What will tell the oil in the air filter of the car engine
When buying a car from your hands, you should pay maximum attention to checking it. And if the external condition and the interior may be conducive to acquisition, then the result of the simplest “manual” diagnostics of some of its units is often surprising. For example, problems with the engine promise oil in the air filter. The AvtoVzglyad portal found out how serious they are and whether they can be dismissed.
Sometimes, looking into the air filter of a car with high mileage, you can observe the following picture: the filter is not only dust and dirt (which is normal for it), but with the obvious presence of oily smudges. And this is clearly not a specialized impregnation, but real motor oil, which for some reason began to break out in such a strange way.
Some motorists, when purchasing such a car, turn a blind eye to the problem, justifying their choice by the fact that, in general, the car is in order: the body is not rotten, the interior is well-groomed. So maybe it's really nothing to worry about? To answer the question, first let's figure out how the oil from the engine gets into the air filter - after all, this is not a natural way out for engine lubrication.
Rigid or long-term operation, high mileage, infrequent maintenance and the use of low-quality fuels and lubricants lead to significant wear of the combustion chambers. The engine gets pretty dirty, the compression and oil scraper rings wear out, and the owner gets a number of problems, including the oil in the filter.
One of the reasons for the last trouble may be a clogged crankcase forced ventilation valve. It clogs with debris, and later with oil. If you give up on the problem and do not change the valve, then the oil will continue to rush out - into the air supply system to the engine, and is guaranteed to settle on the air filter. Naturally, you need to change both the valve and the filter.
Worn oil rings can also be a problem. Their job is to control the thickness of the oil film. But when they were pretty similar, the gaps become larger, which means that the oils pass more than necessary. The presence of blue smoke in the exhaust can also indicate trouble with the rings.
The cost of repairs depends on the condition of the working surfaces of the engine, pistons, rings, etc. Therefore, for a more accurate diagnosis, it is better to contact a professional minder. The price tag for repairs, of course, is high.
Dirty, clogged oil channels also provoke the flow of oil into the filter. Moreover, the process develops rapidly, and oil stains on the filter element grow by leaps and bounds. This should be alarming, because it means that the car was far from properly monitored. They did not change either the oil or the oil filter, and, most likely, they did not change anything.
Under excess pressure, the oil is also squeezed out through the crankcase ventilation valve, and it is again on the filter. This problem can be solved by flushing the engine and changing the oil and oil filter.
As you can see, the oil on the air filter is not always a difficult, expensive repair. However, when it is found, it is still worth considering whether or not to contact the seller of such a car. After all, its other components and assemblies may be in the same state. Therefore, before parting with your money, do not hesitate to drive the car for diagnostics. The refusal of the owner of this procedure is another wake-up call.
