Originally Posted by Eddie
+1 demarpaint. Ed
+1 demarpaint. Ed
I put in 2 1/2 qts, damage?
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My aunt would run her 3L Caravan until the lifters started making noise and then she would add 3 quarts of oil. It would be off the dipstick at this point. She drove it for years like that.
I'm not suggesting this be a regular occurrence but it didn't seem to harm my aunts van that was a chronic oil burner.
I'm not suggesting this be a regular occurrence but it didn't seem to harm my aunts van that was a chronic oil burner.
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Most engines from which I have removed the oil pan have the pickup pretty low; I'm willing to bet all of them would run on one quart.
When we change the engine in my pickup, we didn't realize the oil cooler was bad. Within 100 miles it pumped 5 quarts out of 6.5 into the coolant. No damage from that. And my parents had a 2008 Wrangler that they didn't realize was an oil burner until I checked the oil on it one day. I ended up putting in 3 or 4 quarts to get it to read on the dip stick.
When we change the engine in my pickup, we didn't realize the oil cooler was bad. Within 100 miles it pumped 5 quarts out of 6.5 into the coolant. No damage from that. And my parents had a 2008 Wrangler that they didn't realize was an oil burner until I checked the oil on it one day. I ended up putting in 3 or 4 quarts to get it to read on the dip stick.
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted by ekpolk
EDIT: I know, I know, I shouldn't admit this on BITOG, but I occasionally do the "extra quart purge" when I change oil. After I drain the sump, and before removing the filter, I replug the sump, add a quart of fresh oil, and start it. Pressure comes up just like it does with a full fill, and I let it run for ~15-20 seconds, then shut off, redrain, and do the filter. I do this less often now, especially since oil has gotten so expensive. But if I have an extra quart. . . Point is, even with only one quart on board, OP rises like normal. Of course, I would NEVER drive the car this way.
That's the old Patman flush!
EDIT: I know, I know, I shouldn't admit this on BITOG, but I occasionally do the "extra quart purge" when I change oil. After I drain the sump, and before removing the filter, I replug the sump, add a quart of fresh oil, and start it. Pressure comes up just like it does with a full fill, and I let it run for ~15-20 seconds, then shut off, redrain, and do the filter. I do this less often now, especially since oil has gotten so expensive. But if I have an extra quart. . . Point is, even with only one quart on board, OP rises like normal. Of course, I would NEVER drive the car this way.
That's the old Patman flush!
Originally Posted by Patman
. . .
That's the old Patman flush!
Why yes -- I had almost forgotten! Old times. . .
. . .
That's the old Patman flush!
Why yes -- I had almost forgotten! Old times. . .
Took some heat for buying a Hertz car, but at least there was oil in it. Had some leftover Buick Encore air and cabin filters and asked a resident of my girlfriend's condo if the was interested in them for their car. Said he didn't need any such things (insert "because I'm leasing this thing and I really don't care" here).
With so many accounts of engines getting severely low on oil and still running fine, I don't understand keeping the oil level perfectly at the FULL mark. Nearly every owner's manual says anywhere between ADD and FULL is just fine, with a few exceptions for severe service (racing, towing/hauling, etc.) Yet lots of people will crack a new container just to add a few ounces when the level dips slightly below the full mark LOL. I have run many full OCIs with the oil level just barely above the ADD mark (approx 4.3 quarts running in a 5.5 quart capacity sump).
DGXR: I think it's situational, as your post suggests. For years, I ran my old Prius with the oil about 1/3 up from the fill line because someone had done some tracking and found that that resulted in fractionally better mileage. If true, that's probably a result of slightly less incidental frothing and splashing impinging upon bottom of the spinning crank, but who knows. . . Later, I just found it easier to fill and forget. I never noticed a difference in fuel burn.
There is one situation, though, where as "full as is safe" sump is a distinct advantage. That would be with the onset of a leak or consumption. If an engine starts losing oil for whatever reason, it's only x amount of time until it goes critical. The more oil you have on board, the larger the number x is.
And beside all that, this is BITOG. You won't find many folks here who either tolerate or shoot for "minimum acceptable," at least regarding oil use. Nope, I want to do the best I can for my engine. That said, you are essentially correct. Your engine is very unlikely to explode the moment the meniscus backs down a half-millimeter from the FULL mark.
There is one situation, though, where as "full as is safe" sump is a distinct advantage. That would be with the onset of a leak or consumption. If an engine starts losing oil for whatever reason, it's only x amount of time until it goes critical. The more oil you have on board, the larger the number x is.
