Ekona Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Fully synthetic mobil super 3000 formula fe. The halfords guy said it did look pretty low but again seems unsure with these dipsticks... have put 0.75litres in and am gonna drive 5 miles home and let it sit for a few hours so i can get a better reading Why 0.75L? You have no idea what is in it, by your own admission, so you could now be 1L under or 0.75L over, you just don't know. Stop driving the car, drain the oil, and refill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Fully synthetic mobil super 3000 formula fe. The halfords guy said it did look pretty low but again seems unsure with these dipsticks... have put 0.75litres in and am gonna drive 5 miles home and let it sit for a few hours so i can get a better reading Why 0.75L? You have no idea what is in it, by your own admission, so you could now be 1L under or 0.75L over, you just don't know. Stop driving the car, drain the oil, and refill. I never realised that topping up the oil in your car could be such a major job.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostego Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 R35lee. Got 5l for £24.... would have cost the same for 2l! Ekona..... i have a pretty good idea as to what is in it as being @*!# all..... i have concluded this because of what i have seen vaguely on the dipstick, confirmed by the halfords guy, as well as the low pressure and fact the oil light was on. I chose 0.75l as it is not a large amount..... but if my oil was low enough to trigger a light should give me enough for the 5 mile trip home where i can sit in the warm and wait for the engine to properly cool down before checking the levels and finding out for sure where we are at. I highly doubt that 0.75l is going to do any harm considering the symptoms If i can get a clear reading of where the oil levels lie in 4 hours time, ill top it up. Otherwise ill look into draining and refilling.... either way i have a 1.5 hour drive ahead of me tonight as i need to get back to where i work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Your call, of course, but I wouldn't be risking a £1000+ bill because of what some spotty oik in Halfords was guessing at when he's about as clued up as I am on what the oil level is. It's not his car, he's not going to make any money from it if it goes bang or if it's okay, why should he give a damn? You could've had a single litre of oil in there. You've now got 1.75L of oil in there, which is still massively below the recommended level. Why chance it? In the hours since you've been posting this, you could've easily drained and replaced the oil and know exactly where you stand. I really hope it all works out for you, and I'm sorry if my posts are coming across the wrong way, but sticking your head in the sand and hoping for the best does not seem to be conducive to a good result here. Good luck with your car, fingers crossed you have no damage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 OP FYI there are 1.5 litres of oil between the low and high marks on the dipstick ... HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostego Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) Your call, of course, but I wouldn't be risking a £1000+ bill because of what some spotty oik in Halfords was guessing at when he's about as clued up as I am on what the oil level is. It's not his car, he's not going to make any money from it if it goes bang or if it's okay, why should he give a damn? You could've had a single litre of oil in there. You've now got 1.75L of oil in there, which is still massively below the recommended level. Why chance it? In the hours since you've been posting this, you could've easily drained and replaced the oil and know exactly where you stand. I really hope it all works out for you, and I'm sorry if my posts are coming across the wrong way, but sticking your head in the sand and hoping for the best does not seem to be conducive to a good result here. Good luck with your car, fingers crossed you have no damage. I did not base my choice solely on the (spot free may i add) guy at halfords, but also what i could see, being that it looked below the L mark. If i did have 1 litre of oil in there... and am now up to 1.75 litres... then that's better than I've had for the past 750 miles or so that I've been driving it (based on 1L per 1000miles) and ive only had it for 800 miles, so THAT was my reasoning for deciding to do that, and drive the short 5 mile trip home, knowing that i will have the most oil in my engine since i've been driving the thing, so the odds are those last 5 miles won't have done any extra damage oil-wise as i think the previous 750 will have been the worst for it. So that i could then let my car sit and cool down, whilst i sit and warm up! In terms of me being able to easily drain and replace the oil in the time this thread has existed... You've seen the chaos that has been kicked up in this thread just surrounding me topping up the oil.... a thread about me draining the oil alone would span 10 pages of questions! I'm rubbish with all this stuff! Thanks for your advice however and im sorry if i came across as quite short in some of my replies, i do appreciate your view, has just ben a stressful morning! OP FYI there are 1.5 litres of oil between the low and high marks on the dipstick ... HTH Thanks, that will