What happens to an engine oil over a road trip? We’ll travel 3,000 miles, and perform an oil analysis before and after to find out. There are two main purposes of an oil analysis. First, you want to check engine health, by looking at wear and contaminants. Various metals can help you identify any significantly wearing engine parts.
source/image(PrtSc): Engineering Explained
Contaminants can tell you if you have any engine coolant leaking into the cylinders, and how well your engine air filter and oil filters are working.Watch the video from Engineering Explained for more info:
Second, you want to check your oil’s health, to know if you can keep using it, need to change it, or learn what your appropriate oil change interval should be.
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The analysis will cover viscosity, TBN, fuel dilution, oxidation, nitration, soot, water, and coolant, as indicators for the oil’s health. You can also check additive levels, like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
