Help with very odd (to me anyways) CR-V oil usage

[Jeepster_nut]

Hi, so I have an '08 CR-V EX-L 4WD with about 92000 90% highway/10% city miles. When I change the oil and filter I put the 5q jug in, with this much oil, the oil level is right at the second hole on the dipstick- which is full.

So after about 1500 to 2000 miles into the OCI the oil reading is now in between the first and second hole on the dipstick, so probably a half quart low or so.

Here's what stumps me, once I top it off to bring it up to the second hole again, it will remain at this level for the entire OCI- which for me is about 7500 miles.

Why on earth is it doing this? Its been this way since new no matter what oil brand I use. Note: I always use 5w-20 conventional. I am performing the checks in the morning after the car sits all night and it is garaged on a level concrete slab. No hills.

Any ideas?

 

[SF0059]

Are you priming the filter with oil? Also, are you running the car prior to checking the level?

Either of these could result in a drop in level with no actual "lost" oil.

 

[Schmoe]

Mine does the same....thing it's normal....there was a recall that flashed the computer. Did you get that done?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Is this on the first or second pull?

My Focus will appear dry on the first pull ... but on the second pull it's fine.

 

[Hokiefyd]

So if you drive the car and check it after 100 miles, it's full? But 2,000 miles later, it's down a quart? And if you fill it up and drive it another 5,500 miles, it stays full?

That's strange. I haven't seen that with our CR-V, which is identical to yours.

 

[dparm]

Check the manual for the correct dipstick-read procedure. Some companies want you to check it a few minutes after the car has been turned off, but others want you to check it when the car has been sitting for an extended period. Others will tell you to check it while the car is actually running.

 

[bigjl]

Another vote for the oil filter theory

Don't forget that oil does expand slightly when hot


My Jaguar only allows you to check the oil level on a hot engine that has been sat for more than 10 minutes.

It also has a suction pipe rather than a dipstick tube that goes right to the bottom of the sump.

Did a drain with a suction set up i bought and i got out 6.5 litres with a 6.6 litre capacity

 

[Jeepster_nut]

I prime the filter by filling it up while I'm working on the other stuff. Then when I'm ready to install the filter it usually needs more oil because the paper element has absorbed oil by that point.

The initial check is done the next day after having driven it around town a bit. The dipstick is pulled in the morning after the car has been sitting overnight. I check the first pull of the dipstick.

I had the vehicle in for the transmission recall where they needed to re-flash it, and they said they did all the applicable updates at that time. I assume that included the re-flash for the oil usage TSB.

 

[Cardenio327]

Maybe you're overfilling it when you change the oil? Amsoil lists the service fill as 4.4 qts. with filter change or 4.2 qts. without.

If I fill my Fit to the second hole on the dipstick it it does the same thing, about half a quart will disappear rapidly.

Check your owner's manual to see what the oil capacity really is.

 

[Kool1]

After you change the oil, do you tend to rev the motor in the higher rpm range? High rpm's can cause some oil loss.

 

[circuitsmith]

Do you run the motor at all between re-filling and checking?
When you drain the oil the pickup tube that runs from the screen to the pump empties out.
I think if you run the motor for a few seconds and shut it off, then wait 10 minutes, you'll see the level drop.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Jeepster_nut
The initial check is done the next day after having driven it around town a bit. The dipstick is pulled in the morning after the car has been sitting overnight. I check the first pull of the dipstick.


By driving the car after changing the oil, and then checking AFTER that, it removes all variables regarding oil filter priming or pickup tube emptying, etc. After having been run once, there should be no difference in 5 mile old oil or 5,000 mile old oil, at least as far as the level goes.

The only thing I would recommend is not checking the first pull of the dipstick. Pull it, wipe it clean, reinsert it, then pull it and read the level. I've found that some types of dipsticks tend to "wick" oil up the stick a little bit over time, making the first pull after many hours of sitting appear fuller than the sump really is. If you clean the stick, reinsert, and then check it, you also eliminate THAT variable. Being a completely smooth dipstick, our CR-V's dipstick doesn't seem to wick oil, but our Acura's dipstick is hatched, and it very much reads half a quart high on a check after sitting for many hours. The second pull is the correct level.

 

[circuitsmith]

I posted after reading only the OP, not the replies. My bad.

 

[Luber216]

Are you starting it before checking it after the oil and filter change? And 5 quarts would over fill it by slightly more than half a quart. On a side note, all Hondas from '06 to 'til present are factory filled with at least a synthetic blend oil. Personally I wouldn't trust conventional oil anywhere past 3000 miles