Oil leaks and/or engine damage by high speeds?

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Hello
Can extended high speed runs on the highway (80+ mph) lead to oil leaks or other engine issues? What about accelerating too quickly from a stop?
 
Hi Jaha24k,

That can happen ONLY if you switched from dino oil to synth in specific cases. Detergents might clean gunk at seals which were sealing before thus they start to release some fluids. There are seal swell additives today in synths, so this is generally not a problem.

To answer your original question no, high speed should not harm the lubrication system, it is designed to be holding much more pressure. Of course there is a bigger stress on seals if the engine RPMs are higher due to the oil pressure, but that's all. If there is a leak, that is a sign of seal failure, it's not really about user error. Usually oil filter housing seals (if there are) give up the fight first, as they get the highest pressure most of the time.

One thing can cause leaking though - which is overfilling the engine with oil, causing higher crankcase pressures in general.
 
Originally Posted By: Ikken
Hi Jaha24k,

That can happen ONLY if you switched from dino oil to synth in specific cases. Detergents might clean gunk at seals which were sealing before thus they start to release some fluids. There are seal swell additives today in synths, so this is generally not a problem.


OMG you stepped in it here.

Rod
 
Originally Posted By: Jaha24k
Hello
Can extended high speed runs on the highway (80+ mph) lead to oil leaks or other engine issues? What about accelerating too quickly from a stop?


What sort of RPM's is this?

Your engine shouldn't be working that hard so to answer your question, no.
 
Yes.

Posters above are talking about what should/shouldn't happen. That isn't the same as what can or does happen.

Bad things can and do happen, and the stress of high speed running/high acceleration is likely to expose any weakness that exists.

For example, I thought I'd popped my head gasket a while ago with a bit of high speed running of my ancient 3cyl. Turned out I hadn't (probably), (though I had popped an exhaust gasket) but I certainly could have.
 
80 MPH is now considered high speed?

If that were true, every car in Germany would need a new engine weekly.

JohnK_325i_259_600_324.jpg


Anyways, that is probably the best thing you can do for an engine. Nice lean burn, runs hot, keeps everything clean.
 
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Exactly, just as mightymousetech says above me. A gently warmed engine running oil in the 90-105ish degrees celsius range can be revved like there is no tomorrow. Should not cause any issue at all. When driving in the high rpm range, more frequent oil level check is recommended though.
 
Not at all, 80 mph is no where near high speed.
As long as the crankcase vent system is good condition there should be not real pressure or vacuum in the crankcase. A clogged PVC or intake hose can cause issues that may be exacerbated at higher rpm's.

Oil leaks from seals generally happen for a number of reasons.

Loss of seal pliability or cracking due to aging or deposit buildup.
Wear of the seal face or rotating part wear, in which case you need to sleeve the rotation part and replace the seal.
Loss of tension on the seals spring (less common).
Excess pressure or vacuum due to faulty crankcase ventilation system on either the fresh air or PCV/scavenger side. air must flow in at least equally for it to work properly.
Improper installation.
 
80+ mph is not high speed
Fast acceleration eats gasoline and may cause some strain on drive train.
Cause any leaks? Not a chance
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Yes.

Posters above are talking about what should/shouldn't happen. That isn't the same as what can or does happen.

Bad things can and do happen, and the stress of high speed running/high acceleration is likely to expose any weakness that exists.


Your car is patched together with chop sticks... I can see why you think the way you do.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Not at all, 80 mph is no where near high speed.
As long as the crankcase vent system is good condition there should be not real pressure or vacuum in the crankcase. A clogged PVC or intake hose can cause issues that may be exacerbated at higher rpm's.

Oil leaks from seals generally happen for a number of reasons.

Loss of seal pliability or cracking due to aging or deposit buildup.
Wear of the seal face or rotating part wear, in which case you need to sleeve the rotation part and replace the seal.
Loss of tension on the seals spring (less common).
Excess pressure or vacuum due to faulty crankcase ventilation system on either the fresh air or PCV/scavenger side. air must flow in at least equally for it to work properly.
Improper installation.

Trav is the Master !!!
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I tend to drive very old cars so my experience is this.
As an engine ages it lets more combustion gases pass by the pistons and rings. This adds pressure to the crankcase. At high speeds the throttle is open more and the corresponding vacuum applied by the PCV is less and therefore if you have seals or gaskets that are marginal, you are more likely to have oil leaks.

What is high speed driving? Again in my experience, above 80mph is high speed driving for a 4 cylinder car or a large cube van with a V8. Engines don't want to be worked above about %20 throttle for any length of time. I notice the OLM on my 4 cylinder car counts down fast if I cruise above 70mph indicating GM thinks this is hard on the oil.

I ain't no engineer.
 
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Originally Posted By: Ikken
Hi Jaha24k,

That can happen ONLY if you switched from dino oil to synth in specific cases. Detergents might clean gunk at seals which were sealing before thus they start to release some fluids. There are seal swell additives today in synths, so this is generally not a problem.

To answer your original question no, high speed should not harm the lubrication system, it is designed to be holding much more pressure. Of course there is a bigger stress on seals if the engine RPMs are higher due to the oil pressure, but that's all. If there is a leak, that is a sign of seal failure, it's not really about user error. Usually oil filter housing seals (if there are) give up the fight first, as they get the highest pressure most of the time.

One thing can cause leaking though - which is overfilling the engine with oil, causing higher crankcase pressures in general.

It's not the synthetic oil's fault the engine is dirty with worn out components. Fix your friggin cars people, and let syn-oil-leak-fear die already.
The Jeep stopped leaking when I switched to synthetic. Care to explain?
 
Back in the 70's , I drove delivery trucks . C6500 Gasoline bob tail trucks with V8 366 CI Chevy engines . Normally ran down the road at 3250 RPM in top gear . Did not hurt it a bit .

My car or pickup rarely see over 2500 RPM . At 70 - 75 MPH .

If anything , check oil level frequently , as has been said . And keep an eye on coolant temp and tire air pressure .
 
While not in the optimal cruising range for economy 80mph is not that hard on a vehicle. If anything most the vehicle is under low stress.
My gearing and aerodynamic drag makes my truck just run in a lower gear at 80. 4th instead of 6th. It won’t stay in sixth above 72 with any hills or headwinds anyway. It seems to be happy there though.

This is normal highway use.

BBF94D3F-14C0-4859-8968-FD10A8FDA281_zpsrphmlyja.jpeg
 
Dyusik
"It's not the synthetic oil's fault the engine is dirty with worn out components. Fix your friggin cars people, and let syn-oil-leak-fear die already."

Synthetic oil is a different animal requiring different additives. [censored] you noted, Synthetic oil has been known to leak through worn or damaged or dirty seals. If you own an old car that has been using dino oil for the last 15 years how is this not a concern when switching to synthetic oil? Sometimes the cost of replacing main seals and head gaskets is just not worth the benefits [if any] of switching to synthetic oil. I think the "fear" of synthetic oil leaks is justified.
 
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Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Yes.

Posters above are talking about what should/shouldn't happen. That isn't the same as what can or does happen.

Bad things can and do happen, and the stress of high speed running/high acceleration is likely to expose any weakness that exists.


Your car is patched together with chop sticks... I can see why you think the way you do.


I think the way I do because I try to think about the meaning of the question that is asked, possibly partly due to repeatedly telling students (who dont) to "read the bloody question".

The operative word in the question, which most posters have ignored, is "can"

Of course it can. Any other answer defies reality.

But if your thought process stops at "My BMW is AWSUM, Doode", then I guess defying reality dont make you no never mind. (Yay, I got to use my Tommy Lee Jones quote again)
 
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