If you forgot to get the oil changed in your light-duty truck, Midlane Truck & Trailer Repair advises that your oil filter may get clogged. The oil filter is swapped out for a new one when the oil is changed. This ensures you always have a clean oil filter in the engine to protect it. If the oil filter is clogged, you will notice one or more of the following signs. Bring your truck to our shop right away to prevent engine damage. We will explain more below.
Engine Performing Poorly
Your engine will perform poorly in the light-duty truck because dirty motor oil is circulating through it. Unfortunately, the motor oil will deposit grime onto the moving parts that can directly affect their operation. Consequently, you will notice a lag in your light-duty truck’s engine performance every time you drive it.
Noticeable Fuel Mileage Loss
Provided you haven’t done too much damage, until you get the oil changed, you will also notice a difference in your truck’s fuel economy. Unfortunately, if the engine is performing poorly, it will use more fuel in its effort to produce power. As such, a full tank of gasoline or diesel fuel will not last as long in your light-duty truck.
Reduction in the Oil’s Pressure
You might also end up with a warning from the engine control module. It will turn on the oil light on the dashboard to let you know there’s a serious reduction in the oil’s pressure in the engine. When this happens, you may not have enough oil circulating through the engine. This can damage the engine seriously as can low oil levels.
Strange Metallic Engine Noises
One sign that your engine is being damaged is strange metallic noises coming from it. We recommend that you avoid driving your light-duty truck if you hear any type of metallic noise in the engine. This includes grinding or clanking. This is an indication that there is little motor oil circulating through the engine. In fact, you may not have any motor oil circulating through the engine at all. This can kill your engine in less than 30 minutes.
Increased Exhaust Hydrocarbons
Finally, your light-duty truck will fail its next emissions test if the oil filter is clogged. This is because the dirty motor oil circulating through the engine will cause an increase in the hydrocarbons found in your vehicle’s exhaust.
Call Midlane Truck & Trailer Repair in Eugene, OR, to schedule a service appointment for your light-duty truck if it is doing any of the things listed above.