I am aware that this is kind of a dipstick of an idea.

I think antibodies can be made to glom to metal microparticulates(grinding, thus different weight oil preferred). This might possibly also work on clumps of carbon (wrong fuel mix; maladjusted computer; running dirty)

Fleets of vehicles or trucks could benfit from a once annual, cool oil dipstick test like a pee dipstick test.
-- beanangel, Apr 17 2017

OK, so how do you propose to develop antibodies that work in oil?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 17 2017


Well, most oil pan drain plugs in my fleet of trucks are already magnetised. When changing the oil the drain plug is inspected for metal shavings which isn't a million miles from this idea. Contaminants to look for would be water and coolants from the radiator system showing up in your oil which indicate leaking head gaskets. This is tantalisingly close to being a practical real-with world idea [beany]. I don't know how to react to that.
-- AusCan531, Apr 17 2017


"Good news, Guv....Your car's pregnant!"
-- Ling, Apr 17 2017


Is this one of Moya's transports?

Seriously though, wouldn't the symmetry be true. Looking, with molecular tagging, for oil, metals in it's water.

Then again there's probably a whole lot of hydrophobic molecular tagging systems rather than ?antibodies?.
-- wjt, Apr 18 2017


With an EV there is just the battery water to test. With a Toyota Corolla oil, battery, radiator water, transmission fluid, and ash tray could be tested.
-- popbottle, Apr 18 2017


With an EV there could be mass spectroscopy of the air around the motors. That or just a suped up fire alarm.
-- wjt, Apr 18 2017



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