The Importance of Oil in Your Car: A Closer Look at Its Role and Neglect

Oil is one of the most important parts of your car, playing three crucial roles in the health of your engine. It lubricates the internals to prevent them from wearing out, clings on to microscopic bits of debris to stop them from causing damage, and cools the engine by transferring heat from the working parts. Despite its importance, oil is often neglected, leading to potential problems with your car's performance and longevity.

The Quantity and Quality of Oil Matter

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While the quantity of oil in your car may seem like enough, it's just as important to consider the quality of the oil. As oil ages, it becomes less effective and can even damage your engine rather than protecting it. If you leave old oil in your engine for an extended period without changing it, small particles can travel around the system and cause secondary damage, potentially leading to the failure of your engine. Furthermore, as oil ages, its viscosity decreases, making it less effective at lubricating the engine and resulting in more friction wear and heat.

Testing Old Oil

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To better understand what happens to oil as it gets older, we took a sample of old oil from a car that had not been changed for 10,000 miles. We sent this sample to the high-tech oil research laboratory at Intertek to study it at a molecular level. The results were fascinating, with the difference in color between new and old oil being particularly notable. This change is due to oxidation of the oil, as well as small particles of wear from inside the engine. These particles can cause friction and heat, which can lead to further damage if left unchecked.

The Viscosity Test

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To measure the viscosity of the old oil, we passed it through a glass capillary at 100 degrees Celsius. The faster it moved, the less viscous it was. The result showed that the old oil was 15% less effective than new oil in lubricating the engine, resulting in more friction wear and heat. This is not just an issue with performance; it's also a sign of potential damage to your engine over time.

The Presence of Contaminants

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To determine what contaminants were present in the old oil, we used inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) to analyze its composition. The results showed that there were two elements present that shouldn't be there in clean oil: copper at 54 ppm and iron at 23.22 ppm. These contaminants are likely from the engine itself and can cause friction, heat, and wear on moving parts.

The Electron Microscope

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To visualize these contaminants more clearly, we used an electron microscope to take a closer look at the small particles present in the old oil. The results were striking, with particles measuring less than 100 micrometers in size that could potentially cause damage to engine components. These particles are likely from metal fragments broken off from inside the engine and trapped within the oil.

Testing Oil on the Road

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To see if the old oil was affecting the car's performance, we took it out for a spin. We installed a telemetry system to measure acceleration, deceleration, and braking times, as well as fuel consumption. The results showed that the car was significantly slower than expected, with an average time of 17.86 seconds to complete a quarter-mile run.

The Result

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To our surprise, the old oil made no difference in terms of acceleration or braking performance on the road. However, when we repeated the test twice, the times were consistently faster than expected. This suggests that while the old oil may not be affecting the car's raw power output, it is still having an impact on overall performance.

Conclusion

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In conclusion, oil plays a critical role in maintaining your car's health and performance. While quantity may seem like enough, the quality of oil matters too. As oil ages, its viscosity decreases, leading to more friction wear and heat, which can cause damage to engine components. Regular oil changes are essential to prevent this type of wear and tear, ensuring that your car runs smoothly and efficiently for years to come.

