Hello, Anon. I wonder if something like this might be replaced by a DIY device. It is an oilchecker, It displays the oil status comparing dielectric properties change between new oil and used oil. Is it the same thing as capacitance? ESR? A multimeter might be able to duplicate with acccceptable precision these readings? Thanks in advance for your comments. I am eager to learn.
>>969420
Yes. Capacitance ~ dielectric constant. So long as the shape of your capacitor does not change
>>969420
Nah, you'd need a specific device for almost every kind of engine. Aluminum pistons/ cast iron block, steel pistons, aluminum block, maybe the piston liners are different material, ect.
It's easy enough to just look at the dipstick, see that it's dirty 'yup, time for an oil change' and than change your oil.
Thanks for your reply, 969427 and 969432.
It would be interesting to adapta a some kind of cell for the oil and measure DEC and then compare with these readings. First I must get some of these devices in order to get an approach to a method validation.
>>969432
May I disagree with you , Anon? These device is not intended to check wear metals, ICP spectrometry is the right method to get this info.
An oil formulation contains antioxidants, among many others, these antioxidants give some dielectric properties to the base oil, when the oil has degraded or it has been contaminated, there is a change in these additives, thus, changing the DEC profile, (That's why it must be compared with a new sample of the same oil) The amount of change is then compared to a pre-established scale, and you can take a decision wether or not is necessary to make an oil change.
What dou you mean with "dirty" oil in dipstick? A very black oil? Milky oil? Or a visible wear debris and silt? there is a test, a very simple and useful test to see, in motor oil (gasoline or diesel) if it is already time for a change. If your car has been running a while and it is hot, put a drop of engine oil, from the dipstick on a paper, a bussines card would be nice, and give a couple hours, overbight preferably. Is there any deposits on the center of the blot? Is it an uniformally spot? Do you have any small UV lamp? Then take a look on the spot with the UV lamp... can you see a "halo"?
If there is a gummy deposit in the center of the spot, you need to change your oil. Why? Because the detergent-dispersant additives are overused. If the spot is wide and uniform, the oil might be used a lill bit more. if you can see a halo, you may be facing fuel dilution, a nasty condition.
If the oil is simply very black , it only indicates that the detergents are making his job of cleaning your engine, and keep that contaminants in suspension, for the filter to catch or to get rid of them in the next oil change.
>>969610
I'm actually researching this for a company.
We're making a multisensor though.
>>971396
Not this shit again.
>>971415
What shit?
>>971396
Spectroinc already has a pretty good device, The RULER is also a nice tool, but that kind of devices are really expensive.