Car Maintenance – EP.8: Engine Oil | FormulaPassion.it

The oil is a part of the fundamental and indispensable components of an engine, and performs a work in sync with the mechanical parts in motion. Without oil, or even with little engine oil, the cylinders would seize, that is, they would get stuck inside the combustion chamber, and therefore the damage to the chain caused would cause the engine to break or damage to such an extent that it is no longer repairable. For every engine there is no oil that can make money horsepower or power in addition, there is only what makes the engine itself live in the best possible conditions for as long as possible, since the oil that lubricates it works on the basis of a constant wall friction and an optimal operating temperature.

But concretely, what is motor oil and how do you consider if a lubricating oil is right for your vehicle? As the precious advice offered by ReteRiparo, an emerging reality in the automotive workshop sector, in the classic four-stroke petrol engine the engine oil is the “cushion”Whereby the piston touches the walls of the engine during its work, but never touches them. For this it is essential that the oil is always of the right viscosity, because if it were too liquid it could slip during the movement of the piston and leave the metal parts rubbing together. Modern engines all work with operating temperatures that come continuously monitor by thermal sensors, which on occasion decide whether to start the radiator fan to increase the cooling of the engine, which in turn, if heated too much, transmits what is called controlled thermal expansion to all the parts involved in the mechanics of the engine.

By doing so, the piston cylinder, even if by a very small amount, expands, and will expand more and more than it will ever be able to.
expand the combustion chamber. Consequently, the oil contained within it, as the heat generated increases, could vary its initial viscosity until it becomes too liquid, and therefore presents the problem described above. How to choose then the best engine oil? Today oils are divided into two large families: the mineral ones have a refining base derived from petroleum and a synthetic component, while the synthetic ones are created entirely in laboratories through two types of refining. All these types of oils are identified with two types of abbreviations, the oldest is the SAE which since 1911 indicates the viscosity of engine lubricants. The Society of Automotive Engineers is the label we commonly find on an oil bottle and looks like this: SAE 10W40. Pitting this abbreviation, we can denote that the first number 10W refers to the cold viscosity of the lubricant for winter use, and from the English Winter here is the abbreviation. The next figure, on the other hand, takes into consideration hot work: the higher this figure, the greater the density of the lubricant at the high operating temperatures of the engine.

To choose the right engine oil you also need to take into account some variables, such as what the maintenance booklet of our vehicle and what the specification on the engine oil bottle says. The advice is always to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and avoid doing your own thing if you do not have the specific mechanical skills: naturally the mechanic of trust will be more than prepared to recommend the right oil in agreement with your vehicle manufacturer.

FP | Andrea Trezza

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