"Check oil level" Was extremely low

[AN292]

I got this dash warning, went out to check and only the tip of the stick was coated. Couldn't believe it. I do have an oil leak, but the mechanic told me its minor and I dont actually lose any significant amount of oil. Basically above the drain plug, the metal is slightly coated with a bit of oil. This is the first time I've ever lost a measurable amount. I have never left a drop of oil behind anywhere.

To makes things worse, the oil pressure stepper motor is toast so it reads like 5-10psi. I know its the motor because it zeroes out wayyyyy lower the the rest of the them. Gotta get that fixed cause I would have seen low oil pressure if it was actually functioning properly

I saw/felt no symptoms prior to this. I immediately went to autozone and put 5 quarts in. I wasnt sure how much I needed or was missing, but I put enough to feel comfortable.

Parked it for an hour and came back, small puddle of fresh oil underneath. I will check the drain plug tomorrow in the light. I left some paper underneath to check tomorrow.

 

[wjburken]

I got this dash warning, went out to check and only the tip of the stick was coated. Couldn't believe it. I do have an oil leak, but the mechanic told me its minor and I dont actually lose any significant amount of oil. Basically above the drain plug, the metal is slightly coated with a bit of oil. This is the first time I've ever lost a measurable amount. I have never left a drop of oil behind anywhere.

To makes things worse, the oil pressure stepper motor is toast so it reads like 5-10psi. I know its the motor because it zeroes out wayyyyy lower the the rest of the them. Gotta get that fixed cause I would have seen low oil pressure if it was actually functioning properly

I saw/felt no symptoms prior to this. I immediately went to autozone and put 5 quarts in. I wasnt sure how much I needed or was missing, but I put enough to feel comfortable.

Parked it for an hour and came back, small puddle of fresh oil underneath. I will check the drain plug tomorrow in the light. I left some paper underneath to check tomorrow.

The Oil Level sensor will kick in when you’re maybe 1-1/2 quarts low, which is before you should be seeing oil pressure loss due to not enough oil.

What does your dipstick read for oil level now?

If you were in fact only 1-1/2 quarts low and you put 5 qts in with out checking the level as you were adding oil, you may have over-filled the oil pan by a few quarts. This higher level could be exacerbating your existing seep/leak.

Check your oil level and if necessary, drain some out to get it to the proper level and go from there.

 

[SnowDrifter]

Ermmm


If you put 5 quarts in when you were ~2 quarts low, you're quite over filled. You did check the level again after you topped it off, right? right?

If you know you have a leak, you should make a habit of checking and topping off your oil regularly. Every 500 or 1000 miles or something. When the oil is exactly at the bottom of the hash marks, 1 quart will put it exactly to the top of the hash marks. For what it's worth - that's +/- a standard on most vehicles, unless you have a diesel or something that holds 12 quarts... Then the hashes will be 2 quarts, not 1.

Over filling you oil is just as bad as having too little. The end result is the same - inclusion of air into the lubrication system. Though, over-filling can do some funny stuff on top of that

 

[Doubeleive]

I got this dash warning, went out to check and only the tip of the stick was coated. Couldn't believe it. I do have an oil leak, but the mechanic told me its minor and I dont actually lose any significant amount of oil. Basically above the drain plug, the metal is slightly coated with a bit of oil. This is the first time I've ever lost a measurable amount. I have never left a drop of oil behind anywhere.

To makes things worse, the oil pressure stepper motor is toast so it reads like 5-10psi. I know its the motor because it zeroes out wayyyyy lower the the rest of the them. Gotta get that fixed cause I would have seen low oil pressure if it was actually functioning properly

I saw/felt no symptoms prior to this. I immediately went to autozone and put 5 quarts in. I wasnt sure how much I needed or was missing, but I put enough to feel comfortable.

Parked it for an hour and came back, small puddle of fresh oil underneath. I will check the drain plug tomorrow in the light. I left some paper underneath to check tomorrow.

Low oil level and low oil pressure are completely unrelated, unless perhaps it was so low the pump couldn't do it's job.
the low oil level indicator did it's job properly, at 2qt's low is generally when it triggers and is approx just the "tip" on the stick
if you added 5qt's um well then you are easily 3qt's over filled, go see your mechanic and next time don't over-react, low oil does not mean completely empty. if you are unsure then add a little and check the stick each time.

 

[rockola1971]

Holy Train Wreck Batman!