nicholasbartleet

I have had some long standing engine problems, usually on cold start which i thought i had fixed, but alas they returned.

I Just did an oil change. The oil level was bang on perfect at the Max level on the dipstick. I checked it about eight times, draining and topping up untill it was perfect.

I started the engine, and it does its usually spluttering at cold start. I turn it off, and check the oil level straight away, and the oil level has dropped to 2 notches above Low, and the oil on the dipstick is full of tiny air bubbles. Its basically full of air.

Does anyone know what could cause the oil level to drop and fill the oil with air, and then once the car has sat, the oil level rises back up to max and the air bubbles dissapear?

s2kobsession

if you measure right after you turn off the car, there is oil that was just sprayed in the engine (removed from the oil pan) so obviously your dipstick reading (from the oil pan) is going to be lower until the oil falls back down to the pan again. As for bubbles... no clue on that one.

metros

If you had just changed your oil then your intial measurements didn't take into account the oil that would be absorbed by filter. It's surprising how much that can absorb. I always fill it before installing and sometimes it'll take a half quart of oil before no longer absorbing.

nicholasbartleet

Yes, I can imagine it dropping a bit becuase of the oil running back down into the pan, but it seemed excessive, especially combined with the air bubbles.

The oil filter was not changed. It wasn't time for a propper oil change, but i wanted to check if there was any debris in the oil after finding a small piece of rubber in the vtec solenoid mesh filter. The oil was dark, but clean and no sign of rubber.

These are not just a few bubbles, but a lot.... like a sticky fizzy drink!
The car suffers from this surging and clicking problem on cold start and i'm still hunting to find the cause.

nicholasbartleet

I suppose the most noticable symptom I have is: when the throttle is pressed and the engine is still cold, the revs drop and the engine boggs and has no power. You can't get the car to move unless you wait a min or two. Then it runs fine.

haywoodjablome

And the compulsive - obsessive award goes to ..........................

Fast Jack

I heard years ago that if u over fill a diff, that it will whip the gear oil it into a milkshake.I'd seen gear oil that looked this way before but didn't know why at the time.It may be true.Not sure in your case but makes me wonder.What weight oil are u using?

nicholasbartleet

hah. I'm sure anyone here would be feeling a litle OCD if they had had 6 months of diagnosis and engine componenet replacememnt and not fixed the problem. My aim was trying to get it absoluteley perfect which is difficult when the oil is so clear becuase its hard to see where the level is.

The oil is Motul 8100 X-cess 5W-40 Fuly Synthetic.

rob-2

How much oil are you putting into the car?

Is the car cold and level when you first check your oil?