: 2,083
Thanks: 1,130
Thanked 585 Times in 464 Posts
|
Two years without changing the oil!
I have a relative that went two years without changing the oil. Now the car doesn't run.
From what I understand oil will thicken at first but then go thin. Or maybe the other way around.
Looking at the oil really isn't a good way of checking viscosity. This is especially true when testing the oil cold because most the time oil will be much warmer and could thin out a lot more at higher temps than what you see when cold.
Lots of things could happen from not changing the oil. Probably one of the most common things is that the rings get gummed up from lack of detergent, then it starts pumping oil up into the cylinders and burning oil.
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Isaac Zachary For This Useful Post:
|
|
12-12-2020, 09:58 PM
|
#4 (permalink)
|
Too many cars
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: New York State
Posts: 1,613
Thanks: 1,362
Thanked 815 Times in 484 Posts
|
You could take a sample and have it tested by a lab. They'll tell you if it should be changed. My guess is that it's OK.
__________________
2000 Honda Insight
2000 Honda Insight
2000 Honda Insight
2006 Honda Insight (parts car)
1988 Honda CRXFi
1994 Geo Metro
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Gasoline Fumes For This Useful Post:
|
|
12-12-2020, 10:56 PM
|
#5 (permalink)
|
Ultimate Fail
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin,Texas
Posts: 3,585
Thanks: 2,872
Thanked 1,121 Times in 679 Posts
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes
You could take a sample and have it tested by a lab. They'll tell you if it should be changed. My guess is that it's OK.
|
Lol. Yah I think I might go ahead and change it.
I thought about it again, and it's fixing to be a new year.
That means the oil is most likely over 3 years old.
( Or is it 4 ? I lost track. I know it's at leat 3. )
I might even splurge and get some of the expensive stuff that costs a full dime more a quart. ( That"s a big if though. That's a full 50 cents more. )
FIFTY CENTS !!! OMG !!!
Oh, how am I ever going to find the extra money for that ?? ( crowd funding perhaps ? )
|
|
|
12-14-2020, 11:18 AM
|
#6 (permalink)
|
Somewhat crazed
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: 1826 miles WSW of Normal
Posts: 4,452
Thanks: 545
Thanked 1,212 Times in 1,069 Posts
|
One of the reasons for a periodic oil change is that the sulphur in the oil along with other compounds produce acids when there is moisture in the oil, a Combustion byproduct. Not good juju for bearing and structure life in an engine. That said I know of many 20 year old engines that have had 5 year oil changes without much problems, but those are low use trucks.
Heat breaks down oil, most time otherwise it gets thicker.
Last edited by Piotrsko; 12-14-2020 at 11:19 AM..
Reason: Meh
|
|
|
12-14-2020, 10:09 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
|
Growin a stash
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 819
Thanks: 417
Thanked 310 Times in 233 Posts
|
Hello from Austin!
I wouldn't worry much about three years. My car has an oil life monitor and it's only down to 55% after 1.5 years. I've driven probably 5000 miles in that time, too.
Might want to think about selling the car, though. Doesn't sound like you really need it. I'm trying to talk my wife down to one car. :P
__________________
2024 Chevy Bolt
Previous:
2015 Nissan Leaf S, 164 mpge
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to ME_Andy For This Useful Post:
|
|
12-14-2020, 10:18 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
|
High Altitude Hybrid
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Gunnison, CO
Posts: 2,083
Thanks: 1,130
Thanked 585 Times in 464 Posts
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by ME_Andy
Hello from Austin!
I wouldn't worry much about three years. My car has an oil life monitor and it's only down to 55% after 1.5 years. I've driven probably 5000 miles in that time, too.
Might want to think about selling the car, though. Doesn't sound like you really need it. I'm trying to talk my wife down to one car. :P
|
I see you have a Nissan Leaf. (?? ??)
When we had our Leaf I had the goal of selling all our other cars and just using the Leaf. At the time the amount of driving we'd do in an ICE car wasn't enough to make financial sense. Insurance, oil changes, etc would have been the same or more than just renting a car every so often.
Or just take the time to drive the Leaf from charging station to charging station. I actually liked driving the Leaf on long tripsm it was a lot less stress inducing. Well unless you reached a charging station that was out of service and didn't know if you had enough range to make it to the next one. Or when you planned to charge up next to a shopping mall so your wife could have something to do while the car charges only to find out the mall is closed.
|
|
|
12-14-2020, 10:33 PM
|
#9 (permalink)
|
Growin a stash
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 819
Thanks: 417
Thanked 310 Times in 233 Posts
|
Oh, and some people get by without ever changing their oil. Some stories here-- https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/th...just-add.3964/
__________________
2024 Chevy Bolt
Previous:
2015 Nissan Leaf S, 164 mpge
|
|
|
12-15-2020, 05:56 AM
|
#10 (permalink)
|
EcoModding Lurker
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Orange, NSW, Australia
Posts: 52
Thanks: 4
Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts
|
I have an oil pressure gauge and after about 6 - 7000 km the pressure tends to drop at both cold and hot idle by a few psi. I think that’s telling me to change the oil
|
|
|
|