Following the subsiding first emotions after acquiring the long-awaited car of the newly-minted vehicle owner, measures are being taken to maintain the car in order. Changing the lubricant is one of the regular procedures required during operation. How much oil needs to be poured into the engine, which one to choose and how to be guided by this? Because of what, most often, the motor "eats" lubricating fluid and how to deal with it? We will try to answer these and some other questions in this article.
Engine oil
The main component of the lubricating fluid for the power unit is the oil base, which happens:
- mineral;
- semi-synthetic;
- synthetic.
According to the indicators of chemical composition, all motor oils are divided.
In addition to this characteristic, parameters such as viscosity (based on it, oils are classified according to SAE) and additives (API or AGEA) are important.
What matters is the recommended engine oil that car manufacturers offer. However, not all drivers pay attention to this. The main thing that is attached importance to is the foundation, viscosity and the favorite brand.
Oil base
So, mineral fluids are obtained during oil refining, synthetic fluids are obtained through chemical synthesis, and semi-synthetic fluids are obtained by mixing mineral and synthetic ones.
Many prefer semisynthetics, considering it the best option in terms of price-quality ratio.
Viscosity index
Reducing the friction of engine parts is a task that is solved by the viscosity of the oil. This is especially true for pistons in the cylinder.
This parameter is classified according to SAE, which means the state of oil viscosity at different temperatures. Thus, it is understood as the minimum and maximum level within which the motor can operate efficiently and safely.
The letter between the numbers, for example W, means winter, which means “winter” in English. But in the name of the oil, it means all-season, that is, the possibility of using it in both winter and summer.
Additives
Additives classified by API have various types: API SJ, API CF-4, API SJ / CF-4. In this case, S means the type of liquid for a gasoline unit, and C for a diesel engine. As you can see, there are fluids separately for one and the other type of motor, as well as suitable for both.
Engine oil in winter
To make the engine easy to start in winter, some features should be considered. Most of the lubricants used in Russia are all-season in nature. But experts agree that the recommended oil in the engine in cold weather should be special, since operating conditions in winter are different from summer ones.
In this case, a lot of parameters should be taken into account, such as recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer, engine power and wear, year of manufacture of the machine, systematic and nature of operation, and more.
For example, if a car hibernates in a warm garage and is used only from time to time, then it is unlikely that the owner should think about changing the oil for this period.
At the same time, if the motor is far from in the best condition, then no expensive oil will save it. In this case, only repairs are required.
Well, for modern cars that are in excellent condition, it is better not to save on oil. Then the motor will last longer and better.
How much oil should be added to the engine
In order to accurately answer this question, you need to know the make and model of the car, since for each car the volume may differ. Information can be extracted from the vehicle owner's manual, which contains data on the required quantity. However, even with this information, in practice, car owners often cannot do without difficulties.
How much oil do you need to fill in the engine? After all, the norm should be strictly defined.
If we take a domestic car, then for an engine displacement from 1.8 to 2.5 liters, three and a half liters of oil will be required. Therefore, three liters are poured first, and then, after a few minutes, after checking the measurement, add the rest. At a low level, it is gradually added in small portions until the required level is reached.
For cars of foreign production of oil with the same engine volume, as a rule, more is required - from 4.2 to 4.4 liters. Top it up in the same way as when refueling domestic cars.
VAZ lubricant
The oil in the VAZ engine, as mentioned above, is poured in a quantity of three and a half liters. However, the nominal value is higher and is 3.7 liters. In this case, you need to pay attention to the minimum and maximum marks on the probe, depending on what and add the required amount. When replacing, it is not possible to drain all oil. And therefore, a smaller volume is required, which is indicated by the manufacturer.
Engine oil mileage
On average, for cars, the indicator varies from fifteen to twenty five thousand kilometers. However, in addition to the recommended mileage, parameters such as driving style, type and quality of fuel should also be considered. If the oil has been used for a long time, overheating should be avoided because too high a temperature affects it badly.
If the motor "eats" oil
If an ever-decreasing amount of oil is observed in the engine, the reason for this may be hidden either in poor quality or in emerging engine problems.
When the engine "eats" the oil, a small portion can be added again and again. But in this way the problem is not solved, but only the time moves away when a full inspection and repair of the power unit is required. If such greedy consumption is not related to the quality of the lubricating fluid, then the reason may be hidden in combustion in the cylinders or seepage through a poor seal.
It is easy to detect combustion by observing the color of the exhaust gases. If they have a bluish tint, the problem lies in the oil scraper rings. Even if you turn off the engine and look at the presence or absence of a thick black coating, you can determine this malfunction. The solution in this case can be only one - a complete replacement of both oil scraper and compression rings.
But in addition to this, the cause of the malfunction can be, as already mentioned, different seals and gaskets. Usually it is rubber seals that lose their properties over time. In this case, oil flows usually at the junction of the crankcase and the cylinder block or the strip of the cylinder block and the timing cover.
The highest flow rate is usually caused by damage to the crankshaft and camshaft oil seals. Then oil flows and you can notice traces of it if the car has been parked for some time.
It is best to immediately contact the technical center as soon as such problems are detected. Then the repair can cost quite inexpensively. And in the event that the problem is launched, small malfunctions will entail more serious breakdowns, and then significant financial investments will not be possible.
But it can also happen that an oil is added that does not correspond to the viscosity recommended for a particular vehicle. As a result, even very good engine oil becomes too fluid. Because of this, the necessary protection for the cylinders is not provided, and it starts to burn itself.
Such oil consumption is considered normal : for every fifteen to twenty thousand kilometers from one hundred to two hundred milliliters. If, at this mileage, you poured a larger amount of fluid, then we can talk about possible engine problems.
Of course, too much lubricant flow is usually not associated with serious malfunctions. But you still cannot leave the problem unattended. Moreover, wear of the rings leads to a loss of power during operation, and also affects fuel consumption.
Other causes of lubricant leakage
In addition to those that are most often found and described above, there can be other reasons when, knowing how much oil you need to fill in the engine in the norm and providing such, you have to add it more and more:
- the intake manifold control system is broken;
- the engine fluid level sensor has lost its tightness;
- the filter element is leaking;
- too much oil is poured, because of which its working pressure increases - because of this, the load on the rings and stuffing box, which can also become unusable, also increases;
- non-use of transport for a long period of time when, due to downtime, the sealing elements with oil seals can dry out;
- poor ventilation level - if gases are collected in the crankcase, the pressure in the system will be critical and will squeeze out consumables.
So, now it’s clear how much oil is needed in the engine when replacing and topping up during normal operation. If it is needed more during operation, this indicates emerging problems that are best solved without waiting for more global ones.