Fresh PP in my Accord...a trucker jack knifed and closed Raton Pass. No one moved for three hours, 15F degrees and I had to keep the car warm for my elderly parents. Put 400+- more miles at 75-80 mph. Wondering about fuel dilution and so on. What's best? Keep the oil or change it out?
3 Hour Idle - Change oil or not?
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Keep it, 400 more miles at highway speed burned anything off, and if the car was warmed up when it was idling, I doubt there was much fuel dilution to begin with. Worry about something else, like my brother who has a remote start and warms his truck up for 20 minutes some mornings only to drive about a mile to work.
Putting myself in the same situation, I wouldn't alter my OCI one bit because of the 3 hour idle.
Thanks guys.
You could consider that time as a few hundred miles to reduce your OCI somewhat. However, that would be noise in most circumstances. Did you shut it off any during that period or let it run 100% of the time?
Thanks to electronic fuel injection oil dilution is not near the problem it once was.
No.
I saw a small japanese late model car parked on the curb idling with no one in it for about 8 hours one day. I have often wondered if and how it damaged the car???
Don't worry about it.
I would not alter the OCI one bit, follow the OLM and your set.
I was coming from San Diego to Las Vegas a couple of years ago and near Baker a van had rolled and 8 people were injured. I sat about 150 yards from the accident in 121 degree weather for over 4 hours with the car on idle for the A/C watching lifeflight after lifeflight land and take off.
Ran the oil to 5000 miles (normal OCI) and everything on the UOA was perfect.
This was in a 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.8l 4 cyl engine and Pennzoil 5w-30 conventional oil.
Take care, bill
I would not alter the OCI one bit, follow the OLM and your set.
I was coming from San Diego to Las Vegas a couple of years ago and near Baker a van had rolled and 8 people were injured. I sat about 150 yards from the accident in 121 degree weather for over 4 hours with the car on idle for the A/C watching lifeflight after lifeflight land and take off.
Ran the oil to 5000 miles (normal OCI) and everything on the UOA was perfect.
This was in a 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.8l 4 cyl engine and Pennzoil 5w-30 conventional oil.
Take care, bill
Originally Posted By: Bob Woods
Thanks to electronic fuel injection oil dilution is not near the problem it once was.
Really now. That's quite the general statement. It really depends on the cylinder/ring pack design, now doesn't it?
Thanks to electronic fuel injection oil dilution is not near the problem it once was.
Really now. That's quite the general statement. It really depends on the cylinder/ring pack design, now doesn't it?
How so? (It's by no means obvious to me...)
Why do you have a side scroll bar in your signature?
Nevermind . . I see it goes away if I turn the font size down.
Yes, EFI has helped dilution by creating more precise and controlled fuel delivery. This has helped to reduce fuel dilution problems due to rich carburation. However, two design trends for fuel economy are working to increase fuel dilution problems in newer engines.
First, manufacturers are turning to some form of direct injection, where the injector is in the cylinder and fired at high pressure. This is causing more wash down of fuel into the oil.
Second, manufacturers are turning to lower tension ring pack designs that reduce friction and increase fuel economy. These lower tension designs allow more fuel to wash through rather than burn.
First, manufacturers are turning to some form of direct injection, where the injector is in the cylinder and fired at high pressure. This is causing more wash down of fuel into the oil.
Second, manufacturers are turning to lower tension ring pack designs that reduce friction and increase fuel economy. These lower tension designs allow more fuel to wash through rather than burn.
That's funny, our work truck idled for 48 hrs last weekend, it already had 7k kms on it. OLM said 18% after the weekend. Don't worry about it, 3 hrs is nothing.
It is a Chevy Tahoe 5.3L, the OLM changed from 23%-18%, it was used as a command post running all weekend from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
It is a Chevy Tahoe 5.3L, the OLM changed from 23%-18%, it was used as a command post running all weekend from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
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Isn't there a blotter indicator of fuel dilution? I thought maybe it was wavy lines around the perimeter of the blotter.
Anyway, other than fuel dilution, no harm to the oil as it wasn't like you were idling in summer heat. Even if fuel dilution, take a good hard freeway run and burn it off.
Anyway, other than fuel dilution, no harm to the oil as it wasn't like you were idling in summer heat. Even if fuel dilution, take a good hard freeway run and burn it off.
Municipal vehicles run all day long at idle. Police cars, fire trucks, work trucks, etc.
No worries.
No worries.
Cop cars do much worse all the time.
You'll be fine to leave it in.
Especially with that long blast on the highway afterwards.
You'll be fine to leave it in.
Especially with that long blast on the highway afterwards.
RI_RS4,
What is the case for say my '02 Accord (and many others) that runs rich to wash the NOx? Low tension rings? I wouldn't think so.
What is the case for say my '02 Accord (and many others) that runs rich to wash the NOx? Low tension rings? I wouldn't think so.
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