just did oil change low on oil???

[fedyfedz]

i will be adding oil today and checking peridically and checking for leaks , and will check more in depth on monday when i install my exhaust

 

[Curtis]

When I change mine, I pour some into the filter, attach it, then pour the rest of that quart into the oil fill, then fill with the rest.

I do this too... I'll even fill the filter, let it sit and soak the filter material and then fill it again. Then install. Avoids a dry start after an oil change.

 

[waskly]

wow got alot of responses since i last checked...ok so here it is ive made some stupid noobie mistakes. im going to try an answer everyone's questions at once.

I do an oil change every time the computer says to and it is set to 3000 which i might change depending how this works out. Oddly enough my truck is still running ok the temp gauge for the oil hasnt moved its where it always is still havent put oil in it havent driven it going to get oil today. My mechanic friend said if i had a head gasket leak there would be viewable oil build up that i would be able to see on top of the engine or somewhere, i looked and nothing, since i bought the car in feb i started using royal purple the first couple of oil changes went fine and i still had oil in there. i cant remember yesterday so i cant remember how many quarts i put in the previous times but this time i put 5 in and i read the manual today and it says 6. so if the filter holds one then that leaves me with 4 and since royal purple is thinner and i drove about 8 to 9 hours all day bumper to bumper traffic and highway driving would that casue me to burn oil? I have also done seafoam on the previous oil change and everything seemed fine after that. any insight?

you show you put in 5 quarts on the dip stick the tuck takes 6 1/2 quarts of oil. period. add oil.

 

[EasyRhino]

The oil pressure gauge is just an indication that your sensor is reading that you have oil pressure. It isn't a level indicator, or an oil temp indicator. It really has no bearing on how much oil you have, unless you have none that it can create pressure with.

Just a reminder to all (and possibly news to new folks), that the Explorer 'oil pressure gage' is NOT a working gage, rather it is an 'idiot gage' like an idiot light. It is driven electrically from the same circuit as your low oil pressure light and only goes to two positions: <0 - when engine is shut off or has no oil or pressure when running, and mid-range when there is enough oil pressure to clear the low oil pressure idiot light.

For the skeptics (understandably there are always some), ask yourself why your oil pressure gage reading never ever budges on a running truck regardless of temperature or engine speed, as a real oil pressure gage would.

Been this way for years on Fords. Not bashing, just sayin'.

Now, back to your original thread topic.

 

[muzzymaniac]

Get the correct amount of oil in, thin or not- then address the situation if the level drops.

Can't say it any better than that!

BTW, you're wasting money on 3k oil changes. Especially with Synthetic. Running 5k or even 7k changes will save you a ton of $$ and won't do a bit of harm to your engine. Unless you tow a bunch or run it as a taxi!

As for your mechanic buddy. Head gaskets failures don't always leak oil down the side of the engine - they can blow inwards to and you'll burn it up.

I don't think you have a leak, you just didn't fill it up in the first place.

 

[fedyfedz]

Can't say it any better than that!

BTW, you're wasting money on 3k oil changes. Especially with Synthetic. Running 5k or even 7k changes will save you a ton of $$ and won't do a bit of harm to your engine. Unless you tow a bunch or run it as a taxi!

As for your mechanic buddy. Head gaskets failures don't always leak oil down the side of the engine - they can blow inwards to and you'll burn it up.

I don't think you have a leak, you just didn't fill it up in the first place.

yeh i will be waiting 5000 miles now and i will be checking the oil just in case for the next couple of days just to make sure. still have to change the computer to 5000. can any one recomend an oil that is not synthetic, i just get worried that with synthetic being so thin that it will leak through gaskets and go places its not supposed to(different mechanic told me...) do you guys recomend i still use royal purple or switch to regular oil.

 

[matt0248]

I use Amsoil 0W20 full synthetic. I also use an Amsoil EaO filter. I change my oil once a year. I go through about 1 1/2 qts in that time span. The oil use does not bother me one bit. However, in the winter on the sub-zero mornings, i can tell the difference in how the vehicle starts.

