Erni902 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Right guys. Driving my zed has been fine since I bought it a couple of months ago. It had an oil change a week before I bought it (well it was serviced and oil and filter were part of it) Oil pressure gauge has been fine showing perfectly good readings. Over the last journey I did I noticed that the pressures were slightly lower but nothing to be concerned about. Until yesterday when I was driving her and the pressure seemed very low. At idle at traffic lights etc it would read around 10psi but fluctuated to just above zero every now and then. Now I know people have said the gauge isnt to be trusted 100%. I checked the oil level with the worlds most retarded dipstick and it seemed like the entire dipstick was dry as a bone barring the odd smidging up and down the dipstick. I promptly released my bowels before hitching a lift to get some fresh oil. I got the oil and topped her up with about 1L. I went to check the level and by this time it was dark and I couldnt see a thing on the dipstick so I left it. Checked it this morning and one side of the dipstick looked bone dry but the bottom of the side that has the marker showed it was below minimum. I have then topped it up some more and checked but again the one side seems dry and the marker side its really hard to get a reading as it looks like oil is all the way up the top of the dipstick. However there is no clear line where the oil level stops so this could be oil residue from the dipstick tube. I shall leave it for a bit. I have now topped up with around 2ltrs of oil but dont want to keep filling and end up overfilling it! I started the car for the first time after this and from cold pressure is sat around 90psi this then gradually tails off. I went for a quick spin (only about 1/2 mile and nothing over 25mph) the pressure rose with rpm as expected and when I parked back up she is now sat around 30-35psi at idle. Will check the oil level again shortly. Do I need to leave it a while for the oil to drip down to the sump? Well obviously yes I do but I mean is there any reason the dipstick would appear to have oil along the top of it if it wasnt overfilled? I have a long journey to do this afternoon to pick my daughter up but dont want to knacker the car in the process by having either too much or not enough oil in the car. Next question is when does the oil light come on in the zed? Is it pressure related or level related? I.E. if I genuinely had low pressure would I expect to see the light on or if the level was low would I also expect to see this? Any help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erni902 Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Right just checked oil level now (so car still warm) and the level is on minimum. I have a couple of hours before Im due to set off so will check it before I do. Is there a huge difference in cold and warm readings? Oil expands with temperature but is it significant enough to notice a huge difference with readings? Obviously with it being on minimum I shall put some more in before I drive it and shall stop off at various places along the way home, let it cool slightly then check the level. This journey is going to take me forever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 By the time the light comes on the damage is usually done . It can be tricky checking the oil on the DE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 how long a drive have you got? assuming you park in the same place every day, you'd very easily notice if you're dropping oil that fast. best thing to do is check the oil when cold - now that you have a reading on the dipstick you trust, add oil until its full and then drive it. check it again when its stone cold in about a week, and see what the level is. you might have an oil burner, in which case it might be something like a litre every 1000 miles, but check it after a week and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 If your car is using oil , fill it up the max line and check it when you arrive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 I tend to check the level cold on flat surface, top up by the required amount and then check the level again in about 10mins as the top up oil runs down the dip stick to the sump it would seem low oil or idle speed, results in low presssure 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 They are notoriously difficult to read the dip stick, as for oil light i would have to check the manual to tell you the exact low pressure required to trigger the oil light, but the general consensus is that if you see the light its probably too late, obviously low pressure is directly linked to very low oil level, as the oil pick up is likely to be picking up air as well as oil, and cavitation in bearings is not at all good. The fact that you didn't see the oi light could mean you have been lucky, does the oil light work OK when you turn on the ignition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erni902 Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Cheers for the comments guys. Oil light hadnt come (i shouldve mentioned that lol) Car is parked roughly the same place, there are no visible leaks under the vehicle or the undertray etc. I have covered 3-4k miles since buying it so looking at various threads some vehicles (mainly the revup and hr models??) That use more oil over this kind of range. So this may be down to me beong a newbie and slacking on the oil checks. Will check level before setting off and top up to what looks like max on this mickey mouse dipstick. Will keep you guys posted. Apologies if Ive missed any questions as Im on my phone and on an unsolicited break at work haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 it can be a major issue... going from a car that doesn't use any oil between services to one that burns a litre every 1000 miles. I know people all say 'check your oil regularly' but if its always full, you'll stop checking it. and then suddenly 4,000 miles into a new car you'll find yourself short of oil. hopefully you've caught it in time now, but i'd be checking every week til you know what the consumption is. and done worry about the dipstick, after a month of weekly checks you'll be an expert in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Does sound like its burning oil, when its dangerously low oil pressure will drop under hard cornering as pickup becomes dry. Obviously damage is being done at this point. Keep an eye on it. Glad its not just me that hates the diptick design. Either a massive leak, obvious, or rings, valve seats etc. Do you leave a blue cloud behind you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Never, ever, ever use the pressure gauge to judge oil level. Ever. It's as useless as a useless thing for that purpose. At this point tbh I'd be dropping the oil out of the engine and measuring exactly what was in there. You can then (hopefully) add more if needed or (hopefully not!) remove some, and then when you measure the level on the dipstick you will know exactly what full is supposed to look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 I always find it quite ridiculous that the manufactures don't fit a low oil level warning light on most modern cars, and particularly on this model due to the hard to read dip stick, which would also apply to a lot of other cars I'm sure, makes me wonder at the reasons. My old Supra engine was saved by the low oil level light due to a failed oil seal, needles to say the level light got fitted with a super bright LED and audible warning after that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Agreed, how hard can it possibly be for them to design a sensor that tells you when oil is low, rather than when you're f*cked?! Quick pretest before the car is started when it's stone cold overnight and job's a carrot. In fairness, a lot of modern posher stuff will do this (Pork and BMW engines certainly do, I'm not sure on others). