2004 Honda Civic W/ M1 0W-20: 1/2 quart low @ 5,000 miles.

[rekced]

Hi everyone,

My wife's car is on its second oil change and lube guy said the level was 1/2 a quart low after 5,000 miles. I looked at the dipstick beforehand and didn't notice it being low; the oil was right where it should be when it's cold.

Here's a little history on the car:

1.) Drove 5,000 miles on the factory oil to give it a proper break on. Never took it over 4,000rpm.

2.) Changed at 5,000 to mobil 1 0W-20.

3.) Changed the oil yesterday @ 10,000 and was told it's 1/2 quart low.

This whole thing really threw me off because her old '93 Civic (200,000+ miles) could go 7,000 miles on 5W-30 without losing a single drop. The car also got 50mph (call b.s. if you want, I don't care.. It's true) This new Civic only gets about 37mpg.


I'd like to know what you guys think about this brand new engine losing half a quart of oil. How weird.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

P.S. I know this is really bad, but I let her have the oil changed at Jiffy Lube. With our current lifestyle we just don't have an option.. Either we pay someone else to do it or it won't get done. I don't have the time or the space..

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Well If you looked at the dipstick before hand and it looked good and the jiffy lube dude said it was half a quart low, Who are you going to believe? The lubrication expert at Jiffy Lube or your lying eyes??

I think even if you are losing half a quart in 5k miles you are doing very good. Though the fact that your losing oil is debateable. I think you have little to worry about with 5k mile intervals.

 

[rekced]

Thanks for the reply..

By the time the car hits 20K I would like to figure out what's going on and move the intervals up to 10,000+. I feel like it's silly to change more often than that w/ today's motors and oil technology.

Any suggestions? I've thought about doing it myself next time and double checking the levels. If it comes up low, I might consider a 0W-30. What do you think?

 

[Al]

I would think in your climate the 20 wt. would be fine-especially in winter. 0W-30 would be O.K. too. I'll bet since you checked it cold it was probably fine.

 

[rekced]

Btw- I was going to ask is anyone knew Jiffy Lube's procedure for determining if the oil level is low. Do they drain and measure it or just go off their opinion/judgement? A half a quart seems like enough that it would show on the dipstick. When it was cold the oil went up the the "full" mark on the dipstick. If it were actually a half quart low, where would it be?

[ March 27, 2005, 07:32 PM: Message edited by: rekced ]

 

[rekced]

As I'm sitting here thinking about it, they could have easily filled it until the dipstick said full w/ a dry filter. Or perhaps he's just a moron. There's too many variables.

 

[Bob Miller]

If they didn't wait about 10 minutes for all the oil to flow back to the bottom, it would read somewhat low.

How much low depends on the engine and oil.

I suspect your eyes are best

 

[LSVTEC 91 Civic]

10k miles on M1??? Poor honda.

 

[ruking77]

I am pushing 8k on my 2004 and am still on the OEM fill till 10,000 miles. At that time I will switch to Mobil One 0w20. Just a little movement on the dipstick, from when it was delivered new. (app 1/16 to less than 1/8 in movement)

I think if you followed the oil dipstick check procedure as recommended in the owners manual, I would be more inclined to believe YOU. So if 1/2 quart is halfway between the hash marks- not to worry. New engines during break in, as a rule will tend to use a tad bit of oil. But from your description it seems more like measurement error. The best accuracy is to measure the same place and way EVERY TIME. It seems like the more newly designed engines seem to hold back a portion of oil given the way the oem owners manual tries to make rocket science out of a previously no brainer measurement. This is true on 3 of my 5 current vehicles.

[ March 27, 2005, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: ruking77 ]

 

[airbus]

I would be inclined to belive myself versus Jiffy Lube technician. I always check my oil level cold,first thing in the morning. Make sure your car is fairly level when you check it. My car has 170,000 miles on it and it consumes about 1/2 quart per 5000 miles.

 

[buster]

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=005339#000021

Oil levels can vary if your not checking it when cold and on level ground.

 

[rekced]

I thought checking oil level on level ground was common sense, esp on an oil forum.

 

[Mamala Bay]

My oil level is different at cold temp and at hot. It's almost or less than 1/2 quart difference. Also your oil filter may have a play on here too. If some drains back into the engine when it finally gets at cold temp, reading will be different. Best to check when engine is cold for accurate readings.

 

[airbus]

Forgot to mention that I also drive the latest generation Honda Civic (2001) and use Mobil 1 0w20 oil. My car has 170,000 miles on it and consumes 1/2 quart per 5000 miles. Having said this,my car only recently started to consume oil. I am going to Auto RX my engine to see if it makes a difference. Your car should not be consuming that much oil if its new.

 

[VTEC01EX]

Like airbus, I also have a 2001 Civic. I ran my last fill of Mobil 1 0w20 for 6K fairly hard miles, and the level didn't move at all. Just a few days ago I switched to the "new" Mobil 1 5w20, and so far so good there. I've got 42K miles now, and left the original oil in the car till 5K. I bet the guy at Jiffy Lube was on crack. BTW - find a friend with a nice garage, bring him a six pack, and then change your oil real quick while he's not looking

 

[mechtech]

I'll bet the guy didn't wait long enough before checking it - you gotta give it some time to drain down back into the pan.

 

[ruking77]

I just passed 10,000 miles on my 2004 Honda Civic. I also did the 10k OCI.

Two things of note:

1. oem 5w20 fill was almost honey colored.

2. fuel mileage increased to 40 mpg.

I did go to the Mobil One 0w20. If folks are interested, I will report the new fuel mileage. We use the Civic on a very procedural daily commute of 50 R/T.