Technical GP Sporting oil change less than a litre.

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Technical GP Sporting oil change less than a litre.

somesickjoke

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So I've just done a third oil drop in a month and half but finally got my old oil filter off. I'm a little concerned at how much oil didn't come out haha, the first two times I did it on a cold engine and then the last on a warm engine both only put out about a pint of oil not even a litre.

I'm just concerned to where the other two litres is, have I got sludge somewhere in my system I did buy engine flush but really don't want to use it. The oil before I dropped it was at the top of the oil dip stick.

I didn't even get a litre out I don't get it and my engine sounds like a diesel. Does sound like my bottom end as the noise is coming from the top. TiA
 
Hi [First_Name],

how much did you put back in after draining to reach the dip stick top mark ?
 
So you're telling us that the complete oil change including oil filter replacement is only one liter and your petrol engine sounds like a diesel from bottom-end but coming from the top !?

This last part is a bit confusing me...
BTW why don't you want to use the engine flush ?

Regards, Bernie
 
So you're telling us that the complete oil change including oil filter replacement is only one liter and your petrol engine sounds like a diesel from bottom-end but coming from the top !?

This last part is a bit confusing me...
BTW why don't you want to use the engine flush ?

Regards, Bernie

Yeah the noise was coming from the top, I'm assuming the lifters, but it's gone for now. I'm still concerned at the lack of oil that came out I know some sticks to the engine parts but surely not 2 litres. I've heard bad things about flushes so I'm a little scared. Tia
 

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Please humor me:
A stupid request: tell us how you usually check the oil level. (do not leave anything out).
 
Is it you own car from the beginning ?
Could it be that the disptick is a replacement one :-( ?? i.e; longer than the original ...

Rgds, Bernie
 
Well when I bought the car the one on it broke off as I pulled it out but luckily got the broken end out and the replacement looked the same and is the same length. I thought maybe it's leaking somewhere but surely if it's leaking the oil wouldn't stay the same on the dipstick.
 
A possibility is that prior to your ownership it has been neglected, no oil changes. Over a long time, old oil has turned to sludge, and your sump is mostly full of this. Luckily it does seem to drain through or past it.

Get the sump plug out again.
Poke around inside with a probe, like a bit of wire coat hanger. (Don't lose it inside)
I think you may find black goo.

If so, it will be gumming up all the oilways, restricting the supply to the top end. If you are only using a litre to lubricate the engine, that oil will work hard, and the engine will be wearing rapidly.

If it is that full of goo, it is dead. To properly renovate means sump off and clean out, crank bearings off to inspect, probably need new bearing shells at best, a crank grind or too far gone.
Then head needs to come off to clean out oilways, will probably need a new camshaft and followers, and they might be slack in their holes, so a new head needed.

Sorry to be all doom and gloom, but it is the most likely scenario from your description.

A replacemetn engine from a scrap car seems a good bet. Try to get one from as near identical year as poss, and from a Punto. Panda engine is tuned differently, later engines have more electronic control, etc.

Oh, and if posting any more pics, can you try to get them the right way up please. So much easier to view.
 
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A possibility is that prior to your ownership it has been neglected, no oil changes. Over a long time, old oil has turned to sludge, and your sump is mostly full of this. Luckily it does seem to drain through or past it.

Get the sump plug out again.
Poke around inside with a probe, like a bit of wire coat hanger. (Don't lose it inside)
I think you may find black goo.

If so, it will be gumming up all the oilways, restricting the supply to the top end. If you are only using a litre to lubricate the engine, that oil will work hard, and the engine will be wearing rapidly.

If it is that full of goo, it is dead. To properly renovate means sump off and clean out, crank bearings off to inspect, probably need new bearing shells at best, a crank grind or too far gone.
Then head needs to come off to clean out oilways, will probably need a new camshaft and followers, and they might be slack in their holes, so a new head needed.

Sorry to be all doom and gloom, but it is the most likely scenario from your description.

A replacemetn engine from a scrap car seems a good bet. Try to get one from as near identical year as poss, and from a Punto. Panda engine is tuned differently, later engines have more electronic control, etc.

Oh, and if posting any more pics, can you try to get them the right way up please. So much easier to view.

Well it was definitely neglected however he did but new oil in but no filter it looked to old, the spark plugs were old too even though he said he had changed them.

I'll do this next week and have a look I may order one of them probe cameras haha.

Do you think if it is gummed up a flush will do more harm than good.

I won't comment on the new parts as it is depressing me hahaha.

Anyway on another note if the dips tick is too long and hits the bottom of the sump surely as there is only an inch marker and I'm thinking it's full because it's at the top, in actual fact it isn't full because it isn't reading the level correctly. Does that make sense.

Thanks a lot buddy for the good reply hehe.
 
That's what I said with the dipstick length, don't you read our replies ?? :-(

FIRST: have (borrow) a dipstick from an EXACT SAME engine and compare with your current one. Probably one kind forumer can measure his properly .

THEN: it will be time to decide what to do...

