Oil plays an important role in keeping your vehicle’s engine running smoothly. As a lubricant, it reduces friction and wear within the engine’s components.
If you have noticed that your car’s oil life percentage is going down fast, it should be a cause of concern.
When the oil percentage goes down rapidly, several factors could be at play. They include severe driving conditions, frequent short trips, poor driving habits, delayed oil changes, or faulty engine components.
Understanding the reasons for the sudden rapid decrease will help you solve the issue fast. It will help you take appropriate measures to prolong the life of your engine oil and improve performance.
In this article, we will dive deeper into these causes and provide solutions to help you address the issues effectively.
What is Oil Life Percentage?
Oil life percentage is a measurement that shows the remaining life of engine oil in a vehicle. The feature is common in modern vehicles with an engine oil monitoring system.
This percentage is determined by several factors including, driving patterns and engine-operating conditions among others.
To calculate the oil life percentage of your car, check on data such as engine revolutions, temperature, and mileage.
When the percentage reaches a certain threshold, usually around 15% to 5%, the engine oil is approaching the end of its life. At this point, you need to replace it with fresh oil for optimal engine performance and protection.
Reasons for Oil Life Percentage Going Down
There are several reasons why your car’s oil life percentage may go down. They include:
Mileage
The more miles you drive, the more contaminants your oil is likely to accumulate and lose its effectiveness.
This means that as you drive more miles, the oil life percentage will decrease, indicating that you need to change the oil.
Contaminants
Contaminants (dust, dirt, metal particles, sludge) in engine oil can affect the oil life percentage.
As their concentration increases, the oil’s ability to lubricate the engine’s components decreases, leading to a low oil life percentage.
Contaminants in the oil can also lead to increased friction and wear between the engine’s moving parts. As the oil loses its lubricating properties, its life percentage decreases.
Additionally, they can also hinder the oil’s ability to dissipate heat, resulting in higher operating temperatures. High temperatures can speed up oil degradation, lowering the oil life percentage.
Oxidation caused by corrosive elements from contaminants can also decrease the oil life percentage.
Time
Over time, the chemical composition of your engine oil can change due to exposure to oxygen, heat, and combustion by-products. The chemical reactions can make the oil lose its lubricating properties and become less effective.
Moreover, engine oil contains additives that enhance performance such as antioxidants, detergents, and dispersants. These additives can degrade over time, reducing the effectiveness of the oil.
Engine Conditions
How you drive and the conditions in which you operate your car can affect the rate at which the oil degrades.
For instance, if you drive aggressively (hard braking, rapid acceleration, etc.), you can put additional stress on the engine, leading to higher operating temperatures and increased friction.
These conditions can speed up oil degradation and decrease the oil life percentage.
Additionally, if you regularly carry heavy loads or tow trailers, the engine has to work harder to maintain performance. This will generate more heat and stress on the oil,l decreased oil percentage.
Driving your vehicle in extreme temperatures can also affect the oil’s performance. In extreme heat, the oil breaks down faster, in cold temperatures, it takes longer to reach optimal operating conditions.
Incorrect Oil Change Intervals
If you do not follow the oil change intervals recommended by the manufacturer, chances are, the oil will degrade faster. This will lead to a decrease in the oil life percentage.
What is Honda Oil Life Percentage?
A Honda’s oil life percentage is its engine oil remaining useful time. It is indicated by “oil life” and a percentage mark on the dashboard.
With fresh engine oil, the percentage reads 100%. It drops over time as you cover more miles with your Honda. Therefore, at 50%, the oil has 50% of its lifetime remaining before it needs to be changed.
At 20%, the oil still has 20% of its life remaining, and so on.
Note that when your Honda’s oil life reads 15%, a yellow wrench icon illuminates the dashboard, indicating that the car is due for an oil change soon.
When the percentage reaches 5%, the oil change is now due. Replace the oil before the indicator shows 0% to avoid engine damage.
What Happens When the Oil Life Percentage Goes Below 0%?
If the oil life indicator shows 0%, the oil is degraded or there is a malfunction in the oil life monitoring system. In such a case, you should consult the car owner’s manual, consult a trusted mechanic or take it for maintenance.
Driving a car whose life percentage is 0% can lead to engine damage or failure.
Is it okay to drive with a low life percentage?
It is not okay. Remember, if the oil percentage is low, the oil’s effectiveness in lubricating and protecting the engine is reduced.
If you continue to drive in this condition, you risk increased wear and tear on engine components, reduced performance, and engine damage.
How can I increase oil life percentage?
You can increase the oil life percentage by following the manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals, driving conservatively, maintaining the engine in excellent working conditions, and monitoring the oil level.
How long does 5% oil life last?
When the oil life reaches 5%, the oil has significantly degraded and may not offer adequate lubrication and protection for the engine.
Continuing to drive at this percentage can increase the risk of engine damage.
Is 10% oil life bad?
An oil life of 10% indicates that the oil is nearing the end of its useful time. And although it does not necessarily mean immediate harm to the engine, schedule an oil change soon.
