Can I Just Add Oil to My Car Instead of Getting an Oil Change?
Oiling your car regularly is essential to its smooth running and prevents it from overheating, yet if you keep topping off instead of completely changing out its oil, its engine could be at risk.
Before adding oil, be sure that the engine is completely cool before opening the hood to examine the dipstick. Be sure to purchase an appropriate type and weight of oil.
1. It Can Damage Your Engine
Many people mistakenly believe that topping off their engine oil with additives is equivalent to getting an oil change, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Engine oil differs significantly from any other car fluids and has distinct properties that set it apart. Therefore, it is essential that you understand the differences between adding and changing oil for accurate car maintenance decisions.
As engine oil travels through your engine, it’s subjected to heat and shear stresses which cause it to degrade over time, leaving behind contaminants like water, dirt and metal particles from its moving components – leaving behind contaminants like water, dirt and metal particles which clog the oil’s pores, making it thicker and less effective at protecting moving components from frictional heat loss.
Old engine oil can also become contaminated with additives such as anti-wear compounds and friction modifiers that reduce wear on moving engine components, helping protect them from wear-related failure. Unfortunately, using this old oil to top off newer ones will simply wash its additives into it, lessening its effectiveness and increasing costs.
An oil change is so essential because it changes out your old engine oil for fresh, clean motor oil that keeps your engine healthy and running correctly. Following the recommended frequency can ensure your engine remains in good shape – too long between oil changes may damage its moving parts, leading to your car stopping altogether! If you feel you may have gone too long between appointments for oil changes, contact Milex Complete Auto Care so they can schedule one and replace the engine oil of your vehicle immediately.
2. It Can Damage Your Oil Filter
Your parents or another older family member likely taught you the fundamentals of checking and adding oil to your vehicle at some point, which will come in handy when trying to save money with oil changes.
There are a few key points about this process that must be understood: you cannot simply “add” new oil to existing oil; rather, the entire system needs to be changed out, including replacing its filter with one from a clean batch. A dirty filter may collect dirt and metal shavings from your engine that clog your oil system, leading it to function less effectively over time.
Consider also that mixing new oil with old can contaminate it and even turn it black; thus compromising its ability to protect and lubricate the engine properly.
Once again, your vehicle needs oil; its owner’s manual should indicate how much and what kind. Usually the amount is specified in quarts. Warm up your car for 10 minutes prior to using a dipstick to check its oil levels as hot oil drains out more rapidly. Be sure to wipe down with a lint-free cloth first! When checking it up to its full mark without exceeding this value – fill until this mark but don’t exceed.
Your equipment requirements also include a funnel and new oil filter from an auto parts store; usually hardware stores sell an oil filer wrench for around $15-$20. Once equipped, locate and unfasten your oil filler cap; this should have an oil can symbol printed on it, with its filler pipe visible beneath your engine.
3. It Can Damage Your Spark Plugs
If you add oil directly to your engine without receiving an oil change, this could cause irreparable harm to its spark plugs. When adding new oil directly, its fast-moving lobed rod (known as the crankshaft) mixes and aerates it quickly, making it hard for lubrication of moving parts of your engine and increasing risk of overheating and breaking down.
If your oil levels drop too low, oil may leak past valve seals into the combustion chamber and into your engine’s combustion chamber, where it will burn up as it travels through and reach your spark plugs. Once there, this oil can lead to incomplete or nonexistent combustion in your engine which may lead to it shaking, sputtering or smoking altogether.
Oil on spark plugs can occur for a number of reasons. It may accumulate on either the shaft insulator or firing end (where the spark plug electrode resides), or accumulate at the bottom of spark plug tube seals due to a damaged valve cover gasket; replacing this seal should resolve this issue.
Carbon fouling can also contribute to oil build-up on spark plugs, as a portion of it becomes coated with oil that prevents an ignition system from producing enough power to ignite an air/fuel mixture properly. This leads to reduced engine power and poor economy – best solution? To correct it quickly is replacing your spark plug(s).
4. It Can Damage Your Spark Plug Wires
If your oil levels drop too low, spark plugs may fail to ignite correctly and burn fuel, leading to backfires in the exhaust system and possibly damaging your engine. Overheating may also occur, leading to costly repairs in the long run.
Avoid this issue by visiting an auto repair shop when your oil level drops low. They will inspect and, if necessary, replace spark plug wires to ensure proper connectivity to an ignition coil and also ensure spark plugs are seated correctly in their respective wells.
Oily deposits on spark plugs typically result from a faulty O-ring seal in the spark plug well, which prevents oil and coolant from reaching them. When they leak, it can create problems for an engine’s performance. Other possible reasons could include failing pistons, cracked or broken piston rings or even blown head gaskets.
Topping off oil can actually reduce its efficiency, as it adds dirty oil into an already efficient engine and could potentially lead to broken piston rings, overheated engines and costly repairs in the future. When topping off your car’s oil be sure to use only approved varieties compatible with its temperature as this could result in splashes, spills or fires from running engines – and be mindful when doing it as this could create splashes, spills or fires; additionally make sure you regularly check its oil levels!
5. It Can Damage Your Spark Plugs
Sometimes your car runs low on oil and you must add additional motor oil. But adding motor oil can be dangerous when dealing with an engine at high temperature; without care you could accidentally burn your hands while overfilling the vehicle with too much. Always check oil levels first to prevent overfilling it; in addition to having a drain pan ready for collecting used oil for disposal purposes and disposing it appropriately.
Addition of oil to a hot engine can damage spark plugs. When oil appears on your spark plugs, this indicates something has leaked from somewhere. One common source is a failed spark plug tube seal; when this seal fails, oil seeps out of its hole into the combustion chamber through cracks in its tube seal causing leakage onto spark plug shaft and insulators and short ignition paths that damage engine components.
Oil can damage spark plugs in another way: carbon fouling. Carbon fouling refers to the accumulation of sooty black deposits on spark plug shaft and insulator which inhibit the spark from igniting air-fuel mixture and cause engine misfires. If carbon fouling becomes noticeable on your spark plugs, it is probably time for replacements.
An oil change is one of the best ways to ensure engine issues and overfilling are avoided, and should be performed regularly at recommended intervals. An oil change involves draining and replacing old oil with new, changing the filter, and adding in fresh oil for your vehicle. Furthermore, it’s vital that you use only type of oil specified by your owner’s manual; using different oils could cause serious engine issues leading to costly repairs down the line.
