Oil consumption - what should it be?

For every car owner it is normal to monitor any changes in his car. Unfortunately, they are rarely aimed for the better, as the parts wear out, the rubber products harden, the pads also lose their properties.

All these liquids are called "consumables", since they are consumed in the course of time, hence the name. Many can say that oil is not wasted. This is far from the case. Each engine has a normal oil consumption, which, on average, is a quarter of a liter per 1000 kilometers of track.

Increased oil consumption indicates a leak, or, the wear of some parts. In the first case, it is easy to find, and elimination is reduced only to the replacement of sealing parts and gaskets. The second case is a little worse, it can become a considerable gap in the family budget.

The oil consumption can be increased if it enters the combustion chamber and is mixed with the combustible mixture. Naturally, from this, its octane number becomes much less, as a consequence - a decrease in performance. In principle, the engine oil does not burn, it remains only the carbon on the parts, and what has not become soot leaves with the exhaust gases into the exhaust system

Thus, on the one hand, a large oil consumption leads to an increase in the emission toxicity, and on the other hand it is postponed on the details, including on the valves, after which they are not completely closed, resulting in a compression in the cylinders, which means that the engine does not Develops full power.

But these are all consequences, now a little about the reasons themselves. Oil consumption, as well as fuel consumption, directly depends on the degree of wear of parts. As mentioned above, it grows due to falling into the combustion chamber. For this there are two ways: either it remains on the walls of the cylinder, after moving the piston to the bottom dead center, or with a combustible mixture, through the valves.

So, the first case - is the wear of the piston rings, as the oil rings can not cope with their direct purpose. Typically, this malfunction is accompanied by a reduced power at low revs, as well as increased smoke from the exhaust pipe. Each unit is equipped with crankcase ventilation. Gases from it are fed into the intake manifold to heat the fuel mixture. In addition, all that is "not burnt out" for the first time, is served repeatedly. So, in order to determine the wear of the piston rings, it is enough to lift the pipeline from the crankcase to the collector, which in the people was called the "dome".

The second case is a consequence of solidification of oil-removable caps, which are dressed on the valve guide sleeves and serve as a gland. In fact, they remove the oil from the valve stem when it is opened.

From the above it follows that in order to keep oil consumption within acceptable limits, it is necessary to change the piston rings and oil-removal caps in a timely manner , and in order to reduce their wear, it is necessary to change the oil itself in time, which eventually loses its viscosity and lubricating properties.