| Oil Basics |
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As the oil circulates through the engine it passes through a filter that traps the suspended carbon and metal particles—until the filter becomes saturated. Then the bad stuff circulates with the oil, potentially causing damage to the engine’s moving parts. If nothing else, the saturated oil begins clogging the engine’s “arteries” or oil passages until the engine finally has a “heart attack” or failure. Think of bad oil as bad cholesterol for the engine. In addition, acids build up in oil. As the engine reaches running temperature, some acids are removed by the positive-crankcase ventilation (p.v.c.) valve. Short road trips don’t allow the engine to reach optimum temperature, so acids stay in the oil and the oil needs to be changed more often. Car Words Oil is a petroleum product that lubricates metal parts to reduce wear due to friction. Synthetic oil offers the same or better properties, but is more expensive. Blended oil combines petroleum and synthetic oils for some benefits at a lower cost.
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The crankshaft makes 1,000 to 6,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). That’s a lot of metal-on-metal friction. What keeps the engine from burning up is a petroleum product called “oil,” a lubricant. In addition, additives such as cleaners help the oil remove and suspend carbon (from the fuel burning process) and fine metal particles (from wear). Oil is a great lubricant and won’t wear out (quit lubricating) for a long time.
