General 100HP drinking loads of oil

[robjnr]

Gotta disagree, always check oil when the engine is hot as said previously.

Fill to the max then run a car up to warm and you will be overfilled.

Its irrelevant whether its shows how much is in the sump when the engine is "coated" or whether the oil is thin. They are designed to be checked when level and cold, that is to say the manufacturer expected you to check it cold and so set the dipstick levels at the right height for cold oil in the morning. The correct amount is the max mark when level and cold, any higher and you risk problems, much lower and you risk bigger problems.

I know quite a few vans which will auto show you the level of the oil when you first turn the ignition. Now if your ment to check the oil when the engine is hot then why don't they show you the level when the oil gets to operating temperture??

 

[babbo_umbro]

Its irrelevant whether its shows how much is in the sump when the engine is "coated" or whether the oil is thin. They are designed to be checked when level and cold, that is to say the manufacturer expected you to check it cold and so set the dipstick levels at the right height for cold oil in the morning. The correct amount is the max mark when level and cold, any higher and you risk problems, much lower and you risk bigger problems.

I know quite a few vans which will auto show you the level of the oil when you first turn the ignition. Now if your ment to check the oil when the engine is hot then why don't they show you the level when the oil gets to operating temperture??

Yes.

 

[ivantate]

it of course doesnt have to be on max either.

always check cold then the maximum amount is in the sump, usually says check xold in the manual.

I know some bmws have to be run before checking but it does say this in the manual. The most difficult sequence for oil level check i know is the Aprillia RSV which is dry sump.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Gotta disagree, always check oil when the engine is hot as said previously.

Fill to the max then run a car up to warm and you will be overfilled.

I can't say myself or any garages fill engines with oil preheated to 70-90c when refilling after a service

 

[doctorchris]

I can't say myself or any garages fill engines with oil preheated to 70-90c when refilling after a service

Almost every garage that has performed an oil change for my cars has overfilled the sump to some degree. One of the reasons why I try to do my own servicing.

 

[LeanMeanRacing]

Personally, I check the level when cold.

However, at least you are checking the oil - how many 'non-enthusiast' motorists never even open the bonnet?

 

[306maxi]

Personally, I check the level when cold.

However, at least you are checking the oil - how many 'non-enthusiast' motorists never even open the bonnet?

rather......

Most owners of new cars simply don't give a ****, they're not going to keep the car beyong 3 years or so, so they don't want to spend any extra on the car and won't bother putting any oil in other than when they do the service which will invariably be right at the end of the interval.......

It's shocking how many cars which are only 4 or 5 years old which are driving around and sound like a bucket of bolts.....

 

[babbo_umbro]

Almost every garage that has performed an oil change for my cars has overfilled the sump to some degree. One of the reasons why I try to do my own servicing.

My favourite local garage always gets it right, but after the local Fiat service did the first annual service on the 100HP it was well below the mark - half way between max and min - one of the reasons why the recent second service wasn't done by the Fiat centre.

 

[yoshismart]

imho i dont think any car should be filled right up to the max mark. I believe it burns some of the oil off if filled to the max. I filled mine up to 3/4 and after a mad week high speed runs (cough) it had used quarter. That was last year and since then used none. Think the 1.4 fire engine uses oil more if you heavy foot it everywhere.
I chack my oil from cold for accurate reading btw.

lol i also CHECK my oil etc etc

 

[306maxi]

The max is the max level, if you fill it up to max it won't burn any extra oil.

 

[babbo_umbro]

Temperature is oil's worst enemy - if it's filled to the max, the temperature must surely be lower - both because there's more of it to absorb the engine's heating effect and because there'll be more cooling from the sump as there's a greater cooling area.

 

[yoshismart]

However oil pressure is also impertant due to it expanding. Also higher oil pressure surely.

 

[306maxi]

However oil pressure is also impertant due to it expanding. Also higher oil pressure surely.

?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

:yeahthat:

 

[yoshismart]

However oil pressure is also impertant due to it expanding. Also higher oil pressure surely.

Sorry early start this morning lol.

Imeant to say also the fact that the more oil you put in the higher the oil pressure. We all know that if the car is over filled with oil itll burn it off.

Also can kill the catalytic converter too.

I not saying that the max mark is toss. Its ther to make sure people over fill. Maybe its just that i was always told never to fill to the max mark.

 

[trackdayqueen]

I will top mine to the max, but if after a couple of months it's on 3/4, then I won't top it up until it's on around the 1/3rd mark. Reckon I top up just about 2 litres a year, so a litre every 6K, which isn't bad really.

 

[Oirish Kev]

Guys mine is coming up on 2 years old and seems to be drinking a lot of oil. 20k on the clock. The manual says to check it warm (after running leave 5 mins then check). How the hell can it be burning so much oil (1/4 in about 400 miles?) Where is the oil going?

 

[babbo_umbro]

The important thing is to read the level under constant conditions - cold after sitting overnight/five minutes after running - the difference between those conditions could be significant but if you always read the level the same way, you're getting a true picture of the drop in level. The absolute level's not critical so long as it's between the min and the max - though I'd always tend towards the max before long trip in hot weather, say - it's the difference over a number of miles.

If you're sure your level's moved a quarter of the way from max to min in 400 miles the oil's going somewhere. If the car's garaged overnight put some newspaper on the floor and look for signs of leakage; if it sits outside you could anchor some paper under the engine and gearbox with a couple of bricks. If it's not leaking, it's burning; either coming up past the piston rings or down past the valve stems. A compression test will probably tell you which - if you're losing compression it's the rings, if not it's the valves.

I'm still inclined to suspect the readings.

Are there any other symptoms - running hot, frothy oil on the underside of the oil filler cap, puffs of oil smoke when you accelerate after a period on the over-run, such as engine braking down a long hill?

 

[306maxi]

very good advice from mr babbo_Umbro there. I'd also suspect the readings as well.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

very good advice from mr babbo_Umbro there. I'd also suspect the readings as well.

Ditto.