Good drivers always take care of their vehicles. They know the value of regularly checking their cars. For your vehicle to function optimally, you should consider doing both critical and preventive maintenance procedures.
The health of your vehicle depends on these critical procedures..
- Change your air filters
- Replace worn tires with new ones
- Wheel balance and alignment
- Oil filter and oil spare parts
Oil filter and oil replacements are greatly affected by metal shavings. These are fine metallic debris found in the oil and therefore in the engine.. When metal shavings enter the engine, it's a matter of when and not whether the engine will stop.
How do metal chips get into engine oil?
Think of oil as the blood that gives life to the engine. Your car is full of moving parts. Without lubrication, these moving parts will crush on themselves and wear out quickly. Oil passes through all of these moving parts.
Now, imagine the sandpaper and the effect it has on the wood. Now imagine it with the speed that the pistons move in the engine. The best oil in the world will still have metal residue while the metal is chipping little by little.
The job of the oil filter is to catch these little metal shavings. And he does an excellent job at it. But it's not perfect. Possibly, some metal shavings will slip and enter the engine. That is why you should change both oil and oil filters regularly..
Signs that your oil has metal shavings
Always pay attention to your car. From the moment you start it up, listen to the engine speed, follow the dash lights, and see if the engine check light is on. Good drivers know the state of their cars every time they drive them.
Sudden slowdown
When your car is in sleep mode, should be calm and still. But if it vibrates and shakes, then oil may be the reason.
If there is a problem with sufficient lubrication in the engine, your engine is in trouble. Lack of lubrication means the vital parts of your engine are crushed against each other. If this continues for a long time, the quality of the oil will be compromised.
Strange engine noise
Engine noise occurs when your car engine doesn't get enough lubrication. It means that the oil does not move freely within the vital components of the engine.
Metal shavings in the oil prevent smooth oil flow in the engine. Possibly, when the engine stops receiving lubrication in some parts, stop working fine.
Power reduction
If you drive a car that struggles to gain acceleration power, you will know immediately. When your car loses its power, it can be due to several things.
A decrease in engine power means your engine works harder in stressful conditions. Decreased horsepower is a sign of a damaged oil filter and contaminated oil.
Engine knocking
Your car should not run long without changing the oil. The longer it takes before changing the oil or oil filters, more debris accumulates in the engine. Engine knocking is a serious case and occurs when your car uses dirty oil for a long time.
White smoke from your car exhaust
Under normal conditions, the fuel in your vehicle should never be mixed with engine oil. But it happens. When a mixture of gasoline and oil burns, produces white smoke. White smoke indicates that your pistons and ring gaskets are wearing out. The result is that oil enters the cylinders.
Burning motor oil means a lack of proper engine lubrication. If you detect white smoke in the exhaust pipe, visit an auto repair shop immediately.
Other related warning signs
Modern car designs rely on computer technology to perform simple diagnostics. The dashboard has warning signs and lights that blink once they detect a fault.
The most popular warning lights include:
- Check the engine
- Oil pressure warning
- Service vehicle soon
- Oil change reminder
- Reduced power warning
Need a total engine rebuild if you find metal shavings in your oil?
Many people think that fixing this problem is easy and cheap. That is not the case. And this is already the problem, it will be very expensive to fix it. In fact, for when you realize there is a problem, can be a major repair rather than a minor fix.
When you take your car to the mechanic, This will check the type of damage that has been caused. Remember: it is not the metal shavings that cause a problem. The fact that there are metal shavings in the oil is a sign that something else is very wrong. For example, You may need to have certain engine parts replaced. But this may require a complete rebuild of the engine.
If you need to rebuild your engine, it will be quite expensive. In fact, expect to pay at least a couple of thousand dollars. And that's just the starting point. It could be much more expensive. It depends on the severity of the damage and the type of car you have.
To do an engine rebuild, your mechanic is going to have to do the following:
- Remove the engine covers, valves and hardware
- Remove the pistons and rings so they can be repaired
- Fix any other problems they find in your engine
If you have a small car, it might not be that difficult for the mechanic. Nevertheless, if you have an SUV or a truck, it may be a two-man job. This means that the mechanic will have to charge you almost double an hour.. Be sure to ask before they do the job.. If it will cost as much as the car is worth, it may not make sense to make repairs.