i have a 95 wrx, standard 260ps, no mods. i changed the engine oil and filter about 5,500ml ago and im about to change them again. when i checked the level today the dipstick couldnt find any oil at all. i have no visible leaks, where is my foikin oil???

 

All Impreza's seem to use different amount of oil, if there's no smoke from the back and your not dropping any I wouldn't worry, just keep a fine eye on the levels in the future.

 

what the milage mines a my00 dosent use any oil between changes and its coming up for 90k mind u has had a recent rebuild(bottom end)

oil loss can be a lot of things leaking crankshaft seal front and belive there is one where the flywheel bolts onto the crank but if that was leaking you might get clutch judder rocker cover gaskets,worn bores or rings (would cause blue smoke) turbo on the way out oil getting past the valve stem oil seals there can be so many causes

im no mechanic am handy with the spanner but not long got my first scooby so am still learning

i would presume there has to be a reason a car just shouldnt eat up oil

anyway hope this helps

 

How long ago did you last check the level, and what was it?

 

Don't know where its gone mate, my guess would be it's getting burnt off, quite alot to lose in 5500m imo. You must be getting some smoke at some point to lose that amount,. if it's defo not leaking Just as a reference, my MY93 doesn't use a drop between changes

 

Dont panic, had this earlier last month, i changed oil, and check oil level few weeks after. top it up with about half a litre and check it, if nothing keep topping up. until you do. then check how much it took to fill up. If less then a liter your fine mate.

 

Make sure you keep an eye on your oil, my bearings went due to this...

 

i bought the car in march, it had a std rebuild inc new crank, oil pump, piston rings, seals for everywhere, clutch (nothing forged) at 96k, its now 120k. my m8 owned it 5 yrs n i know he never thrashed it at all and neither have i. its ticks like a swiss watch, im no mechanic, but i do have a set of spanners. iv changed my calipers,discs,pads, fitted coilovers, drop links, changed wheel bearings and abs tone ring myself. engines i know not a lot about, but to go from top of dipstick to nothing at all in 5k worries me.
im gonna use a halfords semi 10w 40 to flush engine then millers full 5w40 is goin in this time. used a semi 10w 40 last time(shell i think)
thanks for reply guys.

 

So you never checked your oil level in 5500 miles?

And general opinion is that 5w oil is too thin.
Look through any oil related thread for opinions of it.

 

my built engine uses just over 1 litre every 1000 miles and its fine

my standard engine from the factory used just under 1 litre of oil every 1000 miles and never had an issue for 40k miles running 400 bhp

you need to check you oil more oftern

 

so it seems, lol. crikey, their thirsty beasts. thanks guys.
oilman at opie did say that 1ltr per 1000ml isnt that uncommon today while i was ordering in fact. spooky sounding stat that!
ive got a jar of millers full 10w 40 on its way.

 

rule of thumb check oil every 3 days. Standard.

 

3 days!! ur pulling my leg sir!, lol. really?

 

A professional/vocational driver would check their vehicle daily, be it a milk float, an artic or any thing inbetween. So every 3 days is not exessive, especially if you know the vehicle is using/losing.

 

totally agree

 

yeah right

realistically i would say once a fortnight, if you are checking every 3 days, man you are paranoid. depends on if your car uses oil or not.

 

You'll find on scoobs when the dip stick is'nt reading any oil you might only have to put half litre in to top up to max.... also these cars do use oil, i run a garage and the amount of scoobs that come to me with cranks knocking due to running low on oil and people not checking there levels.... could be theat on over run it's smoking a little and you've not noticed , in this case could be valve stems, would'nt worry about it to much ..as people have said it's very common for these cars to use oil, and i toatally agree check your oil between 3 days and a week !

 

im going to this time. il see how the millers lasts.
cheers guys.

 

I think you'll find that if you are driving a company vehicle, then you will be required by company policy to carry out 'daily inspections'. I know if i run my company vehicle dry on oil, fuel or water, then I would be sacked.


Personally, i would say, it depends more on how many miles are you doing a day, and how these mile are clocked up.


You don't want to end up below, in Mr RS74's garage.

 

Yep oil on my work van is checked every day before i start work. I actually have a scanner so have to scan certain parts of the van to prove ive checked them. its called a 'flower' check fuel,lights,oil,water,electrics and rubber. if there not scanned every day i could be sacked.
the car i check every sat as i only use it weekends but fluids are checked before the first start up

 

All this talk of daily and 3 day checks, it depends in mileage. If its using 1 litre per 1000 miles then thats 250 ml per 250 miles, which is fine from a full dipstick. So check every 250 miles. could be once a day or once a week

 

It doesnt depend on mileage at all> my van and car for instance never use a drop. but if either were to spring a leak and all of a sudden one was low on the daily check(van) id know it had a leak before it went dry and blew the engine to bits.

If your relying on mileage and oil usage as a guide its pretty poor.

As a breakdown guy i see it every day seized engines etc and often to be honest caused by the owner not bothering to check.

it takes one minute and no money to dip the oil and a whole lot more to repair if your running without any

 

[quote=Turbotits;9637267]It doesnt depend on mileage at all> my van and car for instance never use a drop. but if either were to spring a leak and all of a sudden one was low on the daily check(van) id know it had a leak before it went dry and blew the engine to bits.

but surely if it springs a leak you would notice the oil on the floor and any oil leak that drains out that quickly is going to leave a big old patch

 

[QUOTE=scoobyd00999;9637282]not if its leaking say half a litre or a litre over a 2 or 300 mile journey and only leaking when the motor is running. there are 1000's of variables but a 1min check can save a lot of engines

Dont get me wrong im not suggesting private car owners should check there oill every day but i think once a week or so is fair, After all the driver is responsable to check his car is in good road worthy condition.

it is often (and im not pointing the finger at anyone here) idiots that cost them selfs money

only today i had a matiz(crap car) with engine siezed and not a drop of oil in it and no signs of any leaks so i asked the guy when he last checked the oil, his response ' it passed its mot 7 months ago'. Many people think an mot is a service and not the safety check that it is and assume coz its passed that its full of oil, coolant etc etc. i would bet i get that answer at least 3 times a week

 

Open bonnet, dip the stick, check the reservoirs and belts then check under the vehicle for any other signs of leaks/damage. Start it up, turn on all the lights and wipers, while your walking around checking the lights you can also check the tyres and security of the body panels and bumpers.

It's not rocket science, and as TT says, it is free and hardly warrents a free window in your diary does it.

Unlike a recovery, that is

 

thats the brainwave i had today, surely if the dipstick reads empty the sump isnt actually empty.
il see what drops out tomorrow n measure it as we keep all our old oil cos a m8 takes it to work for the workshop heater.

'overrun' being if i was to let the car drag itself down a hill in 3rd with no throttle to keep it around 30ish(would that count?)

 

Okay, let's follow that line of logic. Even if your car leaves a patch of oil beneath it, how often do you check underneath your car when you get in to see if there's a puddle underneath? And, if it started to trail oil on the floor on the move, how would you see it, given that your mirror doesn't show you the road immediately behind your car?

Turbotits and B13 are the ones talking common sense on this thread. Any procedure that gives you a reasonable chance of picking up a potential problem before it becomes critical/terminal is a good thing.

 

No from the dipstick reading nothing , to full is 1l. But it could well be well under the dipstick, it could be dry, or JUST below the needle.

 

this is my kind of working out, and as i know i generally do 250 miles a week im going to go for a sat/sun morn weekly check from now on.

 

Just get yourself a longer dipstick.