Proper maintenance can go a long way toward keeping a car on the road for years, but neglect the basics, and your car could die prematurely. That’s what appears to have happened to one 2021 Lincoln Aviator.

The latest I Do Cars YouTube video tears down the Lincoln’s 3.0-liter EcoBoost Engine. The twin-turbocharged V6 powering the Aviator had about 70,000 miles on the odometer.

The service record showed large gaps in the crossover’s service history, likely meaning the owner skipped oil changes and other important work. The record also revealed that the Aviator this engine was in had undergone some extensive repairs in its short life.

It didn’t take long to uncover the culprit behind the engine’s demise: too few oil changes. Each step revealed more oil-soaked components throughout the engine. The first sign of true trouble was the oil screens on the variable cam timing solenoids, which were packed with debris.

Silvery sludge and bearing material were evident everywhere in the Lincoln engine, including the oil filter housing. The oil pan was glistening.

Whatever killed the engine did not cause any major damage to the valve train, and none of the pistons showed any signs of meeting the valves. The engine likely died from a lack of oil changes.

The inside of the engine was coated in oil varnish, and the lack of oil changes let tiny bits of material cause long-term damage that eventually became too much. The least you can do to keep your car on the road is change the oil regularly .

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