Before we can learn what changes the viscosity of engine oil in your engine we need to understand what motor oil viscosity is. A simple way of thinking about viscosity is to consider the thickness of a liquid. Thin liquids such as water flow very easily in and around things, thick liquids such as honey do not flow. Viscosity is really the measure of a liquid’s ability to flow. A highly viscous material doesn’t flow (honey). A liquid with low viscosity does flow (water).
Temperature is the first factor that can affect the viscosity of engine oil. When your car first starts oil has to be circulated from the sum to the middle of the engine where it can lubricate bearings and pistons etc. When oil is cold it gets more viscous and it’s harder to pump a viscous liquid around the engine. This can cause to small delays getting the oil where it needs to be. This is why when the engine is first started the oil pressure is usually lower and you will be able to see this on your oil pressure gauge. Once the oil gets there it also takes longer to cover the internal services that it needs to protect. So cold weather is one factor that affects engine oil viscosity
The opposite is also true when motor oil gets hot it gets thinner and thinner oil can get too hot. What is needed is a happy medium and this is achieved, at least to a certain extent, by including chemical additives in the oil to change its mechanical properties at extreme hot and cold temperatures.
Quality of the product you use is the second factor that make a difference in the engine oil viscosity. There are two established testing bodies for oil engine The API (American Petroleum Institute), and the European counterpart, the ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d’Automobiles). When it is time to change your engine oil don’t opt for a cheap synthetic oil change. Always use oil that has been approved by one of these bodies.
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