You can mix motor oil!
Oil producers will not like our idea, but we will express it anyway: if necessary, motor oils can be mixed indefinitely. It goes without saying that when changing the oil, you should not specifically buy and mix products from different manufacturers. And for topping up, it’s better to buy the same oil that has already been topped up.
But if a low oil level is found on the road, it is necessary to top it up. In this case, you can use diesel oil for a gasoline engine – and vice versa. Viscosity is almost indifferent, only if we are not talking about a completely worn engine, where the low-pressure light flashes at idle with 15W-50 oil. It is not worth adding 0W-16 oil to it, and it is very expensive.
The quality level indicated by the letter after S, for example SL, SM, SN, also does not play a big role in upgrading – the further this letter is from the beginning of the alphabet, the better. And manufacturers of different oils will certainly not fight among themselves in the engine.
However, when returning from a long journey, where everything had to be added to the engine, it is advisable to change the oil. More importantly, treat the oil burner.
The engine oil can is always marked with the API quality level and the SAE viscosity.
Coolants: better add water
If you need to add a small amount of liquid – 100-200 milliliters, then you can safely pour water – distilled or at least filtered. This is a normal technique, as the drop in antifreeze level in a closed cooling system is mainly caused by the evaporation of water. Other components of the coolant (coolant) – ethylene glycol and additives – evaporate much more slowly.
With a greater disappearance of the liquid, water is no longer sufficient. It is necessary to add the coolant exactly as recommended by the manufacturer.
Mixing different types of liquids – for example carboxylate with hybrid or lobrid – is highly undesirable: all leading car manufacturers adhere to this principle. The additives included in their composition at the same time begin to conflict with each other and quickly lose their efficiency.
You can’t focus on the color of the liquid: it’s just a dye and nothing more. Of course, sometimes in a critical situation you have to add what is available, but at the same time it is very desirable to use the most modern coolant you can find. In this case, you should use a product from a serious manufacturer.
From domestic brands we remember brands like Nord, Felix, Sintec or Coolstream.
And at the first gas station, you need to completely change the liquid.
Fuel: only no petrol with diesel!
With fuel, everything is simple, because we only have two types: petrol and diesel. One should never be mixed with the other And within each species – as much as you like: at least the 80th (if you find it) with the 100th. It is not necessary to listen to fairy tales about the fact that they will delaminate in the tank: the density of all gasolines is the same.
Brake fluid
Virtually all modern brake fluids are mutually compatible and can be mixed in any proportion. You just need to remember that it is better to fill modern high-speed cars with DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, and not with DOT 3, although now there is almost no last one for sale.
The only liquid that stands out is the one based on silicone DOT 5. It should never be mixed with conventional liquids based on glycol and polyester.
We’ll tell you more about transmission and other fluids – come back often!
- What to do if diesel fuel is poured instead of gasoline is described in detail here.
- “Behind the wheel” can also be read in Telegram.
Not always! Some technical fluids from different brands and from different manufacturers can be mixed, and some – in no case do the experts of “Behind the wheel” warn.
