Introduction
Feature
Oil ageing – drain
period in a petrol
engine
Hakan Kaleli and
Irfan Yavasliol
The authors
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol are at Yildiz Teknik
Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract
The more frequently an engine oil is changed, the more the
overhaul life of the engine is extended but with an
increase in the cost both of the oil and of the oil drain
services. If engine oil is changed less frequently the
associated costs will decrease. In order to find the opti-
mum drain interval, it is necessary to establish the rela-
tionship between the cost of the oil and oil drain services
and the cost of more frequent overhauls. Presents an
investigation into the degradation of a proprietary lubri-
cant marketed in Turkey, and the wear rate of a petrol
engine driven in urban traffic. Lubricant samples were
examined approximately every 2,000km for deterioration
of the lubricant and evidence of wear of the engine
components. From the experimental results, determines
the optimum oil drain period of the engine.
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · pp. 120–126
© MCB University Press · ISSN 0036-8792
120
Oil ageing is subdivided into two main cate-
gories:
(1) Ageing which causes physical and chemi-
cal changes to occur in the oil as a result
of oxidation.
(2) Ageing related to adverse external condi-
tions such as sand dust, dirt, fuel, water,
blow-by gases or fine metallic particles
being introduced into the oil.
When an engine is operated in a long trip,
several undesirable things occur in the oil.
One of these is oxidation. The mechanism of
lubricant oxidation involves a free radical
chain process. The initial products of reaction
are peroxides, followed by oxygenated materi-
als such as alcohols, ketones, aldehydes and
carboxylic acids. As the oxidation proceeds,
these products undergo further reaction to
form higher molecular weight species which,
at a particular point, become oil insoluble
(Coates, 1985). There is an important effect
of temperature on the chemical characteristics
of automotive crankcase oils. The lubricant is
adversely influenced by hot-spot temperatures
at the surfaces of engine components and this
plays a leading role in the deterioration of the
oil. Temperatures above 260°C encourage
deposit formation and rapid deterioration of
the oil. High temperature becomes a critical
factor in the thickening of oils and leads to the
formation of organic sludges and varnishes
(Offune et al., 1991).
Oil oxidation causes depletion of antioxi-
dant/antiwear additives. Oil can become con-
taminated with acidic compounds that result
from the combustion of fuel. If these com-
pounds are allowed to accumulate, they can
attack the internal metal surfaces and cause
rapid corrosive wear. Alkaline (“basic”) addi-
tives neutralize the acids and minimize this
type of wear. The degree of depletion of over-
basing components from the additive gives an
indication of its ability to counteract acidic
contaminants which result from the reaction of
the lubricant with the hot combustion gases
(BP Engine Oil-2, 1988). The concentration
of insoluble oxidation products in the oil
increases and the more volatile oil components
are lost, resulting in an increase in the viscosity
of the oil. One of the oil additives that protects
The authors wish to thank Shell Oil Company for
providing test facilities.
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol
the oil from oxidation is zinc dialkyldithio-
phosphate (ZDDP). This additive is also an
antiwear agent. Thus, loss of ZDDP through
oxidation may have adverse consequences with
regard to engine wear. An increase in wear can
be caused by a reduction in viscosity (as a
consequence of fuel contaminating the oil on
cold starts) to the point where there is a shift
from hydrodynamic to boundary lubrication
(Shirley and Donalt, 1988).
Other changes may occur in the oil as part
of normal operation, such as abrasive particle
contamination. Such particles entering the
engine either through the air filter or the fuel
filter can damage engine parts. This damage
occurs by direct interaction of abrasive parti-
cles from the combustion chamber mixing
with the lubricating oil. This will cause wear
of lubricated engine parts such as piston
rings, cylinder liners and bearings. The most
effective method for minimizing friction and
wear losses caused by solid contaminants and
wear particles is filtration. Filtration of air and
fuel serves to reduce the quantity of contami-
nants entering the system from the environ-
ment. However, some fine dust particles will
still enter the engine, since the filter has the
capacity to filter out only down to certain
particle sizes and, as a result, the filtration will
not provide complete protection under oper-
ating conditions (Emad and Aly, 1991).
Since analysis of the oil provides an indica-
tion of the engine components’ condition, it is
necessary to examine the lubricating oil so
that the changes in its properties can be corre-
lated with optimum operation and engine life.
Oil analysis
There are several standard tests that can be
used to provide checks on the lubricant dur-
ing running in. In this section several types of
oil analysis, especially emission spectroscopy
for detecting iron wear debris, are described
as aids to the interpretation of the results.
Viscosity
This is one of the most important characteris-
tics of the oil, and one that must command
immediate attention. It can show a rise due to
oxidation, nitration or contamination; a fall
caused by dilution of the oil by fuel; or break-
down of any viscosity index improver present.
Certain engine manufacturers impose tight
limits on permissible changes of viscosity, but
