McHenry summer heat highlights importance of changing car, truck or SUV motor oil on schedule

Changing the oil according to recommendations in your McHenry car, truck or SUV’s owner’s manual is a critical factor if you want to extend its life and durability. But summer is a factor that may influence how frequently you change the oil.

There are two primary enemies of motor oil – dirt and heat. The dirt is the accumulation of particles suspended in the oil that increases over time after each oil change. The heat, on the other hand, progressively breaks down the oil. The heat effects the oil’s viscosity.

Viscosity is a measurement of the oil’s resistance in relation to how the oil acts with motion and under force. Measuring viscosity helps to determine the effectiveness of motor oil as a lubricant. A viscosity rating provided by the company selling the motor oil helps to determine which oil to use under which anticipated conditions.

For instance, you may use a 5W-30 motor oil. The ‘W’ represents the winter rating for the oil. A low number, such as ‘5W’ represents an oil that will flow sufficiently in cold temperatures so that, when starting the engine, there is oil between moving parts in the engine.

The ‘30’ in the example above represents the high-temperature performance level of the oil. Motor oil boils at around 572-degrees Fahrenheit. If your engine oil reaches that temperature, you’ve got big trouble. Optimally, your engine should operate at temperatures ranging up to 250 degrees. At 275 degrees, the motor oil begins to break down.

As the motor oil breaks down, its ability to properly lubricate the engine is diminished. This is why summer is generally harder on a car, truck or SUV engine than winter. The engine is likely to run hotter in the summer. And the motor oil bears the initial brunt of that additional heat.

Generally speaking, auto manufacturers have taken this into account when they created recommendations for changing your car, truck or SUV motor oil. So it’s not really a question of running in to a McHenry area auto repair shop for an oil change earlier than recommended. Rather, it simply highlights the importance of changing the motor oil on time as scheduled.

You shouldn’t put off that oil change in the winter either. But you really, really don’t want to put off the oil change in the summer, especially a hotter summer.

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