There are fluids within your vehicle that protect its different mechanical systems by lubricating them and cooling them down. You need to practice preventive maintenance in order to keep those lubricants and oils from ending up too dirty or wasted.
If there are any leaks in your vehicle, have the mechanic patch things up before they cause a low-level fluid issue. At any rate, here's what you need to do when it comes to dealing with your vehicle's motor oil.
Dealing with Oil and Optimizing Its Usage
- One of the Most Important Fluids: Motor oil is one of the most important car fluids available. It protects the engine by cleaning it, cooling it, and lubricating it. However, the oil itself can't do all of these tasks without some assistance. Nearly half a pint of various other additives are included into your typical motor oil solution to improve oil's ability to resist contamination, oxidation, friction, and heat.
- What Short Trip Driving Does to Oil: Short trip driving is bad for your oil. If you're going to use your vehicle, you should do some long trips with it from time to time. This is because doing just short trips keeps the engine from warming up enough to boil off the moisture that accumulates on your crankcase. This moisture originates from combusted gasses that pass by the piston rings. The older the motor the greater the amount of moisture accumulation.
- The PVC System and Its Job: The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) System corrects this moisture accumulation by removing most of the combustion gasses that blow by the piston rings. However, a cold engine or an engine that hasn't heated up sufficiently due to the short trips you take from your car has more moisture condensation that ends up in oil. This water with oil leads to the formation of acids and sludge, which in turn accelerate engine wear-and-tear.
- Motor Oil and Preventive Maintenance: Tune-ups and oil checks are necessary to ensure that oil contamination is minimized. You should also keep tabs on the condition of the oil so that you'd know when to best do an oil change. Preventive maintenance on oil requires regular vehicle inspections. You should also be mindful of how you drive. Drive your vehicle from long-distances to work. Minimize your short trips to prevent potential oil contamination.
The Bottom Line
Preventive maintenance is all about inspections and having regular oil and fluid changes so that they don't destroy your engine. You need to change these fuels from time to time because they naturally get dirty and contaminated the more you use them. Like a diaper. Knowing when to best change fluids like your motor oil will ensure that your vehicle gets the maximum amount of mileage throughout its lifespan.