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Motor Oil Deposits
5 Tips for
Preventing Motor Oil Deposits
BY CHERISE THREEWITT
You can clean the exterior of your car as
often as you like, and nearly every time, there will probably be a chunk of
gunk or smear of grime that makes you ponder its origins -- that is, until you
become too disgusted by the thought.
So
you get the car nice and clean, and maybe go for a relaxing drive to celebrate
a hard afternoon's work.
But
do you ever think about what your car looks like under the hood? And not just
on the surface, but inside?
There
are practical reasons, other than pride, to keep your engine clean.
A
dirty engine littered with debris and motor oil deposits will lose horsepower and
run less efficiently.
And
though motor oil is the cause of a lot of engine buildup, part of its job is to
remove and prevent that harmful gunk.
In
this article, we'll help you figure out how to get the most from your motor oil
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5 Understand How Motor Oil Deposits Are
Formed
When you understand how and why motor oil deposits
get lodged in your car's engine, you'll better understand the qualities and properties
of the various oil options on the market, and the importance of choosing the
right product for your car.
According
to oil marketing company Castrol, the top causes of oil-related engine deposits
are:
- Excessive idling and lots of short trips, which
prevent the oil from fully cycling
- Environmental contaminants in the oil (like
dirt and debris)
- Condensation, which can contaminate the oil
with moisture
- Hot spots, which bake clumps and oil right
onto the engine
There
are several different types of engine buildup, not all of which are caused by
motor oil.
Even
when buildup is caused by another problem (condensation or leaky seals, for
example), your engine's oil can contribute to the problem because as it
circulates, it distributes contaminants and foreign fluids throughout the
entire engine.
Buildup is
actually comprised of unburned and partially burned fuel, metal fragments from
engine component wear and dirt and debris that find a way inside your car's
engine.
Deteriorating
piston rings and seals allow partially combusted fuel to escape, which also
causes buildup.
The
deposits are carried through the oil until they find somewhere to settle,
restricting or blocking the surrounding oil flow, which causes increased engine
wear.
Deposits
are thick and gummy as they form, and often harden once they settle somewhere
in the engine.
Heat
from the engine will quickly cook the deposits solid, and once a blockage spot
is established, new buildup will often settle on top of it instead of allowing
the oil to flow around it.
Soon,
there are hard layers of grime, which are difficult to remove.
Prime
targets for various forms of deposits include the fuel injectors, piston rings
and valves, all of which will interfere with the engine's smooth and efficient
operation.
In
addition to its lubricating properties, oil helps clean the engine and prevent
new deposits by dissolving sediment buildup and capturing debris.
4 Don't Fear Paraffinic Waxes
Part of the reason people are so confused
about motor oil deposit causes is that there are a lot of myths about
specific types of oil.
One
of the most prevalent is that paraffinic oils are a leading cause of deposits
because of the natural waxes these oils contain.
This
belief does have an element of truth, so let's examine the makeup of natural
oils.
Crude-based
(mineral) oil is made in an oil refinery from natural resources.
Crude
oil provides the components for all oil-based products, including mineral
motor oils.
At
the refinery, the crude is broken down into different components (like gasoline and
kerosene); motor oil is only one of the end products.
Crude
oil is extremely valuable because it's a non-renewable natural resource -- when
we run out, it's gone for good.
The
term paraffinic (paraffin-based) describes a type of crude oil.
Motor
oils made from paraffin-based crude have a reputation for causing deposits in
the engine, because wax is one of its major components.
However,
oil manufacturers remove as much of the wax as possible during the oil refining
process, since the wax offers no benefit to motor oil, but it's valuable for
making other products.
That
said, some wax does remain; it's simply too expensive and inefficient to keep
re-purifying the oil to remove all possible traces of paraffin.
For
a relatively inexpensive mass-market product like motor oil, it's just not
worth it.
So,
the paraffin-based motor oil on the store shelf will contain minuscule amounts
of wax.
It's
true that, at low temperatures, these small amounts of residue can clump into
crystals, but this is far from the catastrophic greasy deposit-forming coating
that many people fear.
Now
that we know some of the downfalls of crude oil, you might be wondering about
your alternatives.
There's
always synthetic oil, and though the name just sounds cleaner and more
scientific, it might not necessarily solve all your problems.
3 Don't Assume Using Synthetic Oil
Will Prevent Buildup
As we've already seen, consumers have a lot
of options when it comes to oil, and as you know, mineral or synthetic is one
of the first decisions that must be made.
Crude-based
oils, because of their natural origins deep within the earth, contain sulfur
and other undesirable or harmful contaminants.
A
lot of these pollutants are removed from the oil during the refining process,
but it's impossible to completely purify a mineral-based oil; it's simply too
expensive and, thus, impractical, to design and invest in machinery that will
filter the oil to a completely pure form.
As
we mentioned earlier, the remaining contaminants are one of the causes of motor
oil deposits.
Synthetic
oils, though much more expensive than their mineral-based counterparts, offer
some advantages.
