7 Engine Oil Myths Stupid People Fall For

today we're talking about motor oil engine oil and engine lubricant those are different words all for the same thing so why does your car need motor oil what are the different kinds and viscosities what is the new gf6 standard for oil we'll bust out some common myths about motor oil so stay tuned to find out car engines have lots of moving parts as these parts move and rub against each other the force of friction creates heat oil lubricates the engine to reduce friction absorbs heat and cleans the engine it does this so that the parts can work effectively together without overheating but over time motor oil breaks down and wears out this makes it less effective in lubricating the engine and absorbing heat that's why it's very important to change the oil before it breaks down and causes engine damage there are four main types of motor oil conventional oil synthetic oil synthetic blends and high mileage oil so which engine oil should you use for your engine and why conventional oil is your standard motor oil it's made from crude oil that's taken from the ground refined and processed with additives at a factory the biggest advantage is it's low cost it's fairly effective as long as you choose the right weight and quantity conventional oil comes in a broad range of viscosities and qualities it's usually used in cars with simple engines and for drivers with conservative driving styles its disadvantage is that it's less refined than the other type of motor oils due to the naturally occurring materials in it it also offers a lower degree of protection for your engine compared to other oil types according to a survey by the automobile oil change association over 50 percent of car owners today use synthetic oil or synthetic blends in their cars full synthetic oil also known as synthetic is as the name denotes chemically engineered so it's generally more consistent more refined and overall better for your engine it lasts longer in time and distance compared to conventional oil and works better in both high and low temperature extremes but all that comes with the price old synthetic motor oil is more expensive than conventional oil a synthetic blend is a combination of synthetic and organic oil it provides better protection and performance than conventional oil and it lasts longer too drivers of pickup trucks and suvs usually prefer this because it offers additional protection from oxidation and cold temperatures for vehicles that carry heavier loads it also tends to offer better gas mileage than conventional oil but not as good as full synthetic oil so it makes sense that synthetic blends stand in the middle ground in terms of cost generally costing more than conventional oil but less than full synthetic oil high mileage oil well the name begs for itself it's enhanced with specific additives to minimize oil burn off and oil leaks protect engine seals prevent oil evaporation and improve performance for older cars with over 75 000 miles on them it's recommended that you use high mileage oil when you're talking about motor oil it's not just all about the type but also about the viscosity of the oil viscosity measures the fluids resistance to flow and it can be low or high put simply it's how thin or thick it is for example a thin liquid like water has a low viscosity whereas the thick liquid like honey has a high viscosity so how do you know which oil viscosity your engine needs you can find it in your car owner's manual which specifies the oil type and viscosity grade that your car needs often you can even find it on the oil cap under the hood when choosing motor oil you can see its viscosity by reading a bottle or can usually you'll see multiple numbers and letters the letter w stands for winter you'll see a number before the letter w another number after the letter w the number before the w is the winter oil viscosity parameter it indicates how well the oil flows at zero degrees fahrenheit that's important because let's say you live in a cold climate normally oil thickens up as the weather cools so in that climate your car needs thin motor oil so it can flow more easily in your engine in other words if your oil is too thick they'll be harder to start your engine and it can reduce your gas mileage but let's say you live in a hot climate ever notice how oil in a pan thins out as the pan heats up hot temperature thins out oil so if you live in a hot climate your car needs oil it doesn't become too thin in other words a motor oil with a higher viscosity or a higher number before the letter w like nw then there's the number after the letter w that's the summer oil viscosity parameter based on viscosity at 212 degrees fahrenheit this is the oil's ability to resist thinning out at higher temperatures for example 10 w30 oil thins out at higher temperature faster than 10 w 40. so let's talk about motor oil standards there's a group called ilsac they set the performance standards for motor oil used in gas powered cars and light trucks well they approved gf6 which is the new standard for motor oil designed to improve fuel economy and enhance engine capabilities and it went to effect last year the new standard allows thinner oils to reduce friction and increase fuel economy this means better protection against wear in a stop start equipped engine better protection of timing chains and protection against low speed pre-ignition lspi is actually a problem that can happen in modern turbos when the fuel ignites too soon which is bad because the explosion can damage your engine so preventing lspi helps car makers to tune the engine for greater efficiency gf6a is for existing cars it covers the current apis and oil viscosities of 0w20 5w20 5w30 and 10w30 it meets all specifications for these current oils in addition to meeting the latest gf6 specifications it's backwards compatible meaning it offers some of the new standards benefit but it works fine in cars designed for the older standards that said even though it's backwards compatible gf6a is really not intended for engines older than maybe the latest generation of production engines or roughly back to the mid 1990s gf6b is the new standard