My girlfriend's car decided for the timing cover to pop a coolant leak. It wasn't terrible bad until her mom drove the car around and came back without any coolant in the radiator. I am assuming she drove the car around overheated for a bit without paying any attention to the gauge. Now that this is fixed, the oil is only about quarter of the way through our normal change, would you go ahead and change the oil now or do the normal interval?
Car overheated, Change oil?
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Wouldn't hurt
Nick1994
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Mobil says their oil is good for well over 400 degrees, I'd assume other brands are similar.
If the engine got over 400 degrees, oil is the least bit of your concerns. You'd have had a fire extinguisher going when she got home.
Not to worry, the oil is fine.
If the engine got over 400 degrees, oil is the least bit of your concerns. You'd have had a fire extinguisher going when she got home.
Not to worry, the oil is fine.
I'd change it.
Did the head gasket survive?
Did the head gasket survive?
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Wonder if you could pull the dipstick to determine if the oil got scorched or not?
If you're using a conventional I'd change it out, snag a coupon and have a shop change it for $20. The heat probably broke down a large amount of additives and it's more likely to oxidize and make acids.
If it's a synthetic, then it more than likely is still perfectly fine, plus changing it would be more than $20 and not worth it in my opinion.
My Buick has a 3800 engine and my sister drove it for almost forty minutes with no coolant when the lower radiator hose popped off while driving. I waited to change it and my conventional oil came out a few thousand miles later looking and smelling fine. If it was my daily I would have changed it though
If it's a synthetic, then it more than likely is still perfectly fine, plus changing it would be more than $20 and not worth it in my opinion.
My Buick has a 3800 engine and my sister drove it for almost forty minutes with no coolant when the lower radiator hose popped off while driving. I waited to change it and my conventional oil came out a few thousand miles later looking and smelling fine. If it was my daily I would have changed it though
Another vote for changing. Cheap insurance.
After sealing up the timing chain cover it appears to have no more coolant disappearing. I am hoping the head gasket is fine. It had Quakerstate conventional in it, so changing oil saturday with the Supertech I have on hand! Thanks!
I'd wait and see if it has any sort of head gasket issues over the next few days.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I'd wait and see if it has any sort of head gasket issues over the next few days.
+1
I'd drive it some before doing anything else including a change. If there are other issues, it needs to be torn down again, so why waste brand new oil ...
I'd wait and see if it has any sort of head gasket issues over the next few days.
+1
I'd drive it some before doing anything else including a change. If there are other issues, it needs to be torn down again, so why waste brand new oil ...
change it , my sons jeep overheated a couple of years ago and the lab picke d up on it as the insoluables were high and they asked if the car overheated on that run so if i have an over heat the oil get changed , cheap insurance
Kestas
Staff member
I'd be worried about the transmission fluid overheating.
I'm going to swim against the flow and say that I wouldn't waste a dime on new OIL until I'm sure the ENGINE isn't a pile of junk after that incident, that is assuming the coolant leak wasn't through a gasket that would also let it into the oil (some engines will do that when you leak through the timing case). If there's any chance coolant got in the oil then new oil really should have been part of the repair.
If the engine runs a week or so without a repeat incident, signs of a blown head gasket, etc. then change the oil.
If the engine runs a week or so without a repeat incident, signs of a blown head gasket, etc. then change the oil.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I'd be worried about the transmission fluid overheating.
+1 I'd change that too.
I'd be worried about the transmission fluid overheating.
+1 I'd change that too.
Where Iused worked we have had engines overheat until the valve seats dropped out of the cyl head causing the drivers to notice there was a problem. In all cases it was remove the send the head out to get the seats redone and the head straightened out reassembled and reinstall the head and the engines ran and ran, this was with conventional oils.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Mobil says their oil is good for well over 400 degrees, I'd assume other brands are similar.
If the engine got over 400 degrees, oil is the least bit of your concerns. You'd have had a fire extinguisher going when she got home.
Not to worry, the oil is fine.
Hot spots could be over 400F even if the average temp was lower. Some of the oil could be less than useful going around through your engine.
Be a big spender. Change the oil and filter.
Mobil says their oil is good for well over 400 degrees, I'd assume other brands are similar.
If the engine got over 400 degrees, oil is the least bit of your concerns. You'd have had a fire extinguisher going when she got home.
Not to worry, the oil is fine.
Hot spots could be over 400F even if the average temp was lower. Some of the oil could be less than useful going around through your engine.
Be a big spender. Change the oil and filter.
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I wouldn't waste a dime on new OIL until I'm sure the ENGINE isn't a pile of junk after that incident
^^ This first and if the motor is ok then change it. There are only two things that I change oil early on... rogue dust storms with sustained operation inside the storm and overheating. Thankfully I can count on one hand the number of said incidents. I have never had contamination however that would be another reason to change early.
I wouldn't waste a dime on new OIL until I'm sure the ENGINE isn't a pile of junk after that incident
^^ This first and if the motor is ok then change it. There are only two things that I change oil early on... rogue dust storms with sustained operation inside the storm and overheating. Thankfully I can count on one hand the number of said incidents. I have never had contamination however that would be another reason to change early.
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