Engine Health Check
What is an Engine Health Check?
An engine health check is an essential inclusion to the continued smooth operation of the vehicle through taking and analysing and sample of the engine oil and as a pro-active measure to avoid costly vehicle breakdowns and repairs. The engine health takes an inside view of the engine looking out and has been designed to check for the build-up of Particles, Chemicals, Contamination and Metals in the oil as well as indicating the overall condition of the oil.
What are the benefits of an Engine Health Check?
What are the benefits?
An engine health check is an essential inclusion to the continued smooth operation of the vehicle and is a pro-active measure to avoid costly vehicle breakdowns and repairs. The engine health takes an inside view looking out and has been designed to check for the build-up of:
- Particles
- Chemicals
- Contamination
- Metals
- Overall Oil Condition
Undertaking engine health checks can help to prevent breakdowns and issues arising and are simple and easy to complete. It only takes a few minutes to take the oil sample and results are back within a few days.
Why do I need an Engine Health Check?
There is a common view through servicing the vehicle to the manufacturers recommended interval schedule this will maintain the engine to its expected performance level.
This, however, is not always true as engine oils degrade through use and will eventually become spent and no longer lubricating the parts it comes into contact with. At this stage the oil becomes more and more acidic and starts to corrode the internal parts of the engine.
This corrosion includes wearing off the coatings that are applied to items such as bearings when the vehicle is new and once worn off subsequently attacking the then exposed metals. Once exposed the effect can be quite damaging and costly unless the engine oil is changed, and sump cleared of any residual sludge that may have built up. That said, there could still be underlying damage that has occurred.
How much does an Engine Health Check cost?
The fee for the engine health check is £50 + VAT per sample analysed. This includes a pre-paid return pack, analysis report and narrative with associated recommendations.
How does an Engine Health Check work?
We either send you a sample pack with a pre-paid envelope and you send the sample off for analysis, or, we arrange to visit site and take the sample with you.
Once sent off in the post the oil sample is analysed, and results are confirmed in a report within 2 to 4 working days.
What does the Engine Health Check look for?
There are many reasons why you might want to have your engine oil analysed. From running issues to identification of worn components, the engine oil test provides information on;
Contamination levels in the oil
- Elemental analysis for contaminates that may have entered the engine oil. These can increase wear to components that contain boron, silicon and sodium.
- Reduces lubricity of the engine oil should water, or fuel be entering the engine as this affects an oils viscosity and its capability to provide key lubrication of the engine.
- Checks for existing running problems, should fuel not be burning correctly then soot deposits will start to form which can lead to poor fuel to air ratio in the combustion chamber.
Assess wear levels and identify potential component failures
- An elemental analysis of the level of metal particles that have built up in the oil.
- Ferrous wear index provides information on the number of magnetic debris particles present in the oil.
- These indicate if wear is taking place, on which component parts and the degree of the wear.
Oil chemical assessment
- Analysis to determine the additive pack level and to check if the additives have been depleted from the oil.
- Oil viscosity status to confirm if the oil is providing the lubrication and heat transfer properties required for continued lubrication and protection to components.
- Oil Oxidation level. Over its life engine oil can oxidise resulting in the viscosity to increase and its lubricity capability to decrease.
- Oil Sulfation level. Assessing the sulfation level provides insight to see if corrosive acids are forming.
- Oil Nitration level. Provides an indication of thermal breakdown of the oil.
Total Base Number (TBN)
- The TBN is a property that measures the oil’s ability to neutralize acids formed during normal operation of the vehicle.
- Oils with a higher TBN are better placed to neutralize acids and combustion by-products resulting in longer engine life and improved protection against corrosion.
Total Acid Number (TAN)
- The TAN is a measurement of acidic organic constituents that are present in the oil.
- It can increase as a result of oxidation overtime, hotspots from dirty oil ways, top-up with different engine oil or a change in fuel Sulphur content.
- The higher the Total Acid Number the more acidic the oil becomes and higher degradation inside the engine takes place.
- As the oil itself degrades overtime through use the levels of corrosive acids increase, along with the increasing risk and danger of component failure.
Total Base Number v Total Acid Number
The health check looks to confirm if the balance of the TBN is higher than the TAN as this indicates the oil is in a healthy state. At the point where the TBN and TAN cross over – i.e. they are at the same level it is recommended the oil is changed. Moving to a state where the TAN is higher that the TBN and continues to rise it indicates the oil has become acidic and will start to wear and degrade components parts within the engine leading to vehicle breakdowns and costly repairs.
FAQs
How often should I have an Engine Health Check performed?
It is recommended to have a health check performed at the point of vehicle service and halfway between the next service (determined by miles or time).
Hong long does an Engine Health Check take before I see the results?
The results are confirmed within 2 to 4 days from being received at the laboratory.
What is the cost of an Engine Health Check?
The fee for the engine health check is £50 + VAT per sample analysed. This includes a pre-paid return pack, analysis report and narrative with associated recommendations.