only for zero w16 low viscosity oil and it's not backwards compatible gf6b standard is mainly aimed at turbocharged gasoline direct injected engines tasked with achieving fuel economy levels and it's aimed at engines that were made in 2017 and newer so how do you know if your motor oil is gf6 approved well oils that meet gf6a standard show the starburst apa mark on the container oils that meet the gf6b standard display the new api shield now let's talk about oil changes so how frequently should you change your oil that depends on many factors for example vehicle age oil type the way you drive even where you live it used to be normal to change the oil every 3000 miles but with modern lubricants many engines nowadays have recommended change intervals of five thousand to seven thousand miles for many cars that should be fine but you might want to consider changing your oil more often if you tend to drive at high speed it's also true if you have an older engine or live in an area that's particularly hot cold or dusty if your engine requires full synthetic then it could even go as far as 15 000 miles of course it's always important to file your car owner's manual from the manufacturer's recommendation so how do you know if or when your engine is in need of an oil change there are several common signs the most obvious warning is you're having an oil problem that will come from the car itself newer cars come equipped with an oil monitoring system the oil change indicator or the check engine light on your dashboard will turn on when there's not enough oil in the system in that case you can check your engine's dipstick another warning is increased engine noise when your car is sufficient motor oil the oil helps protect the engine parts that means the engine stays quiet since the oil is lubricating all the metals but let's say your oil level is low this means there's not much to lubricate the engine parts so the parts will brush against each other and the result is you may hear knocking or rumbling sounds that's never a good thing because basically your engine is tearing itself apart bit by bit if you sense an oil smell inside your car it could mean you have an oil leak if you also smell gas or exhaust fumes your car might be overheating either way you should take it to the shop to get it checked out as soon as possible if you see the exhaust smoke coming out of your tailpipe that's time for an engine checkup too your car might have an oil leak or some other malfunctioning engine parts if you have excessively high mileage in a particular month you should consider changing your oil a bit sooner than your normal schedule check your owner's manual for specific guidelines but now let's shift gears and debunk some common myths about motor oil true or false black oil must always be changed actually that's false motor oil darkens especially when the oil is exposed to high engine temperatures and therefore oxidizes it can also darken as it absorbs byproducts from combustion dark color itself doesn't mean the oil is dirty or no longer doing its job instead what you should watch out for is how dirty the oil is if the oil is gritty or grainy then yeah get it changed as soon as possible a common myth is that you need thicker motor oil for extra wear protection but that's false too thicker motor oil can be better for older engines with parts that have worn down over the years but let's say you have a newer car if you use oil that's thicker than recommended for the engine can actually decrease engine efficiency many modern cars actually recommend lower viscosity for better fuel economy so it's best to use the viscosity weight recommended by the engine manufacturer because the manufacturer knows their product the best they know how best to protect the moving parts based on the design and surface roughness many people think that all oil additives are the same faults again engineers develop different additives to help engines in different ways for example some additives help the oil to perform better under high pressure and heavy use like in racing engines others help older high mileage cars last longer by preserving seals the point is different additives are for different purposes so it's not one size fits all another myth about additives is that they improve engine performance for sure additives health engines but they can't add horsepower to your engine or improve gas mileage do synthetics cause oil licks when synthetics first came out in the 70s they caused wear and tear to seals and gaskets today that's not the case modern synthetics have come a long way and in fact they do a better job than conventional oil and protecting engine parts especially at extreme temperatures some people say once you go synthetic you can't go back that's not true either actually it's fairly common for people to switch if you change the filter last time do you need to change it again this time oil filters are important because they remove a lot of the dirt grime and sludge from your engine but the filter's performance degrades over time as it removes more and more contaminants oil filters are usually designed to last one oil cycle so yes you should change your filter every time you change the oil well there you have it they say prevention is always cheaper than a cure and it's true a regular oil change is a small maintenance job but it makes a huge impact in keeping your engine in good condition if you enjoyed this episode please subscribe to my channel for more car technology and history videos thanks for your support [Music]

Channel: Scotty Kilmer

Views: 2,884,739

Keywords: auto, auto repair, car, car diy, car repair, cars, diy, how to, mechanic, repair, scotty kilmer, car review, myth, myth busted, premium vs regular, chris, engine oil, engine oil myth, what type of engine oil to use, what type of motor oil to buy, types of engine oil, engine oil types, synthetic engine oil, regular engine oil, premium motor oil, engine oil myths, myths, motor oil myth, what kind of engine oil to use, best engine oil, worst engine oil, 7 engine oil myths

Id: bFEmA3XtNfI

Length: 11min 14sec (674 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 23 2021