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When your engine is running the oil pump ought to be circulating oil across relevant surfaces, I don't see how idling would 'strip it away.' If that was the cas

When your engine is running the oil pump ought to be circulating oil across relevant surfaces, I don't see how idling would 'strip it away.' If that was the case, why would they sell cars with remote starters?

pdonis 4y ago
> I don't see how idling would 'strip it away.' What the article is saying here is technically correct, but I doubt the effect is as large or as detrimental as the article says. The key point is that, as the piston moves up and down in the cylinder, the part of the cylinder wall that is traversed is alternately wetted by oil and gasoline. When it is wetted by gasoline (i.e., when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke), some of the oil can dissolve. But when it is wetted by oil again (i.e., when the piston is at the top of its stroke), as you say, the oil pump will push more oil onto the surface and replace what was lost. So the actual effect will be to very slowly decrease the amount of oil in the engine. This might also mean a small increase in engine wear, but I would not expect that to be very significant compared to all the other sources of engine wear. If one is really concerned about the possible loss of oil, just check the level between changes (which many people do anyway).
- lazide 4y ago
  If you are getting more than a super tiny film of oil in the cylinder, you’re burning oil because your rings are toast. That has nothing to do with temperature, usually.
  - pdonis 4y ago
    > If you are getting more than a super tiny film of oil in the cylinder, you’re burning oil because your rings are toast. The "cylinder" is more than just the portion where combustion occurs, when the piston is at or near top dead center. The portion the article is talking about is the portion that, as I said in my previous post, is exposed to gasoline when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke--as it will be at the end of both the intake and the power strokes in a 4-stroke engine. If the mixture is rich, there will be extra gasoline present under those conditions that, according to the article, could dissolve the oil wetting the cylinder walls. That will be the case even if the rings are fine. I just don't think it's anywhere near as significant as the article claims, because, as the poster I responded to pointed out, even if some oil is dissolved in the extra gasoline, it will be replaced as the piston rises again and that portion of the cylinder wall is on the oil side of the rings.
    - lazide 4y ago
      The cylinder has rings to remove that oil, hence my comment. There should also be very little to no gasoline contacting the cylinder walls at the bottom of the stroke, or at all. The air currents inside rarely directly contact the cylinder walls. If you have any evidence that the effect you’re describing exists, it would be nice if you link to it!
      - pdonis 4y ago
        I don't have any evidence either way, I'm simply trying to get clear about the effect the article is claiming. I am not saying I agree with the article's claims. As I have already said, I don't think the claimed effect would be significant if it exists.
        lazide 4y ago
        I’m guessing this is the real danger from all the chatgpt like seo crud being generated - lots of ‘maybe, maybe not’ junk generated everywhere that wastes everyone’s time and drowns out useful signal. :( Eventually, what will we be left with? Authority based credibility? Age based? If it isn’t in a 50 year old book directly available via the library of Congress it’s spam? Ugh

pdonis 4y ago

> I don't see how idling would 'strip it away.' What the article is saying here is technically correct, but I doubt the effect is as large or as detrimental as the article says. The key point is that, as the piston moves up and down in the cylinder, the part of the cylinder wall that is traversed is alternately wetted by oil and gasoline. When it is wetted by gasoline (i.e., when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke), some of the oil can dissolve. But when it is wetted by oil again (i.e., when the piston is at the top of its stroke), as you say, the oil pump will push more oil onto the surface and replace what was lost. So the actual effect will be to very slowly decrease the amount of oil in the engine. This might also mean a small increase in engine wear, but I would not expect that to be very significant compared to all the other sources of engine wear. If one is really concerned about the possible loss of oil, just check the level between changes (which many people do anyway).

lazide 4y ago
If you are getting more than a super tiny film of oil in the cylinder, you’re burning oil because your rings are toast. That has nothing to do with temperature, usually.
- pdonis 4y ago
  > If you are getting more than a super tiny film of oil in the cylinder, you’re burning oil because your rings are toast. The "cylinder" is more than just the portion where combustion occurs, when the piston is at or near top dead center. The portion the article is talking about is the portion that, as I said in my previous post, is exposed to gasoline when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke--as it will be at the end of both the intake and the power strokes in a 4-stroke engine. If the mixture is rich, there will be extra gasoline present under those conditions that, according to the article, could dissolve the oil wetting the cylinder walls. That will be the case even if the rings are fine. I just don't think it's anywhere near as significant as the article claims, because, as the poster I responded to pointed out, even if some oil is dissolved in the extra gasoline, it will be replaced as the piston rises again and that portion of the cylinder wall is on the oil side of the rings.
  - lazide 4y ago
    The cylinder has rings to remove that oil, hence my comment. There should also be very little to no gasoline contacting the cylinder walls at the bottom of the stroke, or at all. The air currents inside rarely directly contact the cylinder walls. If you have any evidence that the effect you’re describing exists, it would be nice if you link to it!
    - pdonis 4y ago
      I don't have any evidence either way, I'm simply trying to get clear about the effect the article is claiming. I am not saying I agree with the article's claims. As I have already said, I don't think the claimed effect would be significant if it exists.
      - lazide 4y ago
        I’m guessing this is the real danger from all the chatgpt like seo crud being generated - lots of ‘maybe, maybe not’ junk generated everywhere that wastes everyone’s time and drowns out useful signal. :( Eventually, what will we be left with? Authority based credibility? Age based? If it isn’t in a 50 year old book directly available via the library of Congress it’s spam? Ugh