When was the last time you checked your car’s oil? Not checking your oil on a regular basis could put you in danger of driving with a low oil level. Do it for long enough and you’ll risk damaging or even destroying your engine, which could cost you a pretty penny to repair or replace, depending on the severity of the damage.
Let’s dive into the dangers of driving your vehicle without the right amount of oil in the engine.
Why Your Engine Needs Oil
With hundreds of moving parts to contend with, your engine needs all the lubrication it can get to cut down on damaging friction. Engine oil makes that happen by adding a thin layer between moving metal parts, allowing them to slide smoothly instead of grinding each other into metal flakes.
Engine oil also helps with keeping your car cool under extreme temperatures or road conditions. As engine oil circulates through the engine, it also absorbs a small amount of engine heat. This latent heat travels toward the oil cooler. Some oil coolers are attached to the radiator while others can move around more freely.
Engine oil also helps make a clean sweep of your engine’s hydrocarbons and other unwanted debris. As it circulates, it also picks up a wide range of contaminants and other microscopic debris. You’ll find much of this debris on your engine oil filter or the small magnet at the bottom of the oil pan.
How Low Oil Levels Happen
Oil leaks are a common reason for low oil levels. Depending on how bad the leak is, it could take days, weeks, or even months to notice if your vehicle seemingly “uses” more oil than usual. Leaks can happen for a variety of reasons, from something as simple as a loose oil drain plug to old and worn-out seals. Oil can also lose its viscosity over time, which means small amounts can seep out no matter how well-sealed your engine is.
Overall neglect can also result in a low oil condition. If you haven’t checked your oil in ages, then there’s a good chance it may be low at least a quart or two.
Depending on your engine’s age, it may also burn a small amount of oil along with its fuel. This is especially the case for worn engines with equally worn-out seals and gaskets allowing oil to seep into the combustion chamber.
What Happens Without It
Knocking and Excessive Wear
Without enough engine oil to provide a protective barrier against wear and tear, your engine’s various moving parts are more likely to wear out. The resulting metal-on-metal contact can widen engine tolerances, resulting in bigger oil leaks and more serious issues like compression loss. The constant grinding also sends metal fragments and shavings into the oil, which will end up circulating through the engine causing even more damage.
Overheating
Run your engine long enough with a low oil level and there’s a good chance your engine will fail due to overheating. Chalk it up to the constant friction between unlubricated parts in your engine, which also generates large amounts of heat.
Overheating can make your engine’s cylinder heads, block, and other valvetrain components a total loss. The excessive heat can easily warp otherwise-flat surfaces on the engine. Without a flat surface to work on, fixing an engine with a blown or warped head gasket becomes nearly impossible.
Engine Failure
When you ignore every single signal and warning that has to do with your vehicle, then sooner or later the engine will take its leave. This usually means a catastrophic failure that stops your engine – and your vehicle – dead in its tracks. In some cases, you may see a failed engine with a “window” where the piston or connecting rod blew loose.
It’s not hard to see the signs of impending engine failure. For one, your engine’s performance may dwindle as you’d normally think. Your engine may also sound noisier than usual or suddenly exhibit a loud tapping or knocking noise.
A blown engine also gives your car sluggish acceleration and poor overall fuel economy. Depending on your budget, you may end up repairing the engine or replacing it with a lightly used version of the same.