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Extend
your oil change—and
even prevent engine failure
Testing your oil with our Engine Oil Test Kit can save you hundreds of dollars on uneccessary oil changes. It could also save you thousands of dollars by detecting and preventing engine sludge and wear.
Who should use this oil test?
REGULAR MAINTENANCE: We are all used to the standard 3-month/3,000 mile oil change recommendation. This is a reasonable suggestion for some smaller hard-working engines, but may be a wasteful practice for larger engines with more than a 4-quart capacity. How can you be sure?
All vehicle makes can use a Second Opinion Engine Oil Test to save resources by allowing the oil to work as long as possible without doing any damage to the engine. The key is to regularly TEST YOUR OIL and become familiar with what is normal for your car and driving habits!
The test simply examines a drop of motor oil on a special card. Clean oil (1) is amber or yellow with a mild ring of soot. Oil that is due to be changed or replaced (2) shows up as dark brown in color with a distinct ring of soot or with a jagged corona at the edge of the sample. (See samples below.)
 Learn
more about how the Second Opinion Engine
Oil Test works... |
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(1) Normal Oil Sample |
(2) Worn Oil, Due for Service |
| Browse
the Oil Test library to see more examples of sludge and debris in oil... |
MONITOR SLUDGE WARNING SIGNS: Oil sludge build-up is a fact of life in certain engines and must be monitored and corrected before permanent damage hapens from an oiling system failure. If sludge is detected it can be dissolved with chemical additives used during and in-between oil change intervals, resulting in a saved engine and saved time, money and resources.
Harmful sludge stuck to the inside of the engine is easily observed on the test card, even when oil testing shows that the oil is clean. Sludge appears as tiny square chips of black or dark brown material (3) and (4) when seen through a 4x power magnifying glass or loupe.
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(3) Early Stages of Sludge |
(4) Just Prior to Engine Failure |
| Browse
the Oil Test library to see more examples of sludge and debris in oil... |
ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS: When buying a used car or operating your current vehicle, engine condition is a primary concern. How can you know what the inside of the engine looks like without taking it apart?
Our simple Engine Oil Test Kit lets you evaluate engine condition for signs of water (5) or metal (6) in the oil. Curing the oil test card over a magnet will force any ferrous (steel) particles to stand up on-edge making them easily observed by reflected light.
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(5) Oil with Water Contamination |
(6) Oil with Metal Particles |
| Buy
an Engine Oil Test Kit |
