Posted: 6/10/2007 6:25:11 PM EDT
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My neighbors kid poured almost a full quart of oil into the gas tank of his truck. What will happen if he runs the engine? Is it safe enough to drive to a couple miles to a auto shop? |
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Well, that is not the full story. Was it regular crankcase oil? If so, that would make the engine oil consumption a quart every tankful and that much oil could cause problems with the catalyst and oxygen sensors. Big bucks. Oil for the crankcase are full of anti-friction compounds that are metal soaps, mostly zinc. These coat the catalyst and oxygen sensors when burned at rates greater than a quart every 300 miles or so, it all depends on the oil and how old the engine is. The good news is the zinc will eventually burn off but it COULD still cause problems. And you might have to reset the MIL codes in the ECU after burn off. I wouldn't worry too much about octane rating depression because most vehicles can compensate, just with lower power. Beat the kids. And clean the plugs after that tank. |
Would it increase combustion temp enough to counter the effects of the oil on the catcon & such?
No. The zince compounds burn, leaving behind metallic zinc. These condense on the catalysts and the O2 sensor. They take a long time to vaporize. Alcohol burns cool, not hot. There is little oxygen in the exhaust so the zinc must boil off. It does so, only very slowly. Some is tolerated. But a quart in 30 gallons not so well. If it were 2-stroke oil all would be fine. These are low-ash oils that burn well. |
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A quart is nothing, fill up the tank with gas and drive without a worry. It won't hurt the plugs and will do nothing to the fuel filter. There is no more Zinc in motor oils designed for gasoline engines. The only automotive oils that still have zinc in them are the Diesel Engine Oils (DEO). And at a quart it won't make difference anyway. If anything oil in the gas would raise the BTU ever so slightly, but not enough to matter. Seen alot of oil burning work trucks with electronic engine controls go and go and go. |