a useful rule is that a rise or fall of 25 per cent
121
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126
in viscosity is the maximum acceptable
(Coates, 1985). (Refer to the test standard-
ASTM D(445/89).
Flash point
Flash point is the temperature at which, under
closely specified laboratory conditions,
vapour from heated oil ignites momentarily
when exposed to a naked flame. In the labora-
tory, the test is conducted in either an open or
a closed container and the results are known
respectively as open flash point (COC, or
Cleveland Open Cup) or closed flash point
(PMC, or Pensky Martin Closed Cup). If,
after a period in service, the flash point of an
oil is significantly lower than the original
value, this indicates contamination by fuel.
Repeatability of the test is poor with used oil,
but a drop of 25 per cent shows that excessive
dilution has taken place (ASTM D93/80)).
Alkalinity (total base number, TBN)
This measure of an oil’s alkalinity gives a
useful indication of the remaining amount of
effective additive – especially its ability to
counter the corrosive effects from high-sul-
phur diesel fuels. TBN, expressed as the
alkalinity equivalent in mg potassium hydrox-
ide (KOH) per gram, falls initially when an oil
is first put into service, and then tends to
stabilize at a level determined by the severity
of operation conditions and by the rate of top-
up. There is a widely held view that in auto-
motive applications, oil should be changed
when its TBN falls to 50 per cent of the origi-
nal level (Chawla and Sharma, 1988) (ASTM
D445/89).
Insoluble contents
A used oil contains a certain amount of finely
divided solid matter in suspension, and these
substances are normally classified under the
general heading of “insolubles”. These are the
results of combustion products reaching the
oil, together with the resinous material that is
generated when the oil itself is degraded by
oxidation or nitration.
The oils of lower dispersancy may be
unsuitable for service at about 2 per cent
insolubles, whereas the higher-performance
grades can tolerate 5 per cent or more. The
relative proportions of contaminants can be
determined through treatment with n-hep-
tane or pentane solvents which dissolve the
mineral oil and leave behind a residue of
insolubles.
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol
Metal contents
An ICP (inductively coupled plasma, emis-
sion spectroscopy) technique (ASTM
D4951/89) is used to measure the parts per
million of metallic wear elements in the oil;
this is done by burning a sample of diluted oil
in a plasma flame and then measuring the
level of elements in the oil by spectrographic
analysis of the light emitted. The function of
the spectrometer part of the system is to
analyse the radiation emitted by the high-
temperature vapourized atoms (Richard,
1989).
The validity of this analysis depends on the
care with which samples are taken. Samples
should be taken from a hot engine after run-
ning for a given length of time and the con-
tainer must be absolutely clean and contain
no trace of moisture. Samples should be
carefully marked, recorded and any risk of
pollution between sampling and arrival in the
laboratory must be prevented (Alphonse,
1972).
Experimental work
The petrol engines used for this work were
manufactured by Tofas Ltd (Turkey) under
licence from Fiat Ltd (Italy). Tests were
carried out in urban traffic between the
months of December and February. Two
engines were used: a 1991 Murat 124 Serce
1.3l four speed and a 1990 Murat 131 Pahin
1.6l five speed. The first engine’s oil was used
to top-up the second engine. Topping up the
second engine with identical oil from a similar
engine helps to minimize misleading results in
Table I Some properties of oil used in the test programme
Performance grade
API SG/CD
CCMC G4/PD2
US Military MIL-L-46152D and MIL-L-2104C ARG BLS 22-OL-06/07/09
GM 6048M/6049M
Physical characteristics
SAE viscosity grade 20W50
Density (20°C) 0.880 (kg/l)
Viscosity min (100°C) (cSt) 17.5
Viscosity index (min) 120
Flash point (°C) 204
Chemical characteristics
Sulphated ash (max. weight %) 1.0
Zn % (weight) 0.103-0.115
Ca % (weight) 0.11-0.14
Mg % (weight) 0.129-0.152
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Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126
the characteristics of tested oil. Table I gives
the properties of the oil used. The test results
given in Table II were taken into account in
sampling the second engine’s oil (see Tables
III and IV).
Interpretation of spectrographic analysis
requires considerable caution. Approximately
every 2,000km oil samples were taken careful-
ly from the sump via the dipstick hole using
sterile tubes and kept in closed bottles prior to
analysis. The deterioration and wear debris
concentration of the lubricant for the total
15,000km trip were determinated using the
facilities offered by the Shell Quality Control
Centre in Istanbul-Turkey. Leading US man-
ufacturers and users have published informa-
tion giving the maximum concentration limits
for wear elements in different engines, and
these can provide a guide when making a
diagnosis. For different engines operating
under normal conditions the limits in Table V
are given as an illustration (Alphonse, 1972
and BP Engine Oils-3, 1988).
Determination of the optimum oil drain
point
According to engine tests by Fiat Ltd (Italy)
and Tofas Ltd (Turkey), engine life is 1,000
hours or 150,000km between overhauls at
maximum load and revolution conditions.
During 1,000 hours of testing, oil drain is
every 150 hours or 15,000kms (Tofas Ltd).
From the used oil analysis, iron (Fe) wear
debris was 297.4ppm at 15,000km (Table
III). This result extrapolates to 2,974ppm at
150,000km.
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126

