How Long Can A Car Sit Without Oil?

It’s not completely unfair to say that cars are working on deliberately timed explosions. That’s why routine maintenance is so important to you. But the engine of your car doesn’t just depend on mechanical parts. Without critical fluids such as engine oil and coolant, the engine would not work properly if it did. And, as experts have recently shown, inappropriate oil and coolant treatment can lead to destruction.

Why is the engine in need of oil and coolant?

Engine oil has a few tasks in the engine of your vehicle. The most important thing is the lubrication. Even the pistons of diesel engines spin at a few thousand RPM. Then there are the valves, the valve springs, the camshafts, and so on. There are a lot of parts within your engine that brush against each other at high speeds, creating friction. Too much friction and nothing is going to pass. The slick interior layer of the engine oil keeps things running smoothly.

Since the oil is pumped in the engine, it comes in contact with different metal surfaces, rubber gaskets, and other parts. This is where the secondary roles come into play. Engine oil also helps to clean and protect the internals of your engine from problems like rust or carbon deposits. It also helps to control the temperature of the engine by extracting heat from some locations.

But, as the name implies, it’s the coolant that controls much of the temperature. Not just by preventing the engine from overheating and causing damage. Coolant also stops the engine from being too cold and freezing. That’s why it’s usually referred to as ‘antifreeze.’

Some vintage vehicles, such as the Porsche 911s, are air-cooled and have no coolant. Some of the bikes are also air-cooled. But modern vehicles, and most new bikes, have water-and antifreeze-dependent radiators.