Oil and lubricants specialist, Castrol, advises on its solution on contaminants entering the engine causing build-up during urban, stop-start driving.
Frequent stopping and starting due to heavy traffic can impact the performance of a vehicle’s engine. Multiple short journeys can result in water and other contaminants entering the engine and reacting with the oil, causing sludge and deposits to build up within the components and affecting engine health. Sludge that builds up over time in an engine, and is not removed during a standard oil change, can have big consequences. It can clog vital oil passageways, reducing the power, efficiency, and overall engine life. Moreover, vehicles that are taking shorter journeys or stopping regularly due to driving in heavy traffic can experience an increased potential for sludge build-up in the engine.
Engine oil can degrade at very high temperatures and over time this can manifest as a build-up of sludge, which is not removed during a standard oil change. This process can be exacerbated by frequent short journeys or by late or missed oil changes. An oil flush helps to maintain engine power and efficiency by dissolving and flushing out sludge to maximise the cleanliness of the engine internals, ensuring the new engine oil can perform at optimal levels.
Hybrid wear
Engines in hybrid vehicles face additional pressures compared to vehicles powered solely by pure internal combustion engines, because these engines operate intermittently, typically swapping to electric power when pulling away and when operating at lower speeds. Some hybrid engines will stop, switch to electric and then re-start up to 500,000 times during their lifetime – that’s ten times more than a non-hybrid.
In typical urban driving, the engine in a hybrid might only be in use for short periods before switching back to electric power, with engine temperatures up to 40˚C cooler than those without any form of electrification. This can lead to increased levels of contamination, as without the extra heat from the engine, water and other contaminants do not evaporate. It’s these hybrid-specific challenges that make it harder for standard oils to protect them.
Product offering
Castrol’s engine shampoo is said to be a remedy that mechanics can offer to their customers whose car engine has experienced a build-up of sludge. The pre-oil change treatment reduces engine sludge by up to 85 per cent, and provides a deep clean of the engine but is solvent-free. The engine cleaner market is currently dominated largely by solvent-based products, which can degrade engine seals and dislodge sludge in larger, denser deposits. This can lead to blockages in vital oil ways and result in oil leaks. Castrol engine shampoo aims to reduce this risk by dissolving and flushing out sludge during the oil change process, helping to maintain engine power and efficiency.
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