A motor oil it can be a troublesome devil. No oil levels can be very detrimental to your car’s health affecting its ability to lubricate, clean and cool the engine. There are two different types of leak, internal and external and they both can be hard to find and in some cases very expensive to fix. The external leak is the kind which leaves an ugly stain on your driveway or pavement. Internal leaks occur when oil enters parts of the engine it should not and typically gets burnt. In many cases this is a much more troublesome and often more expensive leak to fix.
Oil circulates inside the engine constantly and to prevent it from entering the combustion chamber gaskets are used. They are made of steel or copper or on older cars types of rubber composites and they form a liquid proof seal between but are flexible enough to allow for movement of the parts. If the gaskets between the pistons, cylinder and engine block deteriorate and let oil enter the combustion chamber the result is an internal oil leak. Sometimes the only sign you’ll have such a problem is a bluish smoke coming from the exhaust. You may also see the oil pressure gauge drop and if you’re particularly well attuned to your car you may notice a loss of power.
Because it can be so difficult to get to the head gasket it can be an expensive repair to make even though the parts are relatively cheap. You’ll also need an oil change. If you regularly used the same auto repair centre you might be up to get some cheap oil change coupons from them or a special discount and make sure it is not at the expense of the quality of the oil. If in doubt about any aspect of automotive maintenance or repair check with an expert.
Modern car engine cooling systems are extremely efficient and they seldom break down. But they do need regular maintenance if problems are to be avoided. Let’s start with some background, surface area is a critical factor in the transfer of energy from one object to another.
Consider a glass of water left out in the sun. Even on an extremely hot day it would take a long time for the water to evaporate. The heat from the sun only has a small surface area to work on, the diameter of the cup. But take the same volume of water and throw the contents of the glass over the pavement and it will very soon evaporate. The only difference is the amount of area the sun as to heat. The warmth of the concrete also helps but the principle is sound.
The same applies inside your car’s engine. Motor oil cools the engine by absorbing heat. It can do this because it covers a large amount of the internal surface area of the metal. If the surface area that is available to the oil to absorb heat from its reduced this can lead to overheating. The usual cause of a reduced surface area is the accumulation of a sludge inside the engine. The sludge sticks to the engine reducing the surface area. Good quality motor oils include additives to prevent buildup of sludge. But these additives need replacing periodically and that is one reason why you had to change your oil. Some of the motor oils available with a cheap oil change do not contain additives and therefore can be harmful to the life of your engine. Another problem can be caused by low oil pressure when the oil is not circulating quickly enough to remove the heat it has absorbed. In this case your oil pressure gauge will notify you of a drop in pressure. Remember to take swift action if this occurs then seek help from a mechanic if unsure.
