Can Exhaust Gas Indicate Engine Oil Health?

Article originally published on Noria.com.

Measuring the health of oil inside an engine from automotive exhaust gases would be extremely difficult if not impossible. This is because oil should not be present in the exhaust gas regions. Even if the technology was available to accurately measure and analyze tiny particles of oil in exhaust gases, the oil would need to pass through the exhaust environment with carbon/soot and the superheated region of the catalytic converter, which would essentially turn the oil particles into carbon dust. Therefore, the likelihood of obtaining usable data would be non-existent.

The questions you should be asking about your engine oil require a carefully collected sample at a significant volume, both of which would be unachievable with an emission analyzer. One of the best ways to capture data from your engine oil is to take a sample directly from the sump using a sample pump. This will allow you to obtain the volume of oil needed to determine the health of the engine oil.

(more on the best way to determine your engine's oil health...)