oil change interval effect on emissions

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Hi gang,

Wondering if anyone had any hard numbers on the effects of oil change intervals and emissions?

I know when they used to give you a readout up here, that fresh oil was always best, and that N0x and HC always dropped.

I'm thinking about running a green initiative here because we area small city FULL of long distance commuters. I've been toying with the idea of putting together an inexpensive bypass filtration kit for the masses, for our local home show.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks,

Ryan
 
This is a stretch but some of the advertisers have made a link between a longer OCI coupled to less oil use and therefor a positive effect on global warming. I'm not making this up. And please don't wreck the OP's thread because of my global warming comment.
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Engine braking with old oils is the biggest contributor to emissions.
 
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Sorry I don't have any hard numbers. The reason I bother to comment is because, if an OCI is so long that it significantly affects fuel economy or emissions, the service interval needs revision. Engine oil should provide the same engine protection whether it's new or used, more or less. In fact, there are many reasons to believe that engine wear actually decreases as an oil run continues, to a point. (This has been discussed in other threads.)
Bypass filtration is a great way to safely extend OCI -- your idea definitely has merit. The question is, how many takers will you get?
Good luck... your heart is in the right place and I hope you are successful.
 
Here's the problem with long OCIs and shorter commutes.... and it seems to not be discussed here much, if at all-

Condensation builds up in the crankcase....both with engine start/stop/cool down and just sitting still over the course of days....warm up with the sun, cool off with the night.

What you have with shorter trips and longer OCIs is more and more water builds up in the engine, water destroys bearings.

I have never seen anyone get concerned about global warming or the environment when their engine has bit the dust....
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Much appreciated.

I'm actually digging deeper into this, and am about to speak with my local emissions testing facility. If they still have their old testing equipment which actually measure Nox, HC and CO, I may voluntarily have our healthy 2011 Subaru impreza read before and after.

If I can make a claim for cleaner oil over the duration of an OCI contributing to lower emissions, along with the benefit of increasing the OCI, it might be a cool side project.

I'll post back here, if anyone is interested in following along.

Thanks again.

Ryan
 
As long as there is a PCV system, long OCI's will always have a negative effect on emissions.
 
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