As enthusiasts I know all of you change your oil more frequently than the manufacturer’s recommended intervals. Right? You will after reading this. Terence Lam wrote the following over at JDM Style Tuning. Muchas gracias Terence for letting me use your words and photos.
I’d just like to share a common occurrence that I have found in motor vehicles – LACK OF OIL CHANGES.
Pictured is a result of a customers lack of understanding of how important it is to service at the manufacturers recommended intervals. The K24A (Honda engine) has covered approximately 100,000kms. From the service history gathered, it has had an oil change at 10K, 40K, 60K and 80K. This customer has had the major services completed but skipped almost all of the minor services. An oil change is required every 10K/6mths according to the Honda service schedule.
Pictured top of each photo is the result of chemical compounds of the engine oil breaking down due to extended exposure to heat. The engine is badly sludged up with all the components covered in a heavy varnish. This is why regular oil replacement is crucial. It’s imperative to renew the compounds so that they are ready to cop internal combustion chaos.
Inside the engine on the top all the load bearing surfaces are not lubricated as well as they should be. In a worst case scenario, the sludge build up may be so heavy that it eventually blocks an oil way leading to seized components.
I have seen this on an Odyssey where the customer came in complaining about an odd noise in the engine bay area. We opened the rocker cover to find metal filings everywhere. One of the bearings on the exhaust cam was completely shagged. This was a direct result of a lack of lubrication leading to overheating and breakdown of metal. With metal filings spread across all the engine internals it was safe to assume that the ending was one giant paper weight.
This engine on the bottom is what it should look like. The photos are of another K24A with approx 80,000kms under its belt with a perfect manufacturers recommended service history.
Consider this a friendly reminder to you all. Keep your oil changes regular, and even more so for cars that endure lots of cold starts such as short drives to the shops or cars used outside of manufacturers intentions by wannabe track racers, weekend warriors and those who drive with extreme spirit everywhere.
Hey, I think he’s talking about us there. Thanks Terence for a very well presented point on the importance of regular oil changes.