When is engine flush a good idea?
The oil inside the engine is designed to cycle through the internal components to lubricate them and keep them in working correctly. If you don’t follow the recommended oil change schedule, drive in the city with a lot of stop and go, or you don’t drive your car for long periods of time, sludge is building up inside the engine. These are the reasons a car needs an engine flush periodically.
An engine flush is recommended when a car goes on infrequent short drives, not driven, and driven in stop & go traffic. This is what causes a buildup of particles in engine oil in the engine.
This build up restricts the oil from flowing, even with the best oil filter installed removing particles that are 25 microns in size, there are even smaller microns left behind to bond together. Those particles need to get flushed out before they damage the engine and that is what engine flush does.
What is the difference between engine flush vs oil change?
Just like when you go to a fast food restaurant to order a hamburger, they ask you if you want fries with that, an lube and oil-change shop will ask you if want certain extra services. Their equivalent of “do you want fries with this” would be air conditioning maintenance, a transmission fluid change, or an engine flush.
The oil change you brought your car in for is a process of taking off the oil filter, drain the old oil, install a new oil filter, and put in all new motor oil. The engine flush is done when the technician pours specific cleaning chemicals in where the oil goes, then lets your car run for a few minutes.
While the car engine is running, those chemicals are cleaning the gunk that has built up inside the engine. Then the technician drains those cleaning chemicals and adds in the proper amount of clean, new motor oil. Now, your car has an engine flush and new oil, giving you many more happy motoring miles!
What are the engine flush benefits for a car?
What can an engine flush do for you car that the routine oil change doesn’t? Read on and find out!
- Removes Deposit Build-Up: An engine flush removes all the engine sludge deposits that can close up the narrow passages clogged the motor oil flows through to keep your engine internal components lubricated. That build up happens by the way a car is driven, or not driven, and the motor oil is unable to flow through and do that lubricating job intended.
- A Clean Slate: If your car has any engine work performed, an engine flush washes out any bits, pieces, and particles left behind before you put in new motor oil. An engine flush is also recommended when you buy a used car, and you don’t know if what the previous maintenance was done as regularly as recommended.
- Keeping The Oil Clean: An engine flush will keep the oil clean longer in between the oil changes by removing the deposits of particles that build up and create a sludge. Otherwise, the new oil you have added will keep picking up the pieces of sludge and recirculate them through the internal components.
- Gets What the Filter Misses: An oil filter will catch and remove particles of 25 microns in size. However, there are even smaller particles flowing through the car engine that the filter can’t get. Those are what will keep building up and block the flow of your engine oil after some time.
- Cleans Internal Engine Components: An engine flush will remove all the bad gunk that can cause an engine to gum up, keeping the engine from running as smooth as it should. When the engine can’t run smoothly, it uses more fuel, resulting in poor gas mileage.
When is engine flush needed?
We know that we need the oil changed as recommended by the car manufacturer and our oil & lube shop, right? So, how often engine flushes need to be done? Most car dealers and mechanic shops will recommend an engine flush between every 3,000 mile to every 8,000 miles.
However, the engine build for cars today are designed to be more competent in keeping that sludge build up at bay. So, depending on the make, model, and year of your car, an engine flush could be done every 35,000 miles.
Is engine flush required?
No necessarily, especially if you have the oil changed at the recommended intervals as the car manufacturer or oil & lube technician have advised.
As you start to head out on the highway and you’re getting ready, can you do your own engine flush car service? Yes, if you are a ‘shade tree mechanic’ DIY kind of person, you probably do your own oil changes, and that is great! You can also do your own engine flush with one of the many products on the market today. Simply follow the label’s engine flush directions exactly as stated and your engine should give you may happy motoring miles! Call 805-466-3236 today for your engine flush needs in Atascadero, CA.