I got my tsx(Meteor silver) auto. tranny last 2/28/04 , I haven't checked my oil level not until last Sunday10/02/04 mileage is only 4,500 miles w/ no oil leak problem; After I started the car to get it to normal operating temperature and after 2 minutes, as I checked the oil level in the dipstick, to my surprise the oil level was only up to the 1st dot which is the lowest mark. I had to add 1 quart of oil to get it to the upper mark. Is this normal w/ Acura or Honda? I have never added oil to my other car(2000 Lexus Rx 300/2001Toyota Celica GT)not at least until their 5000 miles scheduled oil change. Does any body have this problem?

 

Oil consumption is normal during break-in. Here's a similar thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4028

 

By the way you say it .. you just created a problem. You never ever check oil level after running the car. You check it after the car is sittin at least for 3 hours or so for the oil to settle down or first thing in the morning after you wake up.

 

Make sure you haven't overfilled it - it can cause almost as many problems as if it's a little low.

 

Yes, a lot of people have this problem. It is not uncommon for a new engine to burn some oil during break-in.

Please read your manual and then take car of your nice car. I believe the manual says to check oil, and tire pressure, every 30 days. I believe it also recommends that you buy a tire gauge. Do you have one?

You always check the oil when the engine is cold. If you have to check the oil level right after shutting off the engine (after running for one minute or longer), allow a half-quart for the top end of the engine (mostly valve train) that will drain back into the crankcase after the car sits for a while. If you stop to get gas, and then add a quart of oil because it is on the add mark, you have just overfilled the oil -- and that is not good!

This was one of the reasons it was not good to allow a service station attendent to check your oil back in the days of full service "service stations". They would nearly always recommend adding a quart of oil when it was on the "add" mark.

Oil helps in the cooling of the engine, so it is my practice to add a half-quart, rather than wait until it is a quart low. Now, that oil comes in resealable (or at least recapable) plastic bottles, it is convenient to do so.

Transmission fluid is always check with the engine, and transmission, at normal operating temperatures.

 

Thanks for responding to my question promptly. I never expected to get all your opinion soooo fast. I will get an oil change when I reach 5,000 miles then check my oil level frequently to see if it is still burning oil. Thanks again guys.

 

Honda engines very rarely burn any oil - if you ever have to put in any oil between changes something might be amiss.

 

no oil problems with my car. i have 15k already. i do my first oil change at 5k then every 3k. i use 5w30 honda motor oil and honda oil filter. i want to use castrol motor oil but stick with the first 50k so they have no excuses if something happen.

 

My car went through a half of a quart before the first oil change but after that not a drop.

 

Not all that unusual. The factory oil is a slightly different formulation that is designed to help the rings seat and to clean out any manufacturing residue/artifacts.

Until the rings, valves, etc. seat tightly, there can be some oil seepage into the cylinders. The best way to seat things is with consistent power output and PRM. On airplanes we usually restrict ourselves to "low cruise" power settings for everything except takeoff and landing and practice very slow power reduction in preparation for landing. In cars it's not quite practical to avoid stop-and-go situations, but as much as possible it is a good idea.

Incidentally, power output is just as important as RPM. You can run 2500 RPM in neutral and you're not accomplishing much because the cylinder pressures never are high enough to really seat the rings. 2500 RPM in cruise gear is putting sufficient pressure on the rings. Rapid power changes can jerk the rings around a bit in their grooves and delay or prevent proper seating.

Realistically, on a modern automobile engine (unlike older tech airplane piston engines) you have to be pretty drastic to screw up the break-in, but it'll happen faster and more predictably if you're smooth and careful.