This should depend on the oil pan capacity. Being at the low range of normal in a 7.3 diesel, Porsche or Mercedes is different then being a quart low in a car that holds less than 4 quarts. Oil absorbs a lot of heat, so if you are low on oil mass, you will drastically overheat the remaining oil. Keep smaller engines / lower capacity engines topped up. Larger you can let go, but I don't. If you are consuming that much oil (I had a ford 302 that drank a quart of straight 40 weight every other tank of gas)the oil is dealing with a whole lot of fuel, acid and carbon. Make up oil keeps the additives available to do their job. It isn't wasteful to keep it topped up in that case if you still plan on using the engine for a while.
you have to add a quart
- Thread starter BULLDOG221
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I'll top off as many times as it takes to get to change interval ... And that is not 3K.
The Kitacam is now using oil at a rate of 1qt/2k miles...I add @ 2 and 4k and then change it @ 6k (about 1 year these days).
I do a 5000 mile OCI. If it reached the low mark on the dipstick at, say, 4000 miles I'd put in 1/2 qt, just enough to keep it above min. and change at 5000.
I would hope that very few engines would need any adds on a 3K drain.
Add oil as needed when the dipstick is at the lower mark.
Dump in a quart and motor on.
You can think of each quart as adding maybe 20% to the length of the OCI.
Each quart replenishes the add pack, although by how much would depend upon capacity.
A quart in a large diesel isn't even enough to bother adding while a quart in a four quart or smaller sump makes a material difference.
Ideally, the oil change should be done when the oil is low.
No sense is wasting oil as cheap as it might be.
Add oil as needed when the dipstick is at the lower mark.
Dump in a quart and motor on.
You can think of each quart as adding maybe 20% to the length of the OCI.
Each quart replenishes the add pack, although by how much would depend upon capacity.
A quart in a large diesel isn't even enough to bother adding while a quart in a four quart or smaller sump makes a material difference.
Ideally, the oil change should be done when the oil is low.
No sense is wasting oil as cheap as it might be.
My Cadillac uses a quart every couple thousand miles. I just add. I found out where most of the oil being "consumed" was going so I addressed that. Most of it was going thru the PCV line to the intake. I installed a air/oil separator on the PCV line to capture that, and when one factors out that compared to the overall use, the engine wasn't really using much oil. So I just top it off and go to 5000 and change it.
Originally Posted By: MotoTribologist
I top off during intervals when needed. Oil consumption and oil degradation are not often linked in my experience. So why waste the remaining life of the unconsumed portion? I suppose the same argument could be made for the additional amount added (it wouldn't have gone through its own usable lifetime by the time one reaches the original drain interval) but my way makes sense to me, so that's what I do.
That's using your dipstick Jimmy!
Just in time for Saint Patrick's Day.
I top off during intervals when needed. Oil consumption and oil degradation are not often linked in my experience. So why waste the remaining life of the unconsumed portion? I suppose the same argument could be made for the additional amount added (it wouldn't have gone through its own usable lifetime by the time one reaches the original drain interval) but my way makes sense to me, so that's what I do.
That's using your dipstick Jimmy!
Just in time for Saint Patrick's Day.
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