Table II Wear element contents in ppm of the first engine for each sampling period

Wear contents
(ppm) Pb Ni Fe Mo Cr Sn Si Al Cu Ag
SAE 20W50 3.3 0.9 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.8 3.6 0.9 0.8 0.1
2,000 km 645.4 1.0 11.0 0.0 0.4 0.9 4.9 1.8 3.2 0.8
4,000 km 2639 2.5 46.2 0.8 1.7 2.0 11.4 7.0 9.5 0.6
5,000 km 2946 2.6 51.2 0.5 1.8 1.9 14.1 10.2 27.5 0.5
6,000 km 3486 3.2 66.5 1.7 3.2 2.2 12.6 11.4 28.0 1.1

Table III Wear element contents in ppm of the second engine for each sampling period

Wear contents
(ppm) Pb Ni Fe Mo Cr Sn Si Al Cu Ag
SAE 20W50 3.3 0.9 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.8 3.6 0.9 0.8 0.1
2,000 km 1357 3.3 16.1 0.3 1.0 2.4 8.9 3.6 110 0.0
4,000 km 2899 2.2 34.2 0.5 3.5 2.5 9.9 1.3 96.6 1.2
6,000 km 4241 2.7 57.7 0.3 4.9 3.6 12.7 4.8 93.5 1.1
8,000 km 6560 3.6 91.3 0.4 6.2 3.9 13.4 7.0 80.9 0.9
9,000 km 6755 6.8 101 0.7 6.1 3.7 18.0 14.1 72.1 0.7
10,500 km 4718 5.1 189.6 1.6 4.5 9.3 20.0 10.9 51.5 1.3
12,000 km 4810 8.0 217.7 1.6 4.9 7.4 50.0 14.8 49.2 0.3
13,500 km 4685 6.4 251.7 1.6 4.8 1.2 26.6 16.3 52.9 0.4
15,000 km 5188 8.4 297.4 1.3 10.8 7.7 34.2 12.8 51.6 0.3

Table IV Viscosity, total base number, flash point and insolubles data of the second engine

