Is It Okay To Change Brands Of Oil After You've Been Using One

There are so many parts, practices and procedures in car maintenance, it'due south hard to keep track of them all. And so don't feel bad if you're asking yourself: "What is an oil flush?"

An oil affluent is a liquid that breaks up harmful deposits in your engine so that they'll bleed out when you change the oil.

Are They Necessary?

Yep, but not for every auto. An engine oil flush is a quick way to articulate out years, maybe even decades of accumulated gunk from an engine. By that very definition, y'all can tell we're not talking about somebody's well-maintained baby, simply more than likely a neglected or possibly fifty-fifty a stored motorcar over a long period of time.

How Does It Work?

A well-formulated oil flush will have the ingredients necessary to interruption all of that engine sludge upward so you tin can go it out of your car's system. You just cascade it into the engine where y'all'd add oil, and then start the vehicle and allow information technology to idle until the oil reaches normal operating temperature. Then y'all turn the engine off, permit it absurd to where information technology'southward safe to piece of work on, remove the drain plug and drain out the old oil, with that cleaved-upward sludge now pouring out along with information technology.

From at that place, it'southward a simple oil and filter change (you absolutely desire a brand-new, fresh oil filter after this). You lot'll also want to remove and clean the oil pan and oil screen earlier adding the new oil and filter.

Is There a Reason Not to Do an Oil Flush?

If the vehicle has been seriously neglected, or parked for a prolonged catamenia of time, and has an engine with a lot of miles on it, you may want to let your local NAPA AutoCare have a look at it first. Sometimes, the sludge is hiding dry out, worn and cracked seals. In that example, an oil affluent would remove the merely thing continuing between your engine and a serial of leaks. If that's the case, get the seals replaced first. Then flush the engine, change the oil and filter, and make clean the oil pan and oil screen. This manner, yous're not wasting time or money.

So, that'due south the answer to "what is an oil flush?" — it's a neat beginning stride toward getting an older, neglected car back to health on the highway.

Check out all the chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on whether an engine oil affluent is necessary for your vehicle, conversation with a knowledgeable good at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS shop.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Mike Hagerty View All

Mike Hagerty is an automotive announcer whose work has been featured on radio, Idiot box, in impress and online since 1997. He's the Publisher and Editor of MikeHagertyCars.com, and contributes auto reviews to the Los Altos Town Crier and losaltosonline.com. Previous outlets have included KFBK and KFBK.com in Sacramento, California, the ABC television affiliates and Hearst-Argyle and Emmis radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona; AAA magazines for Arizona, Oklahoma, Northwest Ohio, South Dakota and the Mountain W and BBCCars.com.