be helpful later on! Hopefully if i can get a clear view of how much oil is in it if the dipstick isn't too much of a bitch, then I'll be able to gauge how much more needs to be put in based on that! Edited January 5, 2014 by ostego Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 From what you have said (and not said) before the need for this thread, I assume you noticed no issues with oil pressure before? You have not mentioned when the engine oil was last changed - do you know how many miles the car has done since the last change? You mention the car was on an incline. Given the subsequent erractic readings and the fact no pressure was showing and oil light showed when you first started it I would guess it is a combination of low(ish) oil level; the incline, the cold and old/thick oil meant the pump was starved. Normally when oil is thick and cold and the engine is started the pressure can shoot up well over 100psi. But you then had readings on the move but somewhat erractic making me think that your engine oil is past its best and that is hoping there is no problem with the pump. But you really ought to take the advice above and fully drain what is in there and measure whhat comes out fro reference and I would say, in your case, have an angine flush and then fill up with correct new oil. And bear in mind that if you do have a rev-up engine they are more prone to high oil consumption, so it is even more important to regularly check the oil level. As a rule of thumb, if the light comes on with normal driving it is more often than not a signal some damage is likely to have been done. I'm just hoping in your case that the initial problem was the incline/cold/old oil that triggered the light and fingers crossed no lasting harm has been done. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 If i did have 1 litre of oil in there... and am now up to 1.75 litres... then that's better than I've had That is true, but "better than 5 minutes ago" and "enough" could easily be very different things. Especially in your case where you are, at best, guessing based on your assumptions. Assumptions such as; (based on 1L per 1000miles) Which I'm assuming you've read (probably in the manual) yet completely ignored the preceding "up to". Which means it can be less than that but it can also me more than that, it's not the definitive figure that you car will be using that you seem to think it is. You could easily have used 1.8l in that 800miles you've owned the car, so even if the previous owner decided to top up the oil the day you bought it, you'd still have less in it now than you did then, so you actual don't knowing that i will have the most oil in my engine since i've been driving the thing nor so the odds are those last 5 miles won't have done any extra damage oil-wise as i think the previous 750 will have been the worst for it. I appreciate that you've had a stressful day with this but really listen to the advice above and stop driving it. If you can't get an accurate level reading, change the oil and start from scratch, if you can't do that yourself then enlist the help of someone who can even if it means trailering it to a garage. If you do top it up yourself, take regular readings to ensure that you're adding the right amount, don't just guestimate. And leave the dipstick out whilst actually filling too, you'll find it easier to get a clean reading that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostego Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Let it cool down and have periodically added more oil. Have now added 2 litres, and the dipstick appears to show its now a quarter of the way up from low.... so it must have been really low to start with this morning. Need to use the car this evening and all week for work otherwise i would have just grounded it and considered calling someone out. Am going to get a full p3 service next weekend anyway and have all the oils changed then, but feel confident it should be fine for the week. This has taught me the importance of checking oil levels regularly in these cars.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 That really was low on oil mate, lucky that the engine has survived it really. I know it feels like everyone has banged on about low oil and damage to the engine but with a few of these normally bomb proof engines going pop recently through suspected low oil , it really is important to keep the engine topped up and checked regularly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostego Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 That really was low on oil mate, lucky that the engine has survived it really. I know it feels like everyone has banged on about low oil and damage to the engine but with a few of these normally bomb proof engines going pop recently through suspected low oil , it really is important to keep the engine topped up and checked regularly Yeah, understand why there's been quite an uproar if a lot of people have had engine problems due to oil recently! Guess when i get it serviced I'll have a better idea of whether there is any damage done, will mention this and have it checked out, but seems to be running fine for now, and think it was just the incline and the freezing weather that really starved it this morning (considering how little there was), lucky it happened really on a momentary conditional basis earlier on alerting me