15 Oct How Often Should you Change Your Engine Oils

As technology changes, you must also change your maintenance schedules. New engines have a tighter design and tolerances which have reduced oil consumption, fuel injector pressures and retarded timing have improved fuel burning but also have raised engine temperatures and soot loads. The latest heavy-duty engines expel the lowest amount of soot but also place more stress on engine oil.

The old engines of high emission had injectors that ran at low pressures of 5000-7000 psi. Fuel mist was injected into the combustion chamber in the form of large particles that impeded oxygen penetration. This caused incomplete combustion resulting in the production of soft, non-abrasive soot particles that were released through the exhaust.

The new engines of low emission have injectors that run pressures of 20,000-25,000 psi. With the increased pressure the fuel mist becomes finer and burns more evenly. With that higher combustion temperatures produce a different kind of soot, small, hard particles that act as an abrasive polishing compound on the rings and valves.

New piston ring designs also cause more soot to be carried with the oil into the crankcase. This makes it harder for the oil to keep the soot dispersed without compromising wear protection. If the engine oil being used is not of manufacturers’ specs, it can thicken and plug oil passages and filters, reducing flow to components. You could see hard starting, soot-induced wear, increased oil consumption, shortened engine life.

Be sure to use high-quality oil and a service schedule that fits your driving conditions. A service job means a lot with today’s engines!