where's my oil going

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Mon 23 Jun 2003 14:56
where's my oil going - Ross D
Hi all.

I own a Y reg 1.2 8v punto. I recently left the car in my sisters care whilst I was away with work for a couple of months. upon returning i checked my oil and was horrified to find that she had let it drop below the minimum mark. I topped it up to the maximum mark about 3 weeks ago. I checked the levels again yesterday and the level had dropped back down to midway between the minimum and maximum marks.

Does anyone have any idea where the oil is going? there are no signs of an oil leak on the driveway, and no emulsifies oil on the oil/coolant filler caps.

Is it normal for this type of engine to consume oil?
Is the normal level for oil half way between max and min? (ie. has the engine burnt off the oil as there was too much in there, returning it too it's current state?)

If what i have mentioned above is not normal does anyone have ideas as too what the problem could be?

Also, is the oil dropping so lo likely to have damaged the engine?

Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Ross

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Mon 23 Jun 2003 16:28
where's my oil going - MonkeyFunk
silly question - however when you check the oil is the car on a level bit of road??
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 16:35
where's my oil going - Ross D
Hi mark.

The car is indeed parked aon a level surface

Cheers
Ross
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 16:37
where's my oil going - Ross D
don't why I just called you mark.. sorry about that!
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 17:17
where's my oil going - mav
is there any blue smoke coming out of the exhaust if so it is burning oil
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 20:03
where's my oil going - Aprilia
Well, if its not going into the water then its either leaking out or burning. If you can't find a leak then it must be burning.

Take a plug out and see what the colouration is.
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 20:27
where's my oil going - none
Don't know if it can happen with modern oils, but years ago it wasn't unknown for an engine to top it's own oil up with condensation when used for short runs. The normal oil usage was masked by the topping up. The first hot run got rid of the water and gave the impression of oil burning.
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 21:54
where's my oil going - Blue {P}
When I checked the oil in my friend's Micra after a breakdown I was surprised to find none, but appearently it all re-appears after the car has been stood for an hour. Lo and behold it did! I was surprised 'cos in the Fiesta I could check within a few minutes of switching off and get at least some reading on the dipstick, the Micra's came out bone dry!

I wouldn't worry unless it continues to drop, maybe it just burned off some excess and will settle at about the middle region?

Worth keeping an eye on though...

Blue
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Mon 23 Jun 2003 23:58
where's my oil going - DavidHM
What oil is in there at the moment?

As the engine is a 1.2 8v it is likely that it was originally designed to run on something thicker than what is currently recommended by the manufacturer.

If the oil is thinner than the manufacturer's recommendation, get an oil change done with the correct oil. Certainly 8v Clios can use oil when run on semi-synth (I forget which grade) - when the engine originally came out, the recommendation was for something thicker and, as long as the oil consumption is moderate (<1l/2000 miles - and possibly your dealer will say that even more is acceptable) then you may just have to keep topping it up.

Of course, as the car is only ~2 years old, if it has FSH and was originally a UK car, it will still be covered by the warranty and you should take it up with the main dealer. (It doesn't matter if you bought the car from them). If there's not an FSH, it's an EU import or it's done over 60k and it's out of warranty though.
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Tue 24 Jun 2003 13:28
where's my oil going - blank
Is it normal for this type of engine to consume oil?


You don't say how many miles you've done in the last 3 weeks, but it's normal for engines to consume some oil. The car handbook will give a maximum specification. Probably something like 1 litre per 1000 miles.
I reckon what David says about oil viscosity could well be relavant and is worth a bit of investigation.
Is the normal level for oil half way between max and
min? (ie. has the engine burnt off the oil as there
was too much in there, returning it too it's current state?)


Normal is anywhere between max and min. It's possible for some cars to quickly burn off the oil between max on the dipstick and the middle, then settle there and use no more oil. You could try keeping an eye on yours and see what happens from now.
Look in the manual for how much oil between max and min and work out the oil consumption.
If what i have mentioned above is not normal does anyone
have ideas as too what the problem could be?

Hopefully, there is no problem!
Also, is the oil dropping so lo likely to have damaged
the engine?

No, but possible.
If there are no unusual rattles and clatters then if I were in your position I would assume I'd got away with it.
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