Do you need to change oil if your engine leaks

[Vdubuk]

This is a question on oil,for oil related discussion not about views on repairing or environmental impact .. If you have an engine oil leak which a lot of people do..and you just constantly top up your oil ,i.e fresh oil going in more frequently..is there a need for scheduled oil changes..obviously a filter change warrants a full oil change anyway,will there still be unwanted residues/gunk or whatever building up?maybe ive already stated the obvious

 

[Omahaug]

The answer depends on the specific interval for a specific situation with a specific oil capacity. For example if you have a four quart pan/sump and you're putting in one quart every day, then no don't change the oil. If you're putting in one quart for a four quart pan/sump every half a year and you change your oil or hit the mileage interval every year, then I'd still change it.

I'd only consider not doing a change if it was:
1. The total pan/sump capacity was added before the interval ended.
2. The interval is not longer than a year or the time between adding is not excessively large.
3. Whether the filter needs to be changed.

Basically I'd consider a regular oil change as one end of the spectrum and spreading the oil change out over time as the other end of the spectrum. This would mean you adding top up oil falls anywhere in between the spectrum and the closer it got to regular oil change end of spectrum, the more likely I'd think I could skip doing a regular oil change.

I'd also worry more about the leak than whether to change the oil to be honest. I'm a no leak kind of person, if I see a leak I see a problem. It's bad for the environment and ugly to drip oil everywhere I park. I would focus on addressing it more than anything.

 

[Vdubuk]

If oil is dripping out..then air is getting in .albeit minimal..would that affect oil or start up performance in general?

 

[das_peikko]

If you're leaking a quart a week, no need to change the oil. You'll wind up with an extremely clean engine too.

 

[Omahaug]

Originally Posted By: Vdubuk
If oil is dripping out..then air is getting in .albeit minimal..would that affect oil or start up performance in general?

Oil passages that deliver oil to critical areas such as bearings won't have air because the oil is pumped from the bottom of the sump where there is no air. I can see air getting in after the oil drains out but there's still going to be film everywhere.

The oil itself should have no air if the level is correct (air isn't being whipped in) and the anti-foaming additives are present.

Other than the oil passages, all other places are exposed to air and there's no problem with that. There is already air in the crankcase for example, air in the catch can or air/oil separator, whatever.

You're going to have to give more specifics on where the oil leak actually is, at what component. For example is it leaking at a timing cover? Between a valve cover and the block? Air isn't going to cause any issues there.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Originally Posted By: Vdubuk
This is a question on oil,for oil related discussion not about views on repairing or environmental impact .. If you have an engine oil leak which a lot of people do..and you just constantly top up your oil ,i.e fresh oil going in more frequently..is there a need for scheduled oil changes..obviously a filter change warrants a full oil change anyway,will there still be unwanted residues/gunk or whatever building up?maybe ive already stated the obvious

I would base it upon how much it leaks. If it leaks bad enough to go through a lot of oil, you have 2 choices;
1) Fix it.
2) Just keep adding oil and install a FU oil filter to be replaced about every 7.5K-10K miles.
That's what I would do.
BTW, make, model, year, mileage?

 

[Dyusik]

If my beater is bleeding at 1qt per 5-6k, I would change the filter 10 or 15 k and fuggedaboutit.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Originally Posted By: das_peikko
If you're leaking a quart a week, no need to change the oil. You'll wind up with an extremely clean engine too.


I guess if it leaks that bad, you could always go to a parking lot and pull the plug without a drain pan once in a while. Same effect.

 

[BullittGT]

I had this thought about the GT350. Some people seem to burn 1qt every 1000 miles. It had me wondering if you do 1k a month, and have to add 1qt a month, after 1yr you've already changed the oil + 2qts. So why change it? Just swap the filter.

 

[OilUzer]

Originally Posted By: Vdubuk
Do you need to change oil if your engine leaks


No, I would change the engine ... lol sorry you kind of walked right into that one!

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: Dyusik
If my beater is bleeding at 1qt per 5-6k, I would change the filter 10 or 15 k and fuggedaboutit.


One qt per 5~600 miles maybe change it every few years ... One qt in 5~6K is just top up, so I'd change that one on time.

Unless you lived in the rust belt, how could a vehicle be a beater and still only need a qt every 5K ...

 

[CR94]

The question can be answered with simple math, yet people perpetually keep debating it as if it were difficult to figure out.

 

[Shannow]

Had a transformer expert at work, and he stated that the transformers that had the worst oil/paper condition were those that leaked oil, as the path is two way.

So when your PCVputs a little suck on the crankcase, air is getting in, unfiltered.

So change it...one day.