At what point do you top-off?

[martyi]

My vehicle is new and does not use oil. The OLM will probably not indicate an OC due until 7000 miles or so and I figure the oil consumption, if any, would be slight even up to that mileage.

But lets say your vehicle does use a little oil between OCIs. When do you add oil? Do you top-off when the dip stick shows 1/2 qt. low? Or do you wait until it is a full qt. low? I assume there is no problem with it being a tad low between OCIs but I would think you need to do something at the 1/2 qt. level (unless you plan on changing oil real soon). What do you all think and at what point do you top-off?

 

[55Test]

I'm a tad obsessive and I check my dipstick every 2-3 days, and if it's below full at all, even just a tiny bit, I'll top off. I haven't checked mine in a few days, so I should do it today sometime.

 

[Spector]

HA, for me it is 2 ounces. Yep, I check that often and know the dipsticks on all my vehicles to the point I can tell 2 ounces low on all of them.

 

[oiler]

Personally just add when it gets HALF a quart . Oiler

 

[texasproud]

Wait til your oil pressure light flickers during a hard left....

Seriously... 1/2 qt or it's not worth cleaning the funnel.

 

[Thatwouldbegreat]

Check regularly..every few tankfuls.

Not every morning like the old days.

If the dipstick is down, I'll check again later to make sure it is an accurate measurement.

I'll top off if the dipstick is down 3 ounces.

Most of the vehicles run Redline or Mobil 1 and consumption is very low...with Redline it is often near zero.

 

[Eddie]

If I have an oil change coming up soon I'd wait IF it above the add line. All other cases I would usual do it when the level falls to about 1/2 quart. The ADD line is not low as the oil level is within the "safe area" My own vehicle with 98,000 miles uses only a measured 4-6 oz per 5,000 mile oil change so my advice is only my opinion. Enjoy your new vehicle. ed

 

[Al]

I like to see it at the full mark. Neither vehicle uses oil to speak of. But when I had a vehicle that used some oil, I would add it when it got say 1/4 from the top line. I usually have the level above the top line just a tad.

 

[Tim]

I keep mine at the full mark. I check at least every week or roughly 250 miles. Very obsessive considering I have an 8 quart system. But it keeps me out of trouble and off the streets

 

[Bill in Utah]

For me if it's down, it depends on how much total does the outfit hold?

For my Toyota, it's almost 4 qts so 1/2 a quart would be a lot of the total amount. So if it is down a little on the dipstick (about 1/8 to 1/4 of a inch)I would fill it right away. That amounts to maybe 2-3 oz.

The last oil that that engine consumed was Mobil 1. The Castrol oils seem now not to burn off.

On my truck, it does not use any, but since it holds 6 qts, a 1/2 would not matter as much.

I also agree if its getting close to the oil change, I've in the past let it go lower than if it was at 1k mark...

Luckly, all the outfits I work on for the family don't burn enough oil in 4-5k to have to top off.

Like others here, I check the oil every week on the Toyota since it's driven about 600 miles a week and the Truck every month since it maybe sees 500 miles in a month.

If the level is low, I add to the top.

Take care, Bill

 

[Cutehumor]

every 500 or so miles. before and after a road trip

 

[Ken42]

Every Morning sometimes every other month just the mood I am in. But cause of the problems with my engine..... head gasket failure I am checking more for signs of moisture then oil level. Current run has Red Line and at 2000 miles no oil used.

Ken

Or it is being replaced by water!!!!

 

[W.T.McGlynn]

I have a 02 Camry @ 7,500
& a 99 Tacoma @ 66,700
Both are 4 bangers.
Have never been off the full mark.
Both have the Rx maint (3oz.)
Could be because they are not driven
that much.When changing oil I always
drain off one qt.and flush with one qt.of disel.Have been doing this on all my cars for about ten years.
The oil(Chevron 5/30) always looks
golden honey.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

 

[LarryL]

I check everything on a two week cycle, air, oil, belts and other fluids. I think it helped earlier this summer. My 03 4Runner had a nail in the tire, that I did not notice. During the tire pressure check it read 18 psi and looked only slightly low. Normal is 36 psi. I was leaving on a trip the next day. I was able to drive to the tire store and get it patched, a lot better than on the side of the road. So, if I think about cutting back, I just remember that nail. Oh, the oil gets topped up to exactly the full mark, no matter what.

 

[97f150]

Whenever I gas up I check fluids and top any that are low off.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I've got my oil usage on each vehicle down to a science. One uses a half-quart every 700 miles ... the other a half-quart synthetic after 3500 miles. The third vehicle uses none for the entire OCI of 6K.

 

[opus1]

Depends, but I generally don't let it get below halfway in the "acceptable" range.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I hit it at 1/2q low. It's convenient and I can always dump the remainder of a quart into it if it goes over the mark a hair, no problem....I don't have to or like to hang onto bottles with less than 1/2 quart. My Honda manual says check oil every fil-up, yikes.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I like that half quart business. I've always liked that half quart business.

 

[97tbird]

roughly every 2 weeks i check the level. Probably too often, but better than being too seldom, I guess.

if it's below max. by ANY amount, I top it off.
(last OCI, I didn't see any usage for the last 4k of the OCI).