Technical Oil usage - Mobile 1 new life, One litre and no oil on dipstick???

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Technical Oil usage - Mobile 1 new life, One litre and no oil on dipstick???

Is it easy to dump oil on the abarth? And what about the suction the other member suggested maybe that??? Or you never heard this before?
 
Do not just add and add oil, dump and measure!
Check the crank case breather plumping for clogs, also check the coolant, and give the engine a good clean so any leaks will become very visible and trackable.
 
coolant max, doesnt move, ill try get somebody to dump oil at the weekend, and still no idea where this crank case breather is
 
Looked it up for you, the 2.4 20v has the breather on the valve cover, it's that small hose that runs from the engine to the intake, can't miss it, it's right in the middle of the engine bay, between the engine and whatever is next to it (airbox? battery?), even above the intake tubing.
 
This in red???

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Looked it up for you, the 2.4 20v has the breather on the valve cover, it's that small hose that runs from the engine to the intake, can't miss it, it's right in the middle of the engine bay, between the engine and whatever is next to it (airbox? battery?), even above the intake tubing.
 
As I said, it's a long shot, but it's something that often gets neglected until it causes some bad issues, so it is definitely worth checking, especially if tapping off the oil shows there was enough (or even too much) oil in it.

If the breather system is at fault, you not only have to check that hose, but there will probably be a membrane in the valve cover where that hose is connected, it's normally that that gunks up.

Semi-off-topic:
This is by the the way (apart from keeping the throttle, inlet and engine clean) a great effect of installing an oil catch can: it acts as a monitor, as the can filling up faster or slower than usual reveils issues with the breather system or changed oil pressure.
 
If you're losing oil, it's either leaking out, or being burnt off. Nothing else.
Oil does not usually "hide" in the engine or loiter around in the upper reaches of the engine or the dipstick tube....

What weight is the oil? Your beast should have 10W40 in it. "0W40" can work in cold weather but 10W40 is the magic number. Anything thinner will leak out or burn more easily than 10W40.

What weight was the previous oil? Did you put it in there? If your beast is an oil burner/leaker, the previous owner might have put 10W60... or glue ..or even tarmac in there to stop it.

Is your exhaust black and sooty? Is the exhaust smoke blue/black and sooty? Can you smell burnt oil out the back if you rev the engine up while it's stationery? Look for smoke on the overrun.

I presume there is no large puddle of oil under the car where you park it overnight?

No oil on the ground means you're burning it. Valve guides or rings could be the culprit but if you have a valve problem you could find all the lost oil in the inlet manifold. If you remove the airbox and look into the manifold, it may be oily but you should not be able to paddle in oil.

Is your coolant nice and clean (pink or blue) and not full of the missing oil (or gunge?)



Ralf S.
 
Previous owner told me he was using Ow40 so I have continued to use the same oil, coolant is pink, and no sign of oil or gunge, just like it was in the bottle. Also I have noticed once some blue smoke on start up, few seconds, but not seen again. Inside exhaust looks black... But no oil smell
 
Clean coolant is good.. it means head gasket is okay, and the oil is not in the radiator.

If the car is running okay (not lumpy) then it's probably safe to assume that your valves are not damaged.

Did I understand right that you put oil in there... it settles (give it 5 minutes) on MAX on the dipstick.. then you drive around a bit and the level falls below MIN on the dipstick?

So does the oil vanish immediately or does it gradually get lower after a few trips/over a few days?

You still could be burning it.. a thinner oil is more likely to leak past rings and valve guide seals etc.

What you can try to solve this question is to put a thicker oil in there. I'd be inclined to top up with 10W40 to see if that stops this "vanishing oil", or reduces the symptoms.

A puff of smoke on startup is usually a leaky valve guide seal rather than piston rings... Have a look at the spark plugs to see if one is more oily than the others.

Ralf S.
 
From driving the car daily id say no to been lumpy, I'd say it actually drives and pulls spot on, a little jerky first thing on a morning, but rest of day perfect.

Regarding the oil reading, no I've never seen oil on the dip stick, if you stop the engin and pull stick out its well covered but wipe and replace, then remove dry apart from where looks like scraped on way out of tube.

Would you dump and replace all the oil? Or just top up with different grade?
 
Your gambling with your engine driving it with no idea how much oil there is in it.
Why?

I bet you'll be recommended to top it up until it shows on the dipstick "because oil never hides", but you'll be the one paying if you blow your seals out by overfilling, or damage the engine from running to low on oil...

I've owned a few older Saab's that were notorious for sludge and crank breather related issues, but that doesn't mean other brands are immune.

When in doubt, dump the oil and measure what comes out, wasting a few litres of oil in a lot cheaper than engine damage...
 
Just as a silly question...

Have you got the correct dip-stick?

The dipstick is usuallyaround 5 - 10cm longer than the dipstick tube. If you rest the bottom of the dipstick on the base of the tube (it has a flange with a rubber seal where it attaches to the engine), how much dipstick do you have above the top of the tube?

Ralf S.
 
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