handydandy

i was wondering, what is the liquid amount that it takes to fill up from the first bottom hole on the dipstick to the second hole above it?

Is the oil always supposed to be covering the upper hole? every month or two, it seems like oil goes down just below the top hole (not the minimum hole) and i feel the need to refill it so oil covers both holes.
Am i being anal? is it necessary to top oil off so it covers both holes?

Tsx6363

um it wouldn't hurt to always top it off.. not sure the EXACT quantity... but i'd say from bottom to top... you should empty about 1-2 qrts???

handydandy

this is my second time topping it off and i have only 2,500 miles with dino oil where the oil was a little bit below the top hole.....is this normal? (i have about 7,000 miles on odometer).

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

i think the top hole is max and the bottom is min. as long as your between those two then your good. dont go over the top hole, you may overfill and cause severe engine damage.

nj2pa2nc

do not go below the bottom hole and do not go above the upper hole (overfill) try to keep it in the middle or just below it-basically you are over-filling it (not needed)

lvcurvs

From bottom hole to top hole is 1 qt.
Vtec motors have a little taste for oil. My s2k i had to watch carefully. That thing would eat oil and it was normal. like they said, As long as your not below that bottom hole, your good.

curls

Yeah, definitely don't overfill it, as that can cause stress on the seals and gaskets in the engine. No added benefit, either.

Bottom hole to top hole = 1L / 1qt. I keep mine in the upper 1/3 of the range if possible.

Trident

My buddy is a mechanic at BMW. The newer models have no dipsticks, only an electronic sensor. This at times causes some confusion. Anyhow, he told me about this dumb bugger who kept putting oil into his M5 in an attempt to get the oil light to turn off. It would seem that he needed to restart the car to reset the sensor. Anyhow he ended up putting several litres into the motor and hydraulically locked it!!!! Of course several hoses and seals all blew in his driveway and he wasn't pleased. I guess the 60K+ motor replacement didn't make his day either...

Sorry for the unrelated story...

CGTSX07

this is somewhat related. When I do an oil change, I put in the recommended amount of oil. However, when I then look at the dipstick, it is always at the min. Is this normal? I always put more in to get it in the middle between max and min, but I don't understand why I have to do this if I am putting in the correct amount.

lvcurvs

oh yeah, Don't forget either. One thing that Vtec works off of is oil pressure. It may cause the car to feel a bit sluggish or slower compared to normal if your low on oil. Fill up with oil and that good 'ol vtec pull should come back. Also, not sure if this pertains to the "k" motors but on the older b series motors, you could take a worm gear clamp and put it on the filter. What that will do is keep the filter from expanding the little bit it does to keep oil pressure up and steady.

jlukja

Don't check the oil immediately after driving the car. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain down so your dipstick reading is accurate. As long as you keep the level between the two marks you're OK, I try to keep mine just below the top mark.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

^^
It's really that simple. Additionally, if you accidentally added a little more, don't worry about it and try to drain it out. It is because when the engine is running and oil being circulating throughout the engine, the oil level will NEVER be at the top mark. That's the same reason you need to wait after the engine is off to check the correct level.

handydandy

weird thing is, is that i never hit vtec, yet it still eats some dino oil. normal?

lvcurvs

I'd say normal. Couple things you can do that are super easy. Check the oil levels more often then normal for a little bit or even easier is to check underneath and the rear of your car. If your dumping oil, you may have a wet spot on the undercarriage from a leak and/or on the rear, you would have excessive build up of carbon on your exhaust tips as well as carbon on the rear end of your car. Plus, you'd have smoke. It'll be a grayish/whiteish color.
Now, don't think that just because your exhaust tips have black on them it's bad. That's normal on just about every single car. If it's EXCESSIVE or you see the carbon (black spots) on the back of your car, then your using a bit more oil then neccessary and can take further actions from that point but like i said, to me, that's normal.
Good luck!!!

JTso

iTrader: (2)

I don't think your engine is broken-in yet.

ATsxMan8305

There is an easy solution to this, espeically for DIY. If you FULLY drain the oil {from pan and filter, of course}...then just put in the 5 qt container. Cheaper than buying individual qts. And it will be perfect - at the top hole, not above.

tsxowner1

I usually put 4.4 to 4.8 quarts when I do my oil changes. If you're a complete nerd like me, check the level 5 minutes after the engine has been shut off and check again when the engine is cold (usually the next morning). If both times are within the min/max level, I'm happy.