The engine is the most important part of the vehicle – a car without it is like a man without a heart, it simply does not “work”.
Learn about the most common causes of engine wear, which will allow you to avoid engine problems and dilemmas such as “what is better to replace the engine or overhaul?”, or “how much does it cost to overhaul the engine?”
Learn about the 5 most common causes of engine wear and learn how to additionally protect your engine from wear.
The most common causes of engine wear:
1.Poor quality materials from which the engine is made – i.e. the so-called. unsuccessful construction
Before we get to the causes of engine wear, which are caused by purely operational errors, it is worth mentioning that there are more and less wear-resistant engines. There are stories about indestructible engines of mercedes W123, i.e. the so-called Mercedes W123 engines. “barrels” with a 2.0 gasoline engine, which without renovation covered up to 1,000,000 (million) km. The extremely high wear resistance is also known, among others, 1.9 TDI and 1.6 MPI engines from the VW group or 2.4 turbo or even 2.5 turbo from Volvo.
On the other hand, we also have engines with extremely low durability, which after 100,000 km are eligible for renovation. Therefore, always before buying a car, it is worth reading a bit about not only the vehicle itself but also a specific type of engine.
2. Changing the oil less than every 10,000 km
Although some manufacturers recommend changing the oil even every 40,000 km, we recommend changing the oil every 10,000 km. Engine oil lubricates virtually every part of the engine that is subject to friction. It lubricates, among others, piston rings, cylinder smoothing, connecting rod shells, camshaft cams or turbocharger bearings.
What happens to oil that will work 20,000, 30,000 and more kilometers? First of all, the oil under the influence of high local temperature degrades and loses its lubricating properties and viscosity. In addition, some of the gases resulting from the combustion of the fuel-air mixture will go to the crankcase, affecting the oil and gradually contaminating it with acids and oxides. As a result, friction increases, temperature increases, wear of parts intensifies.
3. Covering short distances
When starting the engine in winter, the friction surfaces of the engine wear out similarly to covering up to 300 kilometers of normal driving. What’s more, when driving short distances, the engine is in continuous warm-up mode, and the injection system gives increased fuel doses during this time. In older carburetor vehicles, it was the use of the so-called lever. suction, in newer ones it is done automatically.
This increased amount of fuel in combination with the “cold” combustion chamber causes incomplete combustion of the fuel and dripping of its residual/condensate down the cylinder walls into the oil sump. This affects both the thinning of the oil and the reduction of its lubricating parameters. This is an additional reason to remember to change the oil regularly every 10,000 km.
4. Aggressive driving style – especially on cold, unheated engines
Driving style – how you use the vehicle has a significant impact on its reliability. Starting and overtaking dynamically just after starting a cold engine is not a good idea. The oil has its full protective properties at a certain temperature. When the engine is not fully warmed up, cold oil will not provide its full protection. This is why you should not drive dynamically before you fully warm up the engine. The whole world of motorsport applies to this principle and it is worth following it also in the use of “ordinary” vehicles. It can be compared to an athlete who does not do a warm-up before sprinting for 100 meters – this behavior dramatically increases the risk of injury and is extremely irresponsible.
To assess whether the engine is fully warmed up, the oil temperature is the most important. Unfortunately, most vehicles do not have an oil temperature indicator on the dashboard, so for ease it can be assumed that before we start dynamically accelerating and loading the engine, the power unit should reach the temperature of the coolant in the range of the norm / half of the scale – usually 90 ° C. Virtually every modern vehicle is equipped with a coolant temperature indicator.
Turning off the engine just after fast and dynamic driving in the case of turbocharged engines (diesel and gasoline) can also harm it. Give the engine 2-3 minutes of idling after dynamic driving so that the oil receives heat from e.g. turbocharger bearings and cooled the friction sites accordingly. A good idea after dynamic driving on the road (e.g. on the highway) is to drive the last few kilometers gently, at low revs, so that the engine cools down while driving.
5. Refueling “cheap” fuel at non-re-rated stations
Yes, I know some people will ask the question – and what effect does that have on the engine? It has and it is quite important. The first element that will wear out is fuel injections, which are very sensitive to poor fuel quality (injections are lubricated with fuel). Saving PLN 5 on refueling can cost us up to PLN 2,000-6,000 when replacing fuel injections. Doubtful is the economy.
Other possible problems are knock combustion (gasoline engines), which can very quickly “destroy” the engine and problems with the catalyst and lambda sensor. It is not worth saving on fuel of dubious origin.
How to care for the engine?
You probably know this saying: “prevention is better than cure”. Use them to enjoy an efficient engine for years to come.
- Change the oil every 10,000 km even if the manufacturer recommends extended replacement times.
- Never practice dynamic driving on a cold engine. Remember to warm up the engine before you press the “gas pedal into the floor”.
- Refuel at well-known, reputable stations.
- Use an oil additive that will create a protective layer on the metal friction surfaces and protect the engine from wear for 70,000 km and regenerate its friction surfaces. You will learn more about this preparation later in the text.
Usually, we notice the problem when it is a bit too late. Engine overhaul, high repair cost, lack of a car for a certain period of time – all this is associated with stress. However, this can be avoided.
Support the action – use Ceramizers
It is not always possible to meet all the recommendations that will prevent engine wear. Who has never overtaken a fully heated engine or dragged an oil change? If we add to this the increasingly lower quality of materials used in the production of engines, with increasing loads that modern engines have to endure (e.g. downsizing, i.e. obtaining as much power as possible from the smallest possible capacity), it turns out that the engine needs additional wear protectionto make it efficient not only after 100 thousand. km, but also 200 thousand, 300 thousand, 400 thousand, 500 thousand and more kilometers.
Ceramizer oil additives come in handy here, which form a ceramic-metal layer with a low coefficient of friction. This layer has an 8 times lower wear rate of the Ceramizer-protected friction surface – compared to a metal surface not protected by Ceramizer.
What does this mean for you? That using Ceramizers you can extend the life of your engine – its metal friction surfaces to 300, 400, 500 and more thousand. Miles.
Watch the oil-free driving test which confirms the protective properties of the ceramic-metal layer created – even though there is no oil in the engine.
In addition, Ceramizer creating a layer on friction surfaces, fills pitting and worn surfaces – it has regenerating properties. Thus, in many cases, it reduces oil intake (caused by wear of the piston rings) and silences the engine.
Ceramizer engine oil additives can be applied in such vehicles as: cars, motorcycles, trucks, scooters, tractors, as well as lawn mowers. Drivers notice the first effects after 200 kilometers and the full process of creating a layer takes 1500 km from the moment of adding the preparation to the oil.
Additives for Ceramizer engine oil, is it worth it?
Ceramizer is an effective way to protect the engine from wear. In addition, this oil additive regenerates the friction surfaces of the engine and thus reduces oil intake and silences the engine. Its effectiveness is evidenced by over 240 pages of opinions and numerous tests that can be found both on the www.ceramizer.pl website and on many forums or youtube channels.
In combination with the low cost of use and safety of use (the product has been available on the market for over 15 years) – this is an effective way to protect the engine against wear and additionally restore its nominal condition.