Since
they're not derived from fossil fuels, they don't deplete non-renewable natural
resources.
And
because they're designed by chemists, they can be custom-blended to meet
specific automotive needs, no matter how demanding.
So
if you decide to invest in synthetic oil, weigh the costs and benefits
carefully.
But
while lab-engineered oil might be cleaner than crude-based, it's not still
perfect.
Synthetic
oil manufacturers want you to believe that their products are a miracle salve
for every engine on the road.
Synthetics
do offer a lot of benefits over mineral oil, hence the much higher prices, so
it's tempting to think you can make the investment but stretch a bit farther
between oil changes.
Bad
idea, says Mike Allen of Popular Mechanics. Your engine might be a bit
healthier if you're running synthetic, but gunk will still build up and cause
problems.
Stick
to the manufacturer's recommended change interval, usually 3,000 to 5,000 miles
(4,828 to 8,047 kilometers) [source: Allen].
2 Change Your Oil at the Proper Interval
Conventional wisdom holds that you should
change your oil every three months or 3,000 (4,828 kilometers), whichever
comes first.
That
isn't necessarily true in every case -- some cars, and some oils, can go longer
between changes, while others (like race cars, for example) should be changed
more frequently.
(Follow
your manufacturer's recommendations for the proper interval.)
The
"whichever comes first" bit is true, though it's often disregarded.
So
why is it important to change the oil so regularly, even if it's been sitting
in a car that hasn't been driven?
Motor
oil is subject to a condition called oil viscosity breakdown, in which the
oil's structure gets damaged as it does its job.
When
the car is driven, the oil circulates through the engine, mashed between the
grinding gears and other moving parts.
The
oil does its job by preventing extremely harmful metal-to-metal contact, but in
the process, it's absorbing the brunt of all that moving metal.
These
conditions quickly destroy the oil's thickness, or viscosity, which is one of
the oil's main qualities.
(The
viscosity is so important that oils are categorized by viscosity -- it's
another way of describing the "weight" -- the numbers that you use to
buy oil based on your manufacturer's recommendation.)
Once
the oil starts to break down, it's increasingly less able to do the hard work
of lubricating the engine.
The
oil's numerous additives and detergents also suffer over time -- they
evaporate, they lose potency, or they're simply used up.
So
as the oil's lubricating properties are diminished, it's also less able to
clean the engine's surfaces, help your fuel economy, trap contaminant
particles, condition the engine's seals and generally keep your car in peak
performing condition.
The
risk of saving a few bucks on an oil change doesn't seem worth it -- why would
you wait?
1 Follow the Manufacturer's
Recommendations
Of course, this advice is all for naught if
you're not using the right oil in the first place, so your safest bet is to
find out what type of oil your car's manufacturer recommends.
Your
car will perform best using certain types of oil, and if your car is new and
still has a manufacturer's warranty, the engine coverage might be voided
if you stray from your manufacturer's specifications.
Your
car's owner's manual will specify if you should use synthetic or mineral-based
oils.
If
you have a car with a high-performance engine, it's especially important to use
a designated premium oil to prevent debris buildup.
But
beyond the oil's source, there are other qualities that affect engine
performance, and it's wise to trust the people who designed and engineered your
car.
Viscosity
is the next most important factor. As we mentioned earlier, it's what is meant
when discussing oil's "weight," but it's slightly more complicated
than that.
Different
types of engines are built with different tolerances.
Put
simply, tolerance is a measurement of how the moving metal parts
interact as the engine churns.
A
tight (or low) tolerance generally means the engine's parts mesh very closely
together and there isn't much margin for error.
This
is particularly important with big, expensive high-performance engines.
Less-expensive
engines, common in small or economy cars, might have a slightly higher tolerance.
So,
what does this mean for motor oil? Well, the oil has to fit between all those
meshing parts to prevent extremely harmful metal-on-metal contact.
A
viscosity designation will tell you (using an industry-standardized rating
system) how thick the oil is and how well it flows (if it slips easily through
the engine or forms a thicker, more clingy coating).
Some
oils are highly vulnerable to temperature changes; others are a bit hardier.
But
your owner's manual will specify what oils you should use to help your car
perform best in different seasons and different weather conditions.
Also,
manufacturers market their oils with specific additives to customize their
products for different types of cars, varying weather conditions and different
driving purposes -- like high-mileage cars, stop-and-go commuting or even
racing applications.
These
oil additives include conditioners that lubricate the seals to prevent passage
of debris, and detergents that help clean.
Detergents are
there primarily to prevent deposits. They'll also inhibit rust and corrosion
inside your car's engine, and may help dissolve existing buildup before it
becomes a problem.
Dispersants break
down buildup and suspend the particles in the oil so, as the oil flows, the
contaminants can be caught by the filter.
But
some experts warn that oil additives might not be as helpful as promised.
In
fact, they tend to have a limited lifespan that won't really be beneficial
beyond the oil change interval, anyway.