Total base
Second test Viscosity Viscosity number Flash point Insolubles in
engine (40°C, cSt) (100°C, cSt) (mgKOH/g) (°C) the oil (%)
SAE 20W50 160.16 18.09 7.5-8.5 204 0.0
2,000 km 127.38 15.91 7.78 162 0.26
4,000 km 123.31 15.48 4.65 142 0.22
6,000 km 128.10 15.74 4.38 148 0.26
8,000 km 120.71 16.02 4.16 149 0.23
9,000 km 130.62 15.70 4.18 150 0.27
10,500 km 108.51 14.09 3.71 128 0.37
12,000 km 98.60 12.92 3.73 108 0.32
13,500 km 102.52 13.45 3.92 110 0.36
15,000 km 103.02 13.24 3.48 112 0.30

Using oil and engine test results we obtain:
Number of oil changes = 2,974/y (1)
where y is the Fe (Iron) contents for each trip
length in parts per million (ppm).
Overhaul distance = Number of oil
changes × Oil change distance (km) (2)
Overhaul cost per km = Engine total
overhaul cost /overhaul distance ($/km) (3)
Total cost of the engine overhaul is the cost
paid to overhaul the engine. The total cost is
$285.71, which includes the prices of pistons,
piston rings, valves, honing the cylinder liner,
123
cylinder liner, bearings of the crankshaft,
camshaft and service. The spare parts are
available in Turkey.
Oil cost per km = Oil price/oil change
distance ($/km) (4)
Total cost = Oil cost per km + Overhaul
cost per km ($/km) (5)
Results
The quantity of iron (Fe as metallic wear
debris) was taken as a basis for the determina-
tion of oil drain period. This is the most
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126

important criterion for calculating the num- Figure 2 Viscosity at 40°C and trip length profile
ber of oil changes, the engine overhaul
Viscosity at 40˚C (Cst)
mileage and their relative costs in the life of 180
the engine. 150
As seen in Table V, there is a wide iron (Fe) 120
concentration range between 40 and 200ppm 90
(parts per million). Figure 1 shows the iron
60
concentration and trip length profile for data
30
from Table III; this points to severe wear after
0
11,000km. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Figures 2-5 show the viscosities, flash Length trip (km × 1,000)
point, total base number and trip length
profile where data are taken from Table IV.
There are apparent decreases in viscosity (at
40°C and 100°C), flash point and total base Figure 3 Flash point and trip length profile
number starting at around 9,500km.
Flash point (˚C)
Figure 6 plots oil insolubles against journey 225
length using data from Table IV. It is consid-
187.5
ered that the results are satisfactory since the
insolubles are less than 2 per cent. 150
Applying the experimental results to equa-
112.5
tions (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) for distances
between 2,000 and 15,000km we obtain the 75
overhaul and oil costs data in Figure 7 and 37.5
Table VI. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
According to Figure 8, the lowest total cost Length trip (km × 1,000)
is 9,000km at which point the oil should be
changed. This point represents the optimum

Figure 4 Viscosity at 100°C and trip length profile

Table V Maximum concentration limits for different wear Viscosity at 100˚C (Cst)
elements in engines 21

Content 17.5
Metal (ppm) 14
Lead 5 to 40
10.5
Silicon 25
Iron 40 to 200 7
Chromium 30 3.5
Aluminium 15 to 40 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Copper 5 to 40 Length trip (km × 1,000)
Tin 5 to 15
Silver 5 to 10

Figure 5 Total base number and trip length profile

Figure 1 Iron wear debris and trip length profile
Total base number (mgKOH/g)
Iron Fe (ppm) 10.625
320
280 8.5
240 6.375
200
160 Maximum 4.25
120
80 2.125
40
Minimum 0
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Length trip (km × 1,000) Length trip (km × 1,000)

124
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126

Figure 6 Insoluble in the oil and trip length profile Figure 8 Total cost and trip length profile for an optimum oil change point

