How much oil lost due to checking?

[21Rouge]

This site is crazy...crazy fun.

A friend of mine...ahem..ahem

checks his oil at least once a day.

How much oil would you figure is lost from the system in a month...say thirty times removing the dip stick, wiping the oil off and reinserting and finally removing to see the level?

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

About a quarter of an ounce?

 

[satterfi]

quote:

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Originally posted by Boxgrover:


A friend of mine...ahem..ahem

checks his oil at least once a day.

---

My pre-ride check for my bike does not include checking the oil.

Tire pressure, tire condition, chain slack, brake fluid, clutch fluid and a quick check of lever controls is all I do.

The oil level? OK, I check that before riding on a track. I also re-torque every fastener that could kill me if it came loose.

 

[ryansride2017]

None if you check it cold and put it back in the tube.

 

[Gary Allan]

(rubbing open hand on chin/cheek/beard area with keen look in eyes w/piercing glare at person asking question)

Hot or cold?

 

[Ray H]

"proud user of Supertech filters :^)"

Right on, Gary!

 

[Curious Kid]

Ah, ANY required make-up oil will help to revitalize the add pack!

 

[LarryL]

Why has someone not come up with an oil level gauge? If technology can put a man on the moon, why can we have an oil level gauge? I know there are some technical problems and it's not like a gas gauge, but there must be a way. Any ideals? Work something out and you could end getting your hands dirty and make a couple of million bucks.

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, here's how we solved this in a turbulent environment of our 30 foot vessels. We had "K-Ray®" radio sourced level indicators and they only regulated a 30 ft vessel to a one foot range. Very narrow to contol a vessel that was constantly recirculating 3500 gpm of liquour. So we got external sight glasses (like for a boiler except much longer and bigger) ..actually still wells ..that had a magnetic floating dil#o in it. The sensor outside it read where the float was and transmitted the data to the GEnius® blocks so we could read the data in the offic/control room.

So for probably for a few $$$ our fine manufacturers could integrate something like this into the engine without too much trouble.

 

[TallPaul]

Well, the dipstick is an analog gauge, and I like it because I am absolutely certain that there is enough oil when I use the dipstick. However, if it had a sight glass, I might just lay off the dipstick.

Now my wife's Aerostar 3.0 V6 also has a sensor in the pan that turns on a light when the oil level gets too low and I suppose a series of these sensors (motorhome water, sewage, and propane tanks have this) could light up indicators on the dashboard to tell you when you are half quart, one quart, and one and a half quarts low, or something like that.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

"proud user of Supertech filters :^)"

Right on, Gary!"
------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, if you can still find them.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by LarryL:
Why has someone not come up with an oil level gauge? If technology can put a man on the moon, why can we have an oil level gauge?

---

Some cars have them. My Dad's 1952 Jaguar XK120 did. It also held about the same amount of oil as a medium sized oil tanker.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by TallPaul:
Well, the dipstick is an analog gauge, and I like it because I am absolutely certain that there is enough oil when I use the dipstick. However, if it had a sight glass, I might just lay off the dipstick.

---

One of the difficulties with a sight glass is that it will be even further from the center of the oil pan than the dipstick, so it will be more susceptable to errors from to parking on surfaces other than on a pool table.

 

[eljefino]

Depending on your stick design, you can let the oil drain overnight and pull the stick straight out.

Don't wipe it; the "first pull" would be accurate. Stick it back down and you've lost nothing. Confirm your reading the first time you try this by wiping and reinserting. Some vehicles work great for this and some don't.

This works best with sticks that are, well, sticks, not contrived loops of spring steel that bend on the way down.

 

[sjlee]

quote:

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Originally posted by LarryL:
Why has someone not come up with an oil level gauge? If technology can put a man on the moon, why can we have an oil level gauge? I know there are some technical problems and it's not like a gas gauge, but there must be a way. Any ideals? Work something out and you could end getting your hands dirty and make a couple of million bucks.

---

Well, some motorcycles have a sightglass to check the oil level, but I doubt if that would work on a car very effectively. There is always the oil pressure gauge, but of course, once that comes on, it's probably too late.

Even if you check your oil daily (and wipe off the dipstick), I really doubt that any loss would be a noticeable amount before your next oil change. I bet it's even less than .25 oz.

By the way, your "friend" might have a bit of OCD if he's checking the oil level that much over the course of a year. I can understand if he's worried about oil consumption, but to check it every day (multiple times) is a bit excessive (IMHO).

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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By the way, your "friend" might have a bit of OCD if he's checking the oil level that much over the course of a year. I can understand if he's worried about oil consumption, but to check it every day (multiple times) is a bit excessive (IMHO).

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You make that sound like such a bad thing.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gary Allan:

quote:

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By the way, your "friend" might have a bit of OCD if he's checking the oil level that much over the course of a year. I can understand if he's worried about oil consumption, but to check it every day (multiple times) is a bit excessive (IMHO).

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You make that sound like such a bad thing.

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He's qualified to join BITOG.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by LarryL:
There is another way to track the oil level. There is a red light on the dash. When it starts blinking, during braking, for example, you will know it's time to add oil. At that point you can stop by your favorite grocery store and buy a couple of quarts of oil, top it off in the parking lot and be on your way. You don't have to touch that dip stick, just pour two quarts in and you're done. Just make sure that the bottle says 'motor oil', we wouldn't want to accidently screw up our engine.

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Let's not forget that when filling ones engine with oil in a parking lot that it's tradition to spill a generous amount on the ground. He should start with three quarts to be sure at least 2 get in the engine.

 

[Big O Dave]

How many times per day do you wash your hands (pick the closest one)?

A. 3
B. 6
C. 9
D. 25
E. 47

Depending upon your answer, we'll gain some insight into your oil level checking habits.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

An 1/4 of an ounce loss seems like alot. That would be a real deep oil pan with a long dipstick.

I'll bet my GM 3.5 L5 only loses a 1/12th of an ounce tops... that's a generous guess. From "Add" to "Full" is comprises less than one inch. I would have to rag-check that dipstick all day long to use a quart of oil. If I did it once everyday, it would take approximently two years.