Why have to wait to add oil until at tbottom line?
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Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Because it's not needed and the auto makers don't want you to feel like you must add oil if it only needs 1/2 a pint. That and they don't trust the average person to not overfill the engine with oil. Me? If it's 1/2 way between the full and the add mark, I'm adding oil.
Yip!!
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Because it's not needed and the auto makers don't want you to feel like you must add oil if it only needs 1/2 a pint. That and they don't trust the average person to not overfill the engine with oil. Me? If it's 1/2 way between the full and the add mark, I'm adding oil.
Yip!!
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
2.9 QT sump on a nissan.
1 qt is 33% of capacity.
Those remaining 2 qts are going to be working hard.
1 qt is 33% of capacity.
Those remaining 2 qts are going to be working hard.
Originally Posted By: Linctex
I'm also in the camp of "1/2 way down, add 1/2 quart"
Exactly. Their wording probably makes sense for most, though. When we ran the taxi fleet, you'd have some drivers who would never add unless you made them, and we had other drivers trying to figure out how to add half a pint to the stupid things, which was obviously way picky.
For me, if it's floating somewhere between the two lines, I'm happy. The dipstick isn't that precise or crucial of a measure that I have to be worried about a sixteenth of an inch low while still within the "safe" range, or aim exactly for the top marking at an OCI.
Jetronic's point is well taken, too. Simplify it for the general public. Filling 1 litre or quart from a sealed bottle is better than dumping in a half litre of what turns out to be power steering fluid in a re-purposed oil bottle.
I'm also in the camp of "1/2 way down, add 1/2 quart"
Exactly. Their wording probably makes sense for most, though. When we ran the taxi fleet, you'd have some drivers who would never add unless you made them, and we had other drivers trying to figure out how to add half a pint to the stupid things, which was obviously way picky.
For me, if it's floating somewhere between the two lines, I'm happy. The dipstick isn't that precise or crucial of a measure that I have to be worried about a sixteenth of an inch low while still within the "safe" range, or aim exactly for the top marking at an OCI.
Jetronic's point is well taken, too. Simplify it for the general public. Filling 1 litre or quart from a sealed bottle is better than dumping in a half litre of what turns out to be power steering fluid in a re-purposed oil bottle.
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
Taxi drivers trying to do that daily was nutty.
With the old LTD, I'd keep at least two or three quarts in the trunk, knowing they'd be used. Highway trips were atrocious, and thank heaven that thing never came with a cat, because it never would have lasted.
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
Taxi drivers trying to do that daily was nutty.
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
That's exactly how my 04 F150 was. It would be down to slightly above the add mark 500 miles after an oil change. Then would stay there for 2500-3000 miles.
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
That's exactly how my 04 F150 was. It would be down to slightly above the add mark 500 miles after an oil change. Then would stay there for 2500-3000 miles.
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
Taxi drivers trying to do that daily was nutty.
With the old LTD, I'd keep at least two or three quarts in the trunk, knowing they'd be used. Highway trips were atrocious, and thank heaven that thing never came with a cat, because it never would have lasted.
In a case like a taxi driver I can see your point. Me, I figure if the hood is open and I have the oil, why not? Either way isn't going to hurt anything as long as the oil level is in the safe range.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Same here. I've often added half a pint if I had the hood up and was checking the oil and it was a bit low. That hasn't happened in a long while since I got rid of my beater Aerostar.
Taxi drivers trying to do that daily was nutty.
In a case like a taxi driver I can see your point. Me, I figure if the hood is open and I have the oil, why not? Either way isn't going to hurt anything as long as the oil level is in the safe range.
Originally Posted By: Wheel
I'm torn on this for one reason. Is it likely that the dipstick lines are non linear and you'd end up over or underfilling ?
Dipstick readings are linear because oil pans are linear in the section where the oil level is read.
I'm torn on this for one reason. Is it likely that the dipstick lines are non linear and you'd end up over or underfilling ?
Dipstick readings are linear because oil pans are linear in the section where the oil level is read.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
In a case like a taxi driver I can see your point. Me, I figure if the hood is open and I have the oil, why not? Either way isn't going to hurt anything as long as the oil level is in the safe range.
Then, yes. When guys are adding a half a pint every day, it's like sheesh, don't bother.
Especially with the taxis, with the oil still flowing down, with the thing being off for less than fifteen minutes at shift change, you're not going to get an ideal reading anyhow.
If I only had to add a pint to the LTD, I would have been clicking my heels. When I opened the hood, I always had a litre ready.
