12 December 2020

News: How to check the condition of the engine oil yourself

If you need to find out how old your engine oil is, you can do it yourself. We tell you how to do the test in the absence of laboratory conditions.

The “oil spot” method

The “analysis” requires a sheet of white A4 paper and some time. It is also desirable to have at least a drop of fresh oil from the canister, the same one that is filled into the engine – this is needed to obtain a control sample.

The first part of the operation is to make test samples, for which it is necessary:

  • warm up the engine for 5-10 minutes;
  • use a dipstick to take a drop of oil out of the engine: it should be small to make an accurate spot on the paper with a diameter of no more than 3 sm;
  • carry out the same procedure with fresh oil from the canister;
  • sign the samples;
  • leave the sheet to dry for 2-3 hours.

After that you can draw conclusions about the condition of your engine oil. The nature of the stain on the sheet can tell you the following:

  • the presence of a dense, dark substance on the paper that is not absorbed by the paper indicates an urgent need for an oil change;
  • a spot with irregular edges indicates the presence of water in the oil, which means that the oil must be changed (the oil spot must be flat and almost clearly delineated)
  • dark edging of the circle indicates the presence of insoluble impurities in the oil, which may adversely affect engine performance, so the oil must be replaced;
  • the presence of metal particles indicates that the oil must not only be replaced, but also picked up another oil;
  • the light core of the slick indicates the freshness of the oil and its suitability for further use;
  • a clean and even slick without specks irrespective of color indicates that the oil is in good condition.

If it was possible to make a test sample with fresh oil, a comparison of the two stains will allow conclusions to be drawn about the degree of wear of the oil.