to it rather than later down the line when i found out from my engine clunking out on the road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Make sure you check it daily until the consumption is established Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 As for the dipstick, it can be a pain at first to read but after a bit of practice you will get the nack, I check mine first thing in the morning when all the oil has drained down and it's lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs2000 Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Agreed here, I think due to the mentally challenged shape of the zeds dipstick, its almost impossible to get a clear reading unless you leave the car overnight. Even after 4-5 hrs ive checked it and just had oil smeared all the way up the stick. Also, I don't get why people have issues reading the sticks (not just the OP here, ive been seeing it a lot lately). Pull the stick out and wipe it, fully re-insert it into the tube, give it a few seconds, pull out as cleanly as is possible and then flip the stick over, there are some hatch markings on the rear that say high and low on them. Then rinse and repeat at least once to verify your findings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grundy Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Maybe a dumb question, but why didn't the OP just pour the 5lt's all in? If the light has come on, means there is barely any in there as it is (Even if it's parked at an incline its minimal!) Engine holds 4.7 Lt's, Pour it all in and work out how much you have left? or did I miss something ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCool Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Yep, after initial problems reading the stick on an afternoon having left the car for a few hours after blatting it, I then read the stick after it had been sat overnight and it was very clear where the oil level was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Maybe a dumb question, but why didn't the OP just pour the 5lt's all in? If the light has come on, means there is barely any in there as it is (Even if it's parked at an incline its minimal!) Engine holds 4.7 Lt's, Pour it all in and work out how much you have left? or did I miss something ... Engine holds a lot more the 4.7ltrs if you fill it up. You will blow the engine if the oil pressure is too high. Thats why there is a high level mark on the dipstick! The volume required to reach High mark on dipstick is 4.7ltrs from empty. Please don't tell me you have done this in your car?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARMLU Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Need to use the car this evening and all week for work Have you got AA cover? Hopefully you got away with it this time You can't win the lottery without a ticket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Will be difficult to tell if it has done any damage unless its making any odd noises! If your really concerned, get the sump taken off and check the big ends for scoring or damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 A bit harsh but this was what we found in the last engine that was run low on oil A spun bearing on No 4 DO NOT RUN YOUR ZED OR ANY CAR WITH LOW OIL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 the reason why you found it difficult to read the oil level on the dip stick was simply, there was not enough oil in the engine to monitor it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostego Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 (edited) Having put 2 litres in yesterday, i left it parked flat at work all day for 8 hours, and got a clear reading. the 2l i put in it took it up to 1/4 above the low mark. I topped it up with 0.5 litres and am getting it serviced tomorrow. I noticed 8 specs of oil though on the floor when i was pulling out... these were small drops all scattered in different places that either seemed just infront of where i parked, or at the front of the car where it was parked I am unsure whether this was dripped residue from the dipstick that had blown onto the floor... or whether it was coming from the engine. I am hoping it was drops from the stick but have a feeling it could be from the car. I have parked it up now on a flat surface and put a large piece of cardboard underneath it, which i plan to check for marks in the morning. Would it be best to run the car for a bit to expedite any oil drips? or will that not work, and shall i just leave it for a while. This whole thing has been such a nightmare, and Keyser.... I really hate you right now.... you've just added massive worry to an already terrible day! To my relief though the engine doesn't sound like this so phew in that sense Edited January 6, 2014 by ostego Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Probably best to leave it alone now and get it thoroughly checked out when it's serviced tomorrow, they will be able to tell if it's leaking oil or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Sorry Have a look on here http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/79481-a-christmas-tale-from-the-zed-shed/ Click the first pic it is a video link - that's the noise the bearing above made hope yours is all sound and stays that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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