zeroptzero

oh my bad, I read the post wrong. I thought you hadn't bothered to top off the oil due to excesive tickets, hence my cost remark. Sorry I will amend my reply. My apologies. Sometimes I read through things a bit too fast.

f20kills

That's reallynot that low. One quart low is (which you were) is nothing to get worried about.

xviper

I'll repeat what's already been said. That is NOT dangerously low. I've seen S2000's drive around where the owner had to put in over 3 qts of oil when he got around to checking it. (This thing takes 5.5 to 6 qts.) As long as you've got adequate oil pressure, you've got some oil going to all the parts. So long as you aren't revving the crap out of it and running it for long stretches at high rpm and in extremely hot conditions, no harm should come. Oil not only lubricates, but it cools.
What would happen under very low oil conditions? Since you worry about being just a bit over 1 qt down, it would appear as though you are the paranoid type. Do you really want to know what could go wrong? Just be thankful you caught it well within time and give your teddy bear a big hug and kiss and call it a day.

swinky

If vtec was engaging you should be alright. Vtec engaged in mine until around 3 qts low then spun the rod bearing the next day. You're alright.

zeroptzero

slightly below the last X (it's a diamond shape really but who cares) is not really danger territory, it is usually well below the L mark that can get you into trouble combined with hard driving conditions.

To answer your question, in a worst case scenario the first items that culd be damaged would be the rod bearings, followed by scuffed cylinders and main bearings generally speaking, but every case is different and you often don't get immediate signs of damage until later down the road. In my case I got damaged main bearings and scuffed cylinders but the rod bearings were decent, so not every case is the same. That's why a used oil analysis is worth the effort, it can give you some immediate peace of mind.

s2jay again

by the last x i mean the lowest one! it was under that one!

4forall

What everyone is saying is from the bottom of the lowest X to the top of the highest X (diamonds i know). Its only 1 quart of oil difference. So if you were below the bottom X then you were slightly over a quart low. Which everyone here agrees is no big deal. Just keep a watchful eye on it from now on.

xviper

It is common knowledge throughout the automotive world that the "hash" marks on a crankcase oil dipstick represents 1 qt (or 1L), regardless of make or model of car. From time to time, a newb comes along and thinks that each "X" (or diamond) represents 1 qt and proceeds to add 1qt for every "X" there is from the top (full) mark. After about the second or third qt, he begins wonder why oil is overflowing out the fill hole, but doesn't worry about it. "It needs 4 qts, so it's gonna get 4 qts. If it starts to overflow, that must mean it's topped up." They then put the cap on and proceed to drive away.
........... KAA CHINNGGGGGGGGG!