Underhood Service Advertise | Subscribe | Contact Us | About Us

How Engine Oil Becomes Engine Sludge Phoenix AZ

Fresh engine oil is a clear, free-flowing liquid blend of base stock and additives that contains no fuel, water, coolant, dirt or other contaminants. In engines that have failed prematurely, the oil has very often been transformed into a high viscosity deposit of brown or black goo, commonly referred to as "sludge."

Hi-Tech Car Care
(602) 688-7875
2924 E Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Automotive Repair
(602) 325-6891
2801 N. 35th Ave
Phoenix, AZ
Bridwell Automotive Center
(480) 648-1987
7171 E Lincoln Dr
Scottsdale, AZ
Automotive Diagnostic Specialties
(480) 779-7926
6835 W Chandler Blvd
Chandler, AZ
Hi-Tech Car Care
(602) 224-0941, 001-2004
2924 East Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ
J & R Automotive Specialists
(602) 759-7821
2711 W Northern Ave
Phoenix, AZ
National Automotive Repair
(602) 688-2955
2723 W Sweetwater Ave
Phoenix, AZ
DIY Performance Automotive
(480) 779-9966
1600 W Main St Suite J
Mesa, AZ
Safelite Auto Glass
(888) 820-2558
4613 N 7th Ave
Phoenix, AZ
25th Street Automotive
(602) 955-2637, 001-2004
4112 North 25th Street
Phoenix, AZ
Data Provided by:
 
Provided By:

How Engine Oil Becomes Engine Sludge

By Don Fedak  
July 01, 2004

Fresh engine oil is a clear, free-flowing liquid blend of base stock and additives that contains no fuel, water, coolant, dirt or other contaminants. In engines that have failed prematurely, the oil has very often been transformed into a high viscosity deposit of brown or black goo, commonly referred to as "sludge."

When regular engine oil changes are neglected, normally free-flowing lubricating oil breaks down, becomes contaminated, ceases to flow and is transformed into a thick soup of waste products. That's when serious engine damage is imminent.

Why does engine oil break down, combine with contaminants and form sludge deposits? Chemistry teaches us that engine oil is unstable and decomposes in the presence of oxygen at high temperatures. The process, called oxidation, occurs naturally after exposure to normal operating conditions for extended periods of time and is accelerated by exposure to severe operating conditions or to excessively high temperatures. Alternatively, accelerated oxidation may be triggered by a combination of any or all of these factors.



During oxidation, the chemical bonds that define the oil molecules are broken and some of the reaction products accumulate and interact to form a highly viscous complex mixture of solids, liquids and gases that contain a variety of solid carbon-based dirt and metallic particles, as well as liquid coolant, fuel, oil and water droplets.

But what can technic...

Click here to read the rest of the article from Underhood Service

© 2009 Babcox
3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333
330-670-1234
(FAX) 330-670-0874