And beside all that, this is BITOG. You won't find many folks here who either tolerate or shoot for "minimum acceptable," at least regarding oil use. Nope, I want to do the best I can for my engine. That said, you are essentially correct. Your engine is very unlikely to explode the moment the meniscus backs down a half-millimeter from the FULL mark.
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He's clueless, PhD in Economics, 3.8l engine. I'm sure this is not the first time.
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted by DGXR
With so many accounts of engines getting severely low on oil and still running fine, I don't understand keeping the oil level perfectly at the FULL mark. Nearly every owner's manual says anywhere between ADD and FULL is just fine, with a few exceptions for severe service (racing, towing/hauling, etc.) Yet lots of people will crack a new container just to add a few ounces when the level dips slightly below the full mark LOL. I have run many full OCIs with the oil level just barely above the ADD mark (approx 4.3 quarts running in a 5.5 quart capacity sump).
You're right, it probably doesn't matter much in the long run to your engine life whether you always run it at the full mark or always run it at the low mark. The engineers have figured out that's pretty much the safe zone and even if you were to go a half quart over or a half quart low in most cases you could still be in the safe zone. But I do prefer to run mine at the full mark or even slightly over, as I feel this will keep oil temperatures a tiny bit lower when driven hard in hot weather (and even then it might not make a hill of beans difference, it's just a feel good thing) One instance where it might be more beneficial to run it at the lower end would be if you are doing more short trips in cold weather, as I think having less oil in the sump means it gets up to temperature slightly quicker. (and again, it might not make a huge difference there either, but it's also more of a feel good thing)
With so many accounts of engines getting severely low on oil and still running fine, I don't understand keeping the oil level perfectly at the FULL mark. Nearly every owner's manual says anywhere between ADD and FULL is just fine, with a few exceptions for severe service (racing, towing/hauling, etc.) Yet lots of people will crack a new container just to add a few ounces when the level dips slightly below the full mark LOL. I have run many full OCIs with the oil level just barely above the ADD mark (approx 4.3 quarts running in a 5.5 quart capacity sump).
You're right, it probably doesn't matter much in the long run to your engine life whether you always run it at the full mark or always run it at the low mark. The engineers have figured out that's pretty much the safe zone and even if you were to go a half quart over or a half quart low in most cases you could still be in the safe zone. But I do prefer to run mine at the full mark or even slightly over, as I feel this will keep oil temperatures a tiny bit lower when driven hard in hot weather (and even then it might not make a hill of beans difference, it's just a feel good thing) One instance where it might be more beneficial to run it at the lower end would be if you are doing more short trips in cold weather, as I think having less oil in the sump means it gets up to temperature slightly quicker. (and again, it might not make a huge difference there either, but it's also more of a feel good thing)
Originally Posted by 69Torino
Originally Posted by eljefino
It was half full and now is full. It's okay.
There was an ad for castrol syntec where they drained an engine, put one lonely quart in, then bombed around a race track. It did fine.
Your friend should only be concerned if cornering forces uncovered his oil pickup-- some cars are sensitive to this. However, we typically coast through corners so it wouldn't be a huge load on unlubricated parts.
The oil pickup is pretty low down in the pan and covered even in very sub-optimal conditions.
My Neon would do that with a hard turn. With a full sump of oil. It had Mopar high rate springs and big sway bars though, and was on Falken Azeni's. Thanks for the memories.
To the OP;
You did a good deed. Enjoy your karma.
Sounds like the old Dodge SRT-4. I had an 03
Originally Posted by eljefino
It was half full and now is full. It's okay.
There was an ad for castrol syntec where they drained an engine, put one lonely quart in, then bombed around a race track. It did fine.
Your friend should only be concerned if cornering forces uncovered his oil pickup-- some cars are sensitive to this. However, we typically coast through corners so it wouldn't be a huge load on unlubricated parts.
The oil pickup is pretty low down in the pan and covered even in very sub-optimal conditions.
My Neon would do that with a hard turn. With a full sump of oil. It had Mopar high rate springs and big sway bars though, and was on Falken Azeni's. Thanks for the memories.
To the OP;
You did a good deed. Enjoy your karma.
Sounds like the old Dodge SRT-4. I had an 03
You guys all missed the biggest issue here. Viscosities and brands were probably mixed. It's sure to lock up now.........
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