In a case like a taxi driver I can see your point. Me, I figure if the hood is open and I have the oil, why not? Either way isn't going to hurt anything as long as the oil level is in the safe range.
Then, yes. When guys are adding a half a pint every day, it's like sheesh, don't bother.
If I only had to add a pint to the LTD, I would have been clicking my heels. When I opened the hood, I always had a litre ready.
When I add half a quart just to bring it back to to full mark. I can actually feel the engine smoooth and responsiveness immediately upon on driving.
Can never go wrong keeping your fluids top. If something starts to leak, you have time to detect it befor it completely empty.
Can never go wrong keeping your fluids top. If something starts to leak, you have time to detect it befor it completely empty.
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
By the time your oil reaches ADD, the most volatile parts of the engine oil will have evaporated, and the heavier (more viscous) parts will remain. It's quite logical consumption will not continue at the same rate.
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
By the time your oil reaches ADD, the most volatile parts of the engine oil will have evaporated, and the heavier (more viscous) parts will remain. It's quite logical consumption will not continue at the same rate.
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
For me this is the best answer and the reason I never run at the full mark in any vehicle.
Running with more airspace in the crankcase can reduce oil consumption. It's more an issue with engines like my motorcycle where BMW issued a service bulletin to reduce oil consumption which unequivocally said not to add oil until the min mark and then only add enough to take it to half way. They resolved the problem properly in the next upgrade with a deeper sump.
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, but some engines use oil slower, if at all, at add than full. Not that most drivers are observant enough to observe this and adjust accordingly, but if said Ford is one of the strange ones that refuses to stay at full but stays at add to 1/3 up for a thousand miles or more, it's a waste of oil to keep it topped up. That statement would cover such situations.
For me this is the best answer and the reason I never run at the full mark in any vehicle.
Running with more airspace in the crankcase can reduce oil consumption. It's more an issue with engines like my motorcycle where BMW issued a service bulletin to reduce oil consumption which unequivocally said not to add oil until the min mark and then only add enough to take it to half way. They resolved the problem properly in the next upgrade with a deeper sump.
Obsessing about trying to keep it exactly at the full mark all the time is equally silly as feeling you must wait until it reaches the low mark before adding. You can even add a whole quart before it reaches the low mark without overfilling, if the distance between marks is more than a quart, as on some engines (for example, 1.6 quarts on my Toyota, according to the manual).
I have no desire to keep 1/2 or 1/3 of a quart of oil in my car or in my garage. I just would wait until it is at the add line. ed
If it's true that it takes 3,000 miles or so for the chemical tribofilms to build up after an oil change, then it's probably true that adding 1/2 to 1 qt of fresh oil near the end of an OCI could start to work on reducing the existing tribofilms. Maybe more so by topping off with a totally different add pack than the one you were running. Probably a fairly small effect. In any case, a potentially legitimate reason for not topping off during an OCI if you aren't quite to the add mark.
I think there's a simpler reason, drain-down time.
Many people check the oil when they're thinking about the vehicle, which is right before or after a trip. If after, there's a fair amount of oil cling, especially on a short trip. If owners top off more than half way between the marks, and the oil hasn't drained down fully into the pan yet, there's a danger of over-filling.
Instead of explain all that, it's easier to just write, wait until it's at (or below) the bottom mark.
Many people check the oil when they're thinking about the vehicle, which is right before or after a trip. If after, there's a fair amount of oil cling, especially on a short trip. If owners top off more than half way between the marks, and the oil hasn't drained down fully into the pan yet, there's a danger of over-filling.
Instead of explain all that, it's easier to just write, wait until it's at (or below) the bottom mark.
The manufacturer specifies a safe range for the sump fill and this is defined by the dipstick.
The difference between add and full is typically a quart or liter although it can be either more or less.
Check your OM to find out.
In any event, I never add oil before the add line is reached which means that with most of the
engines we've owned, I've never had to add oil between changes.
I still like to check it maybe every thousand miles or so because you can see unexpected episodic higher than
typical consumption with any engine or oil.
You do get to know your engines over the years and miles and you come to know which ones will need adds and when as well as those for which you could just as well ignore the oil level for the length of an OCI.
The difference between add and full is typically a quart or liter although it can be either more or less.
Check your OM to find out.
In any event, I never add oil before the add line is reached which means that with most of the
engines we've owned, I've never had to add oil between changes.
I still like to check it maybe every thousand miles or so because you can see unexpected episodic higher than
typical consumption with any engine or oil.
You do get to know your engines over the years and miles and you come to know which ones will need adds and when as well as those for which you could just as well ignore the oil level for the length of an OCI.
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