Nobody Wants to Eat Dirty Jelly

Your Car’s Dirty Oil

If you started to spread jelly on your toast and noticed that it was black and obviously contained dirt, you wouldn’t eat it, would you? Certainly not! But if you allow sludge to develop, you’re asking your vehicle to digest that dirty gel and spread it all around the engine. Can you imagine what that does to your ride? Nobody wants dirty jelly, not even your car. For proper car service and maintenance that will keep your engine clean and running well, visit the ASE certified technicians at Jeff’s Auto Repair in Seattle, Washington’s Windermere area.

What Is Sludge, and Why Is It Bad?

When engine oil gets old, it loses the essence of its protective properties. For oil, aging is not simply a measure of time. Rather, it is a product of time, temperatures, mileage, driving conditions, and vehicle load. Motor oil has three important purposes in protecting your engine. First, it lubricates the metal engine parts. As these parts move, they cause friction. Without lubricant, they quickly fail. Another important function is the removal of heat. The oil absorbs a lot of heat produced by the friction, carrying it away from the engine parts. Finally, oil traps and suspends dirt and debris, keeping it away from the engine parts as they move against one another. When aging oil breaks down, it cannot properly cling to and lubricate the metal engine parts nor does it remove heat as well as it once did. Further, it cannot suspend corrosive particles, allowing them to “rub” between the moving parts and cause damage. Together, the aged, broken-down motor oil, along with the dirt and debris, form a dark gel known as sludge. It spreads around the engine, damaging parts and hampering efficiency. The problem may become so severe that you go to start the engine and it seizes up rendering the vehicle inoperable. That’s when you know you have a really serious problem.

Say “No” to Sludge!

The best way to avoid engine sludge is to change your oil regularly. The expert staff at Jeff’s Auto Repair in the Windermere area of Seattle, Washington, can assist you with getting your car or truck on a regular service schedule based on manufacturer’s recommendations, the type oil you choose (conventional, full synthetic, synthetic blend, or high mileage), your driving habits, and your normal vehicle hauling capacity. Should you discover you already have a sludge problem, our team at Jeff’s Auto Repair in the Windermere area of Seattle, Washington, can help you remedy the problem and make the necessary repairs to any make or model vehicle.