When topping up oils

P

Palo Verde

Active member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Oct 2, 2017
Messages
405
Location
Sydney NSW
Hi members

I have had dashboard coming on about oils ain’t oils so I faithfully bought the same one they put in the last service 0W 30
I was wondering when you open the cap are you supposed to see everything submerged in oils or not?
I have topped up about half a litre and nothing is drowned in oils is that normal or you supposed to drown it all in oils?
 
You need to go by the level on the dipstick. I don't know what model you have, but the dipstick knob is probably yellow. The rocker gear under the fill cap should not be submerged in oil.
 
That’s good to know the so called rocker gear is not submerged even after half a litre was dumped however 0W are very very thin light oils surely it would have dissipated half a litre since April 22 that should be BAU right? Was so so tempted to dump the entire 1 litre but then restrained myself to only half
Oh it’s a 208 1.6 vti
 
Also read the owners manual it will tell you how to check the oil and where to find the dip stick.

Usually on most vehicles you would check the oil when the engine is cold or at least not started for a couple of hours, this will give the oil a chance to run back in the sump and get an accurate level of the oil so that you don't over fill the engine.

There is usually two marks on the dip stick, an upper and a lower, as long as the level is between these two marks everything will be fine oil level wise.
 
I was hoping for a less sticky (literally) mess way of doing based on time of last fill, duration, type of oil and climate change and dashboard signals and sound of running engine surely an oil thirsty engine sound different in other words an intelligent guess so rama
 
Oil should be changed according to how many kilometres the car has done since last change.
And it needs to be topped up according to the level shown on the dipstick. If the oil light shows on the dash, it is usually substantially below the minimum level required, and you may have a leak or be using too much. That light is somewhat of an emergency warning.

Oil is poured into the top and goes down to the bottom of the engine, then gets mostly pumped but also splashed up to where it is needed.
 
Palo Verde said:
That’s good to know the so called rocker gear is not submerged even after half a litre was dumped however 0W are very very thin light oils surely it would have dissipated half a litre since April 22 that should be BAU right? Was so so tempted to dump the entire 1 litre but then restrained myself to only half
Oh it’s a 208 1.6 vti
Click to expand...
By no stretch of the imagination am I an expert on oil, but, 0W is the "pumpability" of the oil at low temperatures. With your oil, 30 is the viscosity at high temperatures. Others, feel free to correct or expand.
 
Be careful using the dipstick on the EP6 engine. It passes alongside the timing chain and guides, and the tip can catch. If it does, don't yank, just move down and up a little and the catch will free itself.

You don't have to worry about oil lubricating the camshafts and valve gear. The engine's oil pump in the sump takes care of this, via numerous passages in the castings. When filling, the oil drops down through other passages into the sump.
 
Last edited:
One reason I don’t want to mess with dips
In any case it is good to know that when you open the cap nothings supposed to drown in oil it does look like it is low on oils lol as one can see all the innards mind you it was cold engine in the morning so all oils must’ve flowed into sump
 
Palo Verde said:
One reason I don’t want to mess with dips
In any case it is good to know that when you open the cap nothings supposed to drown in oil it does look like it is low on oils lol as one can see all the innards mind you it was cold engine in the morning so all oils must’ve flowed into sump
Click to expand...
Looking in the oil filler cap is not going to tell you what the oil level is.

The only way to check the oil level accurately is to use the dip stick when the engine is cold and the car is sitting level.
 
As Seasink pointed out, engine lubrication is done in two ways - splash feed which is where oil in the sump is splashed up onto the pistons/cylinder walls, and, secondly, by an oil pump, usually housed in the sump, which pumps oil through galleries to the bearings, valve gear, etc.

Oil to the valve gear drains away back to the sump quickly and is continuously fed by oil from the pump. That's why you will only see a coating of oil when you look, after removing the oil filler cap.

On removal of the filler cap, you should see a coating of oil all over the place - but the valve gear, etc, should definitely not be submerged in oil. If it is, then you've got real problems.

The only way to check the oil level that I know of is via the dip stick.
 
Palo Verde said:
That’s good to know the so called rocker gear is not submerged even after half a litre was dumped however 0W are very very thin light oils surely it would have dissipated half a litre since April 22 that should be BAU right? Was so so tempted to dump the entire 1 litre but then restrained myself to only half
Oh it’s a 208 1.6 vti
Click to expand...
An engine in good condition may not use any oil at all between changes! My 20+ year old 406 (3 litre V6 engine) lancer needs a top up between changes.

When the car is due for a service, the old engine oil must be drained out of the sump before any new oil is added.

If you find checking the dipstick a bit messy then you don't want to have anything to do with changing the oil! Pay a professional to do it. You can still manage the process - it is up to you to select the mechanic and ensure that the correct pull is used and that the service is done at the correct intervals.
 
Normally in between services (1 year) I have never done top ups, I think as driving habit changes weather gets too hot dashboard indicator does come up. It's only within the last year dashboard light tells me to check. Members may recall in the past I have had coolant leak where no dashboard indicates this, despite coolant drained to nil! Luckily instinctively I noticed things like fan starts blowing often and smells, than I got that fixed it was expensive despite a non moving part and low k driver that coolant part whatever its called still leaks and needs to be replaced and it did not have any dashboard indicators for some strange reasons even the temp indicator was normal despite running on no coolant, would have been disastrous had I not immediately seek service and had the dosh to pay for it, it was so unexpected and expensive.
 
Palo Verde said:
Normally in between services (1 year) I have never done top ups, I think as driving habit changes weather gets too hot dashboard indicator does come up. It's only within the last year dashboard light tells me to check. Members may recall in the past I have had coolant leak where no dashboard indicates this, despite coolant drained to nil! Luckily instinctively I noticed things like fan starts blowing often and smells, than I got that fixed it was expensive despite a non moving part and low k driver that coolant part whatever its called still leaks and needs to be replaced and it did not have any dashboard indicators for some strange reasons even the temp indicator was normal despite running on no coolant, would have been disastrous had I not immediately seek service and had the dosh to pay for it, it was so unexpected and expensive.
Click to expand...
Yep luckily your a mechanic guru
 
Wtf? Lol I don’t even know how to top up oil hence the thread but it’s sometimes instinct that save the day not always knowledge we cannot always rely on dash indicators sometimes they don’t come on
 
One thing worth noting - unless I'm mistaken, the dashboard oil light only indicates that there is oil pressure, not whether or not there is enough oil (for splash feed). They are two different things. I always keep an eye on the oil level by checking the dip stick from time to time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top