Engine oil viscosity manual#

If it’s too thin, it won’t fully lubricate the engine parts when the engine gets too hot or operating conditions become extreme. If the viscosity is too high and the oil is too thick, your oil won’t flow well during a cold start, and in very cold temperatures that could be a problem. Your oil needs to have a balance of being able to flow through your engine and being able to fully lubricate parts and pick up contaminants as it goes. It depends on the kind of engine you have and the way it functions. How thick do you need your oil to be? Which is better, low viscosity or high viscosity? There is no one objective answer. Think of a scale from water to ketchup when you think about rising viscosity. The higher your oil’s viscosity, the thicker it is. When you are deciding which viscosity of motor oil to choose, you may be asking yourself, what does viscosity mean? Viscosity is simply a measure of the thickness of your oil. But what is oil viscosity and what does it have to do with your motor oil? Motor Oil Viscosity 101 Over time, your oil can also lose viscosity.

Engine oil viscosity manual#

This is why you require fresh oil about every 5,000 miles or so (every car varies, check your owner’s manual for your specific recommendation). The reason you change your oil is because eventually, that contaminant and debris build-up can clog the oil filter and make it difficult for the oil to function as needed. Even if you don’t have a leak, you are probably aware that you will need to change your oil from time to time. If you have an oil leak and not enough oil is getting into the engine to lubricate it, your engine will quickly seize up and be useless. Also, some of the components of motor oil allow it to pick up and absorb contaminants that could harm your engine. Your motor oil serves as the vital lubricant that allows those parts to rub against each other without damaging each other and reduces the amount of wear on these parts as they move together. And like all moving parts, the parts of your engine wear down over time as they move against each other. Your internal combustion engine is a complex machine, and like all machines, it has moving parts. Understanding What Motor Oil Does in Your Engine To understand the relationship between viscosity and motor oil, it’s first important to understand what motor oil does in your engine. If you are changing your oil, however, which is a much cheaper and relatively simple process, you need to be sure that you are putting the right viscosity motor oil and your car and it’s a good idea to know why this is so vital.

synthetic) of oil you wish him to put in your car. The mechanic can look up the correct viscosity and will not even need to consult with you, although they may wish to know what type (conventional vs. If you are the type of person that has their oil changed by a mechanic, you don’t have to worry about finding the right oil viscosity. What do these numbers mean and why do they matter? These oil “weights” are not weights at all, but a measure of the motor oil viscosity. If you have ever looked at a bottle of motor oil, you have noticed a difference in oil weights.