 

[muzzymaniac]

Keep the synthetic. Don't change anything but the mileage interval. Run it for a change or two and check your levels often. I doubt you're losing any and if you're not now you won't be later.
I run Mobil 1 due to it's availability.

 

[fedyfedz]

ok i will stick with synthetic for now .. matt0248- wut do you mean on the cold mornings it starts better with synthetic or worse?

 

[matt0248]

ok i will stick with synthetic for now .. matt0248- wut do you mean on the cold mornings it starts better with synthetic or worse?

Much better. The synthetic stays thinner and flows better in extreme cold than conventional oil. The engine seems to turn over easier on those frigid mornings.

EDIT: The factory installed frost plug heater does wonders as well.

 

[fedyfedz]

can being 2 quarts low for the past couple months affect performance/mpg? i was probably 1 quart low for a month or 2 then 2 quarts low this past month...is it bad for having too much oil/too little oil? sorry for the stupid questions

 

[matt0248]

IT is hard to say for sure. But in theory, if the oil level is low is could starve teh engine of oil. This all depends on engine rpm, and volume of the pump. Being one quart low I doubt anything happened. Because one quart low ( on my dipstick) is at the bottom edge of the operating range.

 

[fedyfedz]

what about performance? being low on oil could that affect performance or mpg? Im assuming

 

[Joe Dirt]

Only wear. Last time I changed the oil on Snowball after a 1,100 mile round trip, I drained about 2-1/2 quarts out of the drain. It was a little low...

 

[trucknutz]

Hahahahahaha yeah, the oil companies appreciate your business.

well i drive anywhere between 50-150 miles a day and i tow engines/my cobra on weekends, so even with synthetic i change it every 3000... and it doesnt save all that much money. pepboys usually has a s special for like 5 qts and a filter for $25

 

[BigRondo]

Just a reminder to all (and possibly news to new folks), that the Explorer 'oil pressure gage' is NOT a working gage, rather it is an 'idiot gage' like an idiot light. It is driven electrically from the same circuit as your low oil pressure light and only goes to two positions: <0 - when engine is shut off or has no oil or pressure when running, and mid-range when there is enough oil pressure to clear the low oil pressure idiot light.

For the skeptics (understandably there are always some), ask yourself why your oil pressure gage reading never ever budges on a running truck regardless of temperature or engine speed, as a real oil pressure gage would.

Been this way for years on Fords. Not bashing, just sayin'.

Now, back to your original thread topic.

Rhino, now that you mention it, I have never seen the oil gauge move. I did not know it was a fancy idiot light. Thanks for the info.

Thread posters, sorry to interrupt. Carry on.

 

[waskly]

btw i have not looked up this stat in years, it might have changed but per 900-1200 miles its normal for engine to consume 1 quart of oil.

 

[sean99]

btw i have not looked up this stat in years, it might have changed but per 900-1200 miles its normal for engine to consume 1 quart of oil.

That would not be normal. Way too high.

 

[EasyRhino]

Rhino, now that you mention it, I have never seen the oil gauge move. I did not know it was a fancy idiot light. Thanks for the info.

Thread posters, sorry to interrupt. Carry on.

There is a mod you can make to turn it into a real oil pressure gage, it is a somewhat popular mod for the Mustang crowd. It was over on a Mustang forum that I learned about the fake gage.

 

[waskly]

That would not be normal. Way too high.

Vehicles in normal service should get at least 1,450 km per liter (900 miles per quart) after 16,000 km (10,000 miles) of service. High speed driving, towing, high ambient temperature and other factors may result in greater oil use.

out of 2001 wsm

06 and up is different but the engines are built with a higher tolerance,

like i said i didnt look this up in years.

for anything pre 06 i would say 1 quart to 1k miles is fine.