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 (edited) an electronic sensor is just something else to break, i'd rather have a (well designed) dipstick. when the electronic level sensor breaks on my bmw and thinks its full when it isn't, the first i'll know about it is when the pistons come through bonnet. ideally you'd have both, but that's additional expense for manufacturers on something that isn't particularly critical (unlike say, a backup mechanical connection on a normally steer-by-wire car) its just a case of once bitten twice shy, until you have an issue with oil its not something a lot of people think about, and therefore when they do check the dipstick, they don't know what full looks like. personally I found if you have the right level of oil in a zed, the dipstick gives a pretty clear indication of that level. I got stung before (thankfully not a zed though) and paid the price. now I take a lot more care of checking oil levels, at least until I know what the amount of oil consumption is. EDIT just remembered my wife's old 2002 Peugeot 206 had an electronic oil level sensor and a conventional dipstick, so well done Peugeot! Edited October 14, 2016 by brillomaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 So did the 996 911s, but they removed the proper dipstick in the 997 generation. The dipsticks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erni902 Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Cheers guys, just about to set off. Its a 180 miles today hence I may decide to stop halfway just to double check. She is now at full and I seem to have a solid reading with a clear line across the dipstick. I have never known a dipstick that is exposed to the oil when filling? I may have just been lucky with the types of cars I have had that the dipstick doesnt get covered in oil when filling. Left it a couple of hours since filling and checked the level and its clear. (oil isnt clear, its clear where the level is haha). Due to these events I do plan to drop the entire lot out next week give it a good flush then fill it back up. That way I have a genuine benchmark as to how much I have put in and then checking weekly like has been mentioned until I get a good feel for what the consistent consumption is for mine. Luckily due to owning the VR-4 I am used to 5k mile services\oil changes anyway so wil probably just stick to this schedule with the zed but with extra confirmatory checks in between. Many thanks for the suggestions and advice guys. Hopefully my next post will be a positive one and not that of a Wanted thread for a new engine haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Just a word of warning regarding using engine flush on an engine that either has uncertain maintenance and or high mileage, in my experience it can do more harm than good, as it can dislodge sludge or hard deposits within the oil system, which is fine if they all shift at one time, and don't end up blocking oil screens and strainers, but if it happens some time later it can be more trouble than its worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Dip stick is a fiddle however you will soon get the hang of it. Drop the oil and bang on a new genuine Nissan oil filter at the same time. Best not to flush the system. Fill with the proper 5W30 fully synth fluid, 5 lts should take it to max. You do not mention the mileage or the model of your DE or if you did I have missed it. Only check when cold, preferably left overnight on a flat surface. Now your crisis is only a drama, but do keep a eye on your dip stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Every time you check the oil level on dipstick and wipe off the excess, you remove oil from the sump HAHA I've reduced my checks to every other day and now I use less oil for top ups yay - LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Agreed, how hard can it possibly be for them to design a sensor that tells you when oil is low, rather than when you're f*cked?! Quick pretest before the car is started when it's stone cold overnight and job's a carrot. In fairness, a lot of modern posher stuff will do this (Pork and BMW engines certainly do, I'm not sure on others). Exactly this. So many reports on the forum of 'light is on therefore its doom' why the hell would a manufacturer put in a system whereby they kindly let you know there is a problem, just after the problem causes potentially catastrophic damage. The mind boggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis_UK Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Agreed, how hard can it possibly be for them to design a sensor that tells you when oil is low, rather than when you're f*cked?! Quick pretest before the car is started when it's stone cold overnight and job's a carrot. In fairness, a lot of modern posher stuff will do this (Pork and BMW engines certainly do, I'm not sure on others). Exactly this. So many reports on the forum of 'light is on therefore its doom' why the hell would a manufacturer put in a system whereby they kindly let you know there is a problem, just after the problem causes potentially catastrophic damage. The mind boggles. The light that gets shown is not "Low Oil" or "No Oil" light, its "Low Oil Pressure" which in turn means faulty oil pump, or low/no pressure (due to low/no oil pressuring the system) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Which in turn means the damage is already done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erni902 Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Cheers for the advice guys I shall refrain from giving it a flush then in that case. As you can probably tell by the lack of swearing etc I just made it home perfectly fine. I know the gauge is not a great way of monitoring the situation but it did give me a warm fuzzy feeling as the pressure was back up to normal and fluctuated as it should in keeping with with the rpm and was consistent for all 184 miles. All parked up level so will check oil level in the morning and see whats what and go from there. Huge thanks for all the comments and advice here, its mych appreciated. I forgot to add that the car is a 2004 DE with 74,000 miles on the clock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erni902 Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 Right just checked the oil after she has been sitting overnight and the level is exactly the same as when I set off 184 miles before. So it seems at least I dont have catastrophic leak. Obviously Ill keep an eye on it and check it regularly. It was hardly driven much between the oil change and me collecting it so maybe it didnt represent a true reading twinned with the fact I have done so many miles in it without checking aswell hopefully its just a case of it was getting lower without my knowledge and nothing is damaged. If there wnds up being bottom end damage etc due to starvation then I only have my stupid self to blame. Anyway for now all looks good just have to keep an eye on it after a complete oil and filter change next week. Again many thanks for help and advice etc I have now found that if you whip the dipstick out quickly then it comes straight out without getting caught. The downside to this is flecks of oil end up all over you. Few more readings and Im sure I will have it down to a tee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Should be fine fella and see the dipstick shows oil fine once you let the oil settle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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