Possible Fuel Oil SOLUTION To Dilution.

[retuks]

So your saying you change it every 3k, but you don't? Do you change it every 10 or 3k?

If you think 1500 miles or even 3k miles is a normal schedule for a modern car then I really don't know what to tell you...that is overkill

Don't see what's hard to understand. The book says 10, I do it every 3 except my very first oil change. Again, there are many reasons the manual might tell you to change it later, to whose benefit though is to be determined, I have my reservations on that one and what I'm doing won't hurt me. If I'm wrong I lose a few bucks vs being right. I also live in Hawaii where the daily commute averages less than 4 miles if I don't go out of my way. Between 4 cars that I rotate regularly, If I waited until 10,000 miles for each of them (one of them simply can't be changed that late - it's a different beast entirely), I'd be changing my oil several years in between each.

The 1500 mile change is for just one car in particular that requires it. I wouldn't do that for a commuter.

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[retuks]

So the real experiment would be to note the (long time cold engine) level of oil on the dipstick, then warm up the car and let it sit for a long time with 1. dipstick in, 2. dipstick out, and see the difference it made to cold oil levels. I expect no noticeable difference.

I started with a practical experiment like this. Another idea was to remove the oil cap after a long drive since it's got a much larger area for the heated oil/fuel vapors to escape. The head has lots of surface area where the hot and thoroughly mixed fluid has been distributed to all the nooks and crannies and throughout the entire wall of the head itself . If you can get a little more to escape as gas and vapor through the larger opening of the oil fill each time you shut off, it could help much more than a dip stick's tiny hole would, especially when the oil/fuel is all gathered at the bottom and mostly cool.

Evaporation is much easier when you spread the substance around like in the case of an engine's freshly circulated oil VS a pool of it sitting at the bottom. Like how a cup of water might take weeks or a month to evaporate out of a cup, but put it in a large tray and it evaporates within a day. Even simply moving it to a larger cup or a bowl would greatly accelerate evaporation, even if nothing else changes.

 

[retuks]

(nearly 2 year) Update:

So as an owner of a 2018 August produced 6 speed sport hatch who has NOT gotten the software update (the stupid one that makes the engine rev to like 2000rpm upon cold start.) ans now lives a solid 15+ miles away from work (as opposed to less than 3 miles before). I can conclude a few things.

1) The dilution problem is real - even in hawaii where temps never exceed 50-95 degrees F.
2) Conclusion 1 is a NON issue the moment you quit driving short distance, literally.

As soon as i moved further away and added a freeway in between me and my work place, with lots of moderate load, higher rpm (3k+) up hill climbing between 50-70mph and negative load (vacuum) in-gear coasting down hill at the same speeds - the dilution issue solved itself completely.

Oil still has an odor, but the dipstick level is dead still from 0-3000+ miles and counting. not a mm higher than when i serviced it. I conclude that as a win! currently at 31,000 miles. My only gripe about this car is that it's too long and fat (size wise. weight is respectably light, just that parking space and low speed maneuvering absolutely sucks in this car. but im coming from 2 door sports cars with rwd and better turning circles), but thats more on me since i THOUGHT i'd need 4 doors and cargo room, which i never do. Anyway, i think I'm gonna hold onto this big ole boat just a while longer! Don't love it, but don't hate it either. who knows, i might want a 100 gallon fish tank or tv one day that I need to transport.

Also wouldn't mind this to be a good donor chassis for a sleeper SH-AWD swap one day in 15 years or so.

 

[the27thaxe]

Huh, definitely a cool thought. And it certainly makes sense. Id be worried about bugs getting in through the opening or mice but I wonder if exposing your internals to the moisture in the air for long periods wouldn't also bring issues? Maybe the best solution would be to get and modify an extra oil cap that would have a sort of one way breather valve that would allow you to vent off the fuel vapor.

 

[retuks]

Huh, definitely a cool thought. And it certainly makes sense. Id be worried about bugs getting in through the opening or mice but I wonder if exposing your internals to the moisture in the air for long periods wouldn't also bring issues? Maybe the best solution would be to get and modify an extra oil cap that would have a sort of one way breather valve that would allow you to vent off the fuel vapor.

Forget what I said back then. The definitive solution is in my last comment. But in regards to leaving the cap off, I found that while leaving it all open did in fact allow fuel to vaporize and separate from the oil, we're talking weeks/months of time. Not practical, as the true solution seems to be clear: Drive more, drive fast.

 

[fjrman]

Add this block heater accessory to your engine.

08T44-SJA-200A - Genuine Honda Engine Block Heater (hondapartsnow.com)

Heats the engine coolant and therefore lets the engine and oil warm quicker after startup.

 

[retuks]

Add this block heater accessory to your engine.

08T44-SJA-200A - Genuine Honda Engine Block Heater (hondapartsnow.com)

Heats the engine coolant and therefore lets the engine and oil warm quicker after startup.

interesting... i wonder why it says it's only for 2 doors?? I'm all for heating up the car quicker for more reasons than oil dilution. it's better on virtually ANY car to start from hotter temps.

 

[calonzo]

My only gripe about this car is that it's too long and fat (size wise. weight is respectably light, just that parking space and low speed maneuvering absolutely sucks in this car. but im coming from 2 door sports cars with rwd and better turning circles), but thats more on me since i THOUGHT i'd need 4 doors and cargo room, which i never do.

Having always owned 4 door cars, this Civic has a surprising small turning radius for a car this size. I think it is the most parkable car of any I have owned.

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