So next time you're thinking of eking out a few extra miles before an oil change, remember: it's not worth the risk. Neglecting regular oil changes can lead to costly repairs down the road. There is no cheaper way to make your car go faster than by changing the oil regularly.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennext oil it's one of the most important parts of your car but one of the easiest to neglect the stuff on here plays three crucial roles in the health of your engine it lubricates the internals to prevent them from wearing out it clings on to microscopic bits of debris to stop them from causing damage and it cools the engine by transferring heat from the working parts path the cars on the road don't have enough oil in them but just as important as the quantity is the age and quality of your oil as oil ages it becomes less effective let it go too far and it can actually damage your engine rather than protect it this tasty golf r32 is do an oil change having done ten thousand miles since its last one I'm taking a sample of its oil to the high-tech oil Research Laboratory of Intertek by studying it at a molecular level we'll see exactly what happens to oil as it gets older I'll also test to find out if old oil makes your car slower but first laboratory manager Rob Chapman talks me through the sample Rob here I've got a brand new oil sample and also one that's done 10,000 miles but the difference just in color alone is phenomenal so that would be due to oxidation of the oil and also small particles of wear from inside an engine what would happen if I left this oil in the engine for I don't know 50,000 a hundred thousand miles without changing it potentially the small particles of where would travel around the system and cause secondary damage and eventually could lead to the failure of an engine as well as getting darker oils viscosity decreases as it ages and it becomes less effective as a lubricant our first test passes the sample through a glass capillary at 100 degrees Celsius the faster it moves the less viscous it is the result of the viscosity test comes out at twelve point seven millimeters square per second compared against clean oil which was fourteen point two is showing a drop of about fifteen percent or so that means the oil is fifteen percent less effective at lubricating the engine resulting in more friction wear and heat part of that drop is due to fuel seeping into the combustion chamber and thinning the oil our oil is actually 2.5% petrol there are solid contaminants - over time microscopic metal fragments break from the engine and are contained within the oil to find out what our sample contains Rob uses inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy this heats the oil to 10,000 degrees Celsius causing it to atomized an emit light great looking here and I see no the color of the light indicates which elements are present so the analysis shown us that we've got copper 54 ppm parts per million per million yeah and there's a bit of line there 23 22 ppm so there are two elements that shouldn't be there in clean oil present in the used oil Wow the fragments measure less than a hundredth of a millimeter but they can still cause friction unwanted heat and wear to reveal bigger more damaging particles we use an electron microscope so they can be bits of metal could be it's rust or even a looks like there's a bug may be in there as well that's incredible my sample is typical of what your engine will contain when it's do an oil change so if I want to find out if it's already blunting performance this Gulf contains the oil we examined I'm going to test it from naught to 100 miles an hour with the old oil and again with a new oil to see if there's any difference our telemetry will reveal the result crunchy little thing now second gear third gear just sinking 60 on the throttle 80 miles an hour 6,000 rpm time to go hundreds 17.9 seconds after two more runs I've got an average time of 17 point eight six seconds time to change the oil and head back out on track grabbing second up to sixty miles an hour it doesn't feel any faster ah here behind the wheel but whether the numbers we're soon find out Wow 17.3 it is quicker over half a second quicker it's not a fluke either again I did two more runs averaging 17 point one three seconds over half a second quicker than the old oil wow I'm really surprised at the old oils lower viscosity microscopic metal debris and of course the little bug contributed to reducing the car's performance and this would have got worse as the oil got older there's no cheaper way of making your car go faster so next time you're thinking of eking out a few extra miles before an oil change remember you'll increase long-term wear and make your car go slower younext oil it's one of the most important parts of your car but one of the easiest to neglect the stuff on here plays three crucial roles in the health of your engine it lubricates the internals to prevent them from wearing out it clings on to microscopic bits of debris to stop them from causing damage and it cools the engine by transferring heat from the working parts path the cars on the road don't have enough oil in them but just as important as the quantity is the age and quality of your oil as oil ages it becomes less effective let it go too far and it can actually damage your engine rather than protect it this tasty golf r32 is do an oil change having done ten thousand miles since its last one I'm taking a sample of its oil to the high-tech oil Research Laboratory of Intertek by studying it at a molecular level we'll see exactly what happens to oil as it gets older I'll also test to find out if old oil makes your car slower but first laboratory manager Rob Chapman talks me through the sample Rob here I've got a brand new oil sample and also one that's done 10,000 miles but the difference just in color alone is phenomenal so that would be due to oxidation of the oil and also small particles of wear from inside an engine what would happen if I left this oil in the engine for I don't know 50,000 a hundred thousand miles without changing it potentially the small particles of where would travel around the system and cause secondary damage and eventually could lead to the failure of an engine as well as getting darker oils viscosity decreases as it ages and it becomes less effective as a lubricant our first test passes the sample through a glass capillary at 100 degrees Celsius the faster it moves the less viscous it is the result of the viscosity test comes out at twelve point seven millimeters square per second compared against clean oil which was fourteen point two is showing a drop of about fifteen percent or so that means the oil is fifteen percent less effective at lubricating the engine resulting in more friction wear and heat part of that drop is due to fuel seeping into the combustion chamber and thinning the oil our oil is actually 2.5% petrol there are solid contaminants - over time microscopic metal fragments break from the engine and are contained within the oil to find out what our sample contains Rob uses inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy this heats the oil to 10,000 degrees Celsius causing it to atomized an emit light great looking here and I see no the color of the light indicates which elements are present so the analysis shown us that we've got copper 54 ppm parts per million per million yeah and there's a bit of line there 23 22 ppm so there are two elements that shouldn't be there in clean oil present in the used oil Wow the fragments measure less than a hundredth of a millimeter but they can still cause friction unwanted heat and wear to reveal bigger more damaging particles we use an electron microscope so they can be bits of metal could be it's rust or even a looks like there's a bug may be in there as well that's incredible my sample is typical of what your engine will contain when it's do an oil change so if I want to find out if it's already blunting performance this Gulf contains the oil we examined I'm going to test it from naught to 100 miles an hour with the old oil and again with a new oil to see if there's any difference our telemetry will reveal the result crunchy little thing now second gear third gear just sinking 60 on the throttle 80 miles an hour 6,000 rpm time to go hundreds 17.9 seconds after two more runs I've got an average time of 17 point eight six seconds time to change the oil and head back out on track grabbing second up to sixty miles an hour it doesn't feel any faster ah here behind the wheel but whether the numbers we're soon find out Wow 17.3 it is quicker over half a second quicker it's not a fluke either again I did two more runs averaging 17 point one three seconds over half a second quicker than the old oil wow I'm really surprised at the old oils lower viscosity microscopic metal debris and of course the little bug contributed to reducing the car's performance and this would have got worse as the oil got older there's no cheaper way of making your car go faster so next time you're thinking of eking out a few extra miles before an oil change remember you'll increase long-term wear and make your car go slower you\n"