Holy crap i lost a lot of oil!!! Normal?
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Posts: 1,300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Holy crap i lost a lot of oil!!! Normal?
Honda says to check your oil level at every fill up, well i filled up for the 2nd time yesterday and i checked the oil and it went all the way from H to L in 229 miles! Is this normal?
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 1,731
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It isn't abnormal, especially if you have been to the track or staying in VTEC a lot. You may not use any more oil for a eight hundred miles, then use .5 liters in one tank of gas. Oil use stabilizes after the car has a few thousand miles on it.
#3
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 4,594
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
that sounds like a lot of oil loss. i have 9000 something on the odo and i loose about 1/2 qty of oil every oil change, which is about once every 2500 miles or so.
#4
Registered User
I think "H" to "L" is roughly a quart. One quart in 229 miles is quite a lot. Make sure your readings are accurate.
Everytime I check the oil, I do it 2 or 3 times. It can be tricky to get a good reading. The frontside and backside of the dipstick are usually one "x" off from each other for me. Also, I think engine oil temp plays a part in it. If the oil is extremely clean, it is also more difficult to read.
Everytime I check the oil, I do it 2 or 3 times. It can be tricky to get a good reading. The frontside and backside of the dipstick are usually one "x" off from each other for me. Also, I think engine oil temp plays a part in it. If the oil is extremely clean, it is also more difficult to read.
#6
You need to learn how to read you oil level......Wait ten or so minutes after you park the car then take a reading. Do it 3-4 times to get a good average. Dpending on whether your on the passenger or driver side is worth an X or two. There are 4 "X's an ">" and a "<". For a total of five X's....they total 1 US quarrt on US domestic cars......
Utah
Utah
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Austin
Posts: 417
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I get best results if either the car is cold (been sitting for hours), or has been busy for a while (over 1/2 hour of driving). The former is obvious, the latter is because the warmer oil drains fast (I used to use this trick all the time in my Civic to expidite oil changes). Most of my anomolous readings have been with less than 15 minutes of driving.
Oh, and make sure you check both sides of the dipstick. Only one side is any good on mine, the other side always gets an odd reading (I think it rubs up against something when I pull it out).
Oh, and make sure you check both sides of the dipstick. Only one side is any good on mine, the other side always gets an odd reading (I think it rubs up against something when I pull it out).
Trending Topics
#8
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Laurel
Posts: 2,708
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1. You took delivery March 2. Your oil consumption is the highest it will ever be (until your engine wears out.) I wouldn't worry about this consumption on a brand new engine.
2. It takes a good long while for the oil to drain back down. Could this be an explanation? I noticed you checked it at a fill-up. Screw what Honda says, you won't get an accurate reading after waiting only for a fill-up.
3. The dipstick is notoriously hard to read due to its location. You are supposed to look on both sides and use the lower side. Obviously this is not an explanation for your problem but the example of how hard the dipstick is to read is, perhaps, instructive.
Of course, if you continue to use a quart every 250 miles, you likely have a ring seating problem. My guess though, is that you don't have a problem and it's just a new engine.
Enjoy the car and let us know what happens.
2. It takes a good long while for the oil to drain back down. Could this be an explanation? I noticed you checked it at a fill-up. Screw what Honda says, you won't get an accurate reading after waiting only for a fill-up.
3. The dipstick is notoriously hard to read due to its location. You are supposed to look on both sides and use the lower side. Obviously this is not an explanation for your problem but the example of how hard the dipstick is to read is, perhaps, instructive.
Of course, if you continue to use a quart every 250 miles, you likely have a ring seating problem. My guess though, is that you don't have a problem and it's just a new engine.
Enjoy the car and let us know what happens.
#9
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Bay Area/LA
Posts: 1,347
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Damn that's a lot of oil ... I assume it's not entirely impossible or necessarily bad though. Just check your oil often and see how long this oil consumption persists.