Oil Dilution

[TimberXX]

I have a 2018 Honda Accord with the 1.5L Turbo just at 25,000 mi. I just got back an oil test, fuel dilution is at 4.4 percent. I changed the oil (mobile 1) at about 80 percent of the oil life, or about 5,000 miles.

I just put the Amsoil XL in it, and bought Amsoil Signature for the next change.

Is this alot of oil dilution? I am considering just changing the oil every 3000 miles, but that gets expensive with Amsoil.

Thoughts?

 

[LittleBill21]

don't they give you a chart range with your results?

What is Fuel Dilution (and Why is it Bad)? – AMSOIL Blog

Fuel dilution occurs when gas or diesel infiltrates the crankcase and contaminates the motor oil. Here's why it's bad and here's what you can do about it.

blog.amsoil.com

 

[bdog]

If the cost of amsoil bothers you why use it? I am sure it is good oil but changing every 3-5k with any quality oil your engine is going to outlast the rest of your car. Especially if you have dilution issues I would say you would be better off using a lesser oil changed more frequently. Personally I use synthetic oil primarily for the lower viscosity at startup in cold temps but if you really look at it I can’t think of any engine failures that can be attributed to the oil. Failure to change it at all, running low on oil, etc, can ruin your engine but that is about it. There are tons of very high mileage motors on regular run of the mill conventional oil.

 

[dodge man]

Is it a direct injection engine? If so fuel dilution seems to be more common on that setup. I used to be a big Amsoil fan and I was changing the oil in my vehicles just once a year. Now that I’m retired I’m going by the oil life monitor but it is still coming out to about once a year. I’m just buying a high quality synthetic oil at Walmart usually Castrol.

In your case you probably need to change the oil based fuel dilution and not time or mileage. I’d use a cheaper oil if I was you but you can still get a synthetic for less.

 

[John0829]

The thing to do is prevent the oil dilution to begin with and the way to do that is be sure to get the engine up to operating temp every time it is run. Short trips that do not get the engine up to temp for a length of time is the reason IMHO why it is happening.

All engines on cold start have some excess fuel that dilute the oil. Some handle it better than others but the 1.5 engine does seem prone to having issue with fuel dilution and my take is that the majority of people having this problem do a lot short trips, jumping in the vehicle to run a mile or two to the store, school or whatever never allowing the engine to thoroughly heat up for any length of time.

I and my daughter have the exact same vehicle and we have never had any of the dilution issues and I test every oil change. That is because everytime they are used it is at least a 15 mile trip one way so the engine is completely warmed up and any fuel that would cause dilution is for lack of a better term burned off.

Again this is just my opinion based on what I have read after hearing about the CR-V 1.5L having fuel dilution problems.

 

[TimberXX]

Is it a direct injection engine? If so fuel dilution seems to be more common on that setup. I used to be a big Amsoil fan and I was changing the oil in my vehicles just once a year. Now that I’m retired I’m going by the oil life monitor but it is still coming out to about once a year. I’m just buying a high quality synthetic oil at Walmart usually Castrol.

In your case you probably need to change the oil based fuel dilution and not time or mileage. I’d use a cheaper oil if I was you but you can still get a synthetic for less.

Yes its direct injection. I am trying to balance better quality oil vs my frequent changes with just any synthetic.

Short trips aren't my issues, but I drive into Manhattan everyday, so think its the idling.

 

[daman1]

Idling is the major cause of fuel dilution run cheaper oil and change it every 3000 or get rid of the car get something else

 

[Rebeldad1]

4.4% seems high for a newish vehicle. Since its still under warranty I would take the test results into your dealer. You may have a injector bleeding down. They can do pressure test and check TSb's for issues.
I think you would want to fix this instead of trying ways to live with it.

 

[JJT]

Post your question and oil analysis results on the Bobistheoilguy site and you'll be inundated with feedback.

 

[Robin Veerman]

4.4% seems high for a newish vehicle. Since its still under warranty I would take the test results into your dealer. You may have a injector bleeding down. They can do pressure test and check TSb's for issues.
I think you would want to fix this instead of trying ways to live with it.

Good call to have a Honda dealer involved. Your UOA report is great ammo/info. Stay with Amsoil, it’s top notch Oil, but use the OE or XL to keep the cost down. No need to waste the long drain of the SS Amsoil if you’re changing it early. Dutchy