Oil insoluble (per cent) Total cost (S/km) 10–4

0.4 50
45
40
0.3
35
30
0.2 25
15
0.1 10
2 4 6 8 9 10.5 12 13.5 15
0 Length trip (km × 1,000)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Length trip (km × 1,000)
1979). In the early 1990s the average intervals
were 12,000km with a range of 10,000 to
Figure 7 Overhaul and oil costs and trip length profile
20,000km (Caines and Haycock, 1996). In
Overhaul cost (S/km) 10–4 Oil cost (S/km) 10–4 Turkey, investigation has shown that oil drain
20 40 periods are between 3,000-5,000km, which is
36
16 32 short when compared to other European
28 countries.
24
12 20 Based on the equation (1) the iron content
Overhaul cost 16
12 of an optimum oil drain distance of 9,000km
8 8 is:
Oil cost 4
4 0 Number of oil changes = 2,974ppm/
2 4 6 8 9 10.5 12 13.5 15
Length trip (km × 1,000) 100ppm = 29.
According to equation (2):
oil drain period. It can be seen that the lowest Overhaul distance = 29 x 9,000 =
cost interval lies between trip lengths of about 261,000km.
7,000km and 10,000km. Data for total cost Taking into account 4,000km as an average oil
are shown in Table VII. drain period in Turkey:
Number of oil changes = 2,974ppm/
Discussions 34.2ppm = 87.

The economic aspects of oil drain period are
the overhaul cost and the cost of oil deter-
mined by the number of oil changes up to the
overhaul time.
In Germany in the 1950s, the crankcase oil
change for passenger automobiles was recom-
mended every 2,500-4,000km. Oil change
periods of 7,500-10,000km were usual in
1979, although power density and oil temper-
ature have increased (Hans and Helmut,
According to equation (2):
Overhaul distance = 87 x 4,000 =
348,000km.
Excess number of lubricant changes are:
87 – 29 = 58.
The cost of oil (3l, SAE 20W50) is $7.14. The
number of automobiles in Turkey is
3,058,511 (General and Statistical Information
Bulletin of Turkish Automotive Manufacturers,

Table VI Overhaul and oil costs data according to the trip length

km × 1000 2 4 6 8 9 10,5 12 13,5 15

Fe (ppm) 16,1 34,2 57,7 91,3 101 189 218 252 297
Overhaul cost ($/km) 10–4 7,73 8,21 9,24 11 10,8 17,3 17,4 17,9 19
Oil cost ($/km)10–4 35,7 17,9 11,9 8,93 7,94 6,8 5,95 5,29 4,76

Table VII Total cost data according to the trip length

km × 1000 2 4 6 8 9 10,5 12 13,5 15

Total cost ($/km) 10–4 43,4 26,1 21,1 19,9 18,7 24,1 23,4 23,2 23,8

125
 Oil ageing – drain period in a petrol engine Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
Hakan Kaleli and Irfan Yavasliol Volume 49 · Number 3 · May/June 1997 · 120–126

1996). Therefore the excess cost of engine oil
nationwide could be:
3,058,511 × $7.14 × 58 = $1,266,590,575.
From this result the degree of economic loss
attributed to the lubricant is very high; the
quantity of engine oil purchased is far greater
than necessary in Turkey. The experimental
work used only a single engine. The research
is the basis of further investigations aimed at
informing Turkish drivers of the cost of early
drain periods.
Offune, G.C., Maduako, A.U. and Ojinnaka, C.M. (1991),
“Studies on the effects of temperature on the
chemical characteristics of automotive crankcase
oils and their base oils”, Tribology International,
Vol. 24 No. 3, p. 178.
Richard, M. (1989), Condition Monitoring as a Basis for
Plant Maintenance, Finning Ltd, 7 Watling Street,
Cannock, Staffs WS11 3LL, UK.
Shirley, E.S and Donalt, J.S. (1988), “Development of an
automatic engine oil-change indicator system”,
Society Automotive Engineers, No. 870403, p. 7.62.

Conclusions
(1) The optimum oil drain period was found
to be 9,000km for the petrol engine tested
in this work.
(2) When the oil drain period is reduced, the
time between overhauls is increased, thus
reducing the overhaul cost per kilometre;
when the oil drain period is extended, oil
cost decreases but the overhaul cost per
km increases.
(3) If the oil drain period for all Turkish
engines was 4,000km instead of 9,000km,
the extra total costs for the lubricant
would be $1,266,590,575.

References
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BP Engine Oils-2 (1988), Assessment and Engine Monitor-
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SW1E 5NJ, catalogue No. 16540.
BP Engine Oils-3 (1988), Assessment and Engine Monitor-
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Caines, A. and Haycock, R. (1996), Automotive Lubricants
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