BUT: as Nigel says, your engine is probably already badly dammaged (diesel sound) :-((

Regards, Bernie
 
Well it was definitely neglected however he did but new oil in but no filter it looked to old, the spark plugs were old too even though he said he had changed them.
He may well have changed the oil, but how much? This is long-term neglect, so may go back over several owners.
Do you think if it is gummed up a flush will do more harm than good.
It is likely well past that. A flush is supposed to remove light deposits, not a wheelbarrowful. It'll just clog the filter in a few hours, leaving the rest more mobile, but with nowhere safe to go.
Anyway on another note if the dips tick is too long and hits the bottom of the sump surely as there is only an inch marker and I'm thinking it's full because it's at the top, in actual fact it isn't full because it isn't reading the level correctly. Does that make sense.
Does the dipstick hit the bottom? Or does it sit in its tube properly? Finding another disptick from an identical engine is a good plan, but if different to yours, you then need to be sure which, if either is correct. So choice of comparison is critical. Check sump depth of yours and 'donor'.
The dipstick is never meant to reach the bottom, only needing to measure the top part of the contents. If you can straighten a coat hanger (Wire, not a wooden one), put it all the way down the dipstick hole until it hits the bottom and see what it brings up. Clean or goo? Insufficient oil is either wrong dipstick, or crap in the bottom. Need to start there.
If it has been run with insufficient oil for some time, it will always be noisy, although may be rescuable.
 
That's what I said with the dipstick length, don't you read our replies ?? :-(

FIRST: have (borrow) a dipstick from an EXACT SAME engine and compare with your current one. Probably one kind forumer can measure his properly .

THEN: it will be time to decide what to do...

BUT: as Nigel says, your engine is probably already badly dammaged (diesel sound) :-((

Regards, Bernie

Sorry buddy i thought i had actually replied yeah im gonna ring a friend she has a 07 starjet engine.

When you place the dipstick you can hear it tap somthing at the bottom. Thanks for the guys ill message back once i have tried the dipstick.
 
Sorry buddy i thought i had actually replied yeah im gonna ring a friend she has a 07 starjet engine.

When you place the dipstick you can hear it tap somthing at the bottom. Thanks for the guys ill message back once i have tried the dipstick.

good idea on comparing the lenghts of dipstick... I've never noticed one hitting anything at the end of it's travel.


I did once buy a car with 60k on it..
I suspect the 1st 55k were on the factory fill.... the top end ( around cams) was SOLID.. like a plant pot..:yuck:

start with the dipstick.. then worry about clogged=up areas..,

sounds like you've done several recent oil changes..was the oil looking black..?
Discoloured.. - or virtually "like new"..??

Charlie
 
good idea on comparing the lenghts of dipstick... I've never noticed one hitting anything at the end of it's travel.


I did once buy a car with 60k on it..
I suspect the 1st 55k were on the factory fill.... the top end ( around cams) was SOLID.. like a plant pot..:yuck:

start with the dipstick.. then worry about clogged=up areas..,

sounds like you've done several recent oil changes..was the oil looking black..?
Discoloured.. - or virtually "like new"..??

Charlie

Well it's been 3 days since changing what little oil I had haha and it's not turned black yet a nice golden colour the tapping went again. I'm wondering if I open up my old filter will give me an idea if it's clogged up. I'm still tempted to do a flush once the oil turns black again. I still feel 5w40 isn't the right oil for the starjet even though 3 car shops said it's 5w40 not 5w30. Thanks guys
 
Should have said the stick was hitting "something" at the bottom !! I'm now pretty sure it hits the sump bottom, which is NOT how it should and would explain why it maxes with one liter only !
Definitely need to find a correct length dipstick...
Hopefully your engine did not suffer too bad damages, did you have the oil pressure light coming up now and then ??

Regards, Bernie.
 
With the dipstick buddy.

I was asking to make sure you were testing with a hot engine, that has sat at least 5 minutes, AND that you wipe the dipstick before taking the measurement.
It was an honest question.
I saw a lot of people that don't know to wipe the dipstick, so they always have oil :bang::bang:.

The engine should be warmed up, to make sure all the oil passage ways are full (not that much oil, but 50-100ml can make the difference)


As others have said check the dipstick is the correct one.

If you say oil color is still "like new"-ish.. then i don't think you have any sludge....
If it turns out you do have sludge... before buying an engine try this ( nothing to loose at this point):
- use some diesel, pour it into the engine oil and let it sit like that for 2-3 days (don't drive it)... then drain it, replace oil and filter .. add correct amount. The diesel should start braking down the sludge.. but should not hurt the engine because diesel is basically a very thin oil, it provides some lubrication.
-do 3-4 oil changes a lot sooner like 3-5000km, each time use some engine flush.


I had an older Bravo 1.4 12v .. that i got with oil sludge problems, At one point the camshafts were running dry, engine was making an awful noise. With diesel, cheap oil and filters for 4-5 oil changes i cured it. Later the oil changes were at 15k km without any problems.
 
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