|
Maintenance is the key to vehicle longevity
Change your oil and filters regularly and your car or truck will last longer, run better and require fewer repairs as the miles add up.
One of the most important aspects of preventive maintenance is changing lubricants, fluids and filters when they need it - not when you get around to it.
Motor oil doesn't last forever. The crankcase is a difficult environment. Blowby gases from the cylinders dump unburned fuel, soot and acids into the oil. Operating temperatures can soar to 250 degrees F or higher transforming the oil pan into a deep fryer. And to add insult to injury, the oil is hammered and squeezed with every pass through the bearings. Sheer stresses try to rip apart the long hydrocarbon molecules that give oil its lubricity. This is called viscosity breakdown.
To help the oil withstand this kind of abuse, various additives are blended into the basestock. Up to 25 percent of a quart of oil is friction-reducing additives, anti-wear agents, corrosion inhibitors, viscosity improvers, pourpoint depressants, foam inhibitors, oxidation inhibitors and dispersant/detergents. These additives allow motor oils to meet certain quality standards established by the American Petroleum Institute (API), as well as performance requirements set by the vehicle manufacturers. But in spite of all the chemistry, motor oil eventually wears out. Oxidation and contamination take their toll, and if the oil isn't changed often enough, the engine suffers the consequences.
It's the same story with other vital fluids too. Automatic transmission fluid can oxidize and burn if the transmission is overworked. The corrosion inhibitors in antifreeze gradually break down and eventually have to be replenished by changing the coolant. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, which leads to a breakdown of corrosion inhibitors that allows rust to attack the calipers, wheel cylinders and brake lines. Gear oil in manual transmissions, differentials and transfer cases becomes contaminated with wear particles and loses viscosity as the miles add up.
Click on a link for more information:
Contact Us for more information
|
