RL09

Ok I really don't need the extra work nor expenditure. Today on the highway, I change lanes abrubtly, and the VSA comes on, CMBS and emission system!

I turned it off once parked and back on, emission system doesn't wanna go away.

I also noticed if i take a sharp turn, the low engine oil comes on, then goes off. I checked the level, seems fine.

oo7spy

Check your battery cables.

RL09

no my battery cable's fine. i rechecked just in case, but its solid doesn't move, and its clean and treated.

oo7spy

I've never heard about bad alternator connections, but my next guess is that it's going out. The randomness of the codes indicates to me an electrical issue. It could be your battery, but I don't think that explains why motion affects the issue.

Take it to a parts store and have the charging system checked.

08KBP_VA

Well the motion and some of the lights triggered wheel sensor immediately to me but the oil and emissions is throwing me off so i think your initial diagnosis may be accurate as battery or charging system.

RL09

The cmbs, acc & airbag always come on when it rains, car wash, or on odd occasion. they disappear on restart.

Lately, when i take a sharp turn, or if i turn the wheel abruptly, the low engine oil lights up briefly then goes away.

Until 2 days ago, vsa and check emission system came on. On restart, vsa left us, and emissions remains. till now. don't wanna go. it's enjoying its stay, and im not liking the exclamation mark on a car i just bought.

Gonna find an auto parts that tests that. Closest one doesn't. As long as i'm not hurting the car waiting to do it.

RL09

Soo.. Bought plugs, went to small shop close by, asked to change them, small shop guy says "ridiculous", these plugs last till 200k+, checked the oil, and turns out, i been running on a liter of oil for a couple of months!

A liter of oil, that could easily paint your underground night club pitch black that'll stick for years.

it seems the dealer were i bought it didn't change the oil like they said they did - they only reset the computer to say oil life = 100%. Unless they changed it, and in 5500kms i burned 4.25 liters and what's left is charcoal color liquid. is that possible?

Soo.. i returned the plugs.


Could i have damaged the engine driving on a bad liter of oil?

Emission system light is gone now.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^possibly. there's always a possibility of damaging engine components when running it dry or close to it.

the only thing you can do is change the oil(which you did) and drive regularly. chances are you didnt ruin a single thing.

Maintenanceman

I would change those new oils quite soon, just to get that black old oil out, well, what is left of it. There is all ways some left in the engine after drain.

rlerman

Not sure how oil can be properly distributed across the top of the engine with just a liter.

oo7spy

How did the level pass a check the first time?

RL09

I surely hoping your latter is the case indeed. i'm falling more in love with this car and intend on caring for it.

RL09

Maybe a flush & complete cleaning then fresh oil?

I kid you not, 3/4 of a liter is what was in there.

Prior to taking the oil out, the guy said his scan is showing a part of the engine is blocked. I was like 'what?'. He checks the oil and goes its empty. Lift it up and drain: 3/4 liter. a bit more came down with the filter. Everything pitch black.

I did see him re-scan after restarting the car, and he didn't say anything i'm assuming that error was gone along with the 'check emission system'.

RL09

My MID said 'oil 100%' then '90%' etc. so i never bothered checking.

I let that dealer know, he's doing an "investigation" and will let me know.

oo7spy

Just in case, the MID oil percentage is a measure of supposed lifetime assuming no more than a quart is leaked from a good fill. On a USDM car it is effectively the percentage of miles to 7,500 after a reset regardless of the oil used (or not changed). The only way to check the oil or oil level is with the dipstick.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if it was completely dry, you would know if you messed something up, really really quickly.

just change the oil and go. (which you already did)

no need to do anything else other than wait.
so, in the meantime, drive your car normally like you would.
check the dipstick maybe once a week. or twice a month. checking the dipstick will let you know if your car is eating oil or if its at optimum oil level.

then change the oil according to MID; it should be at or around every 6k miles depending on driving style.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

short anecdote; friend messed up my pristine 70k engine by over-revving the vehicle mis-shifting.
I dropped a used engine with over 100k miles into the car.
I dont care how the previous owner treated that engine, all I did was change the engine oil and filter and it was good to goo!!!

TacoBello

dang, man... from now on, keep an eye on your oil levels. If you have truly been driving around with that little oil in the engine, damage has already happened. Will your car keep driving? Likely, yes. If anything, I imagine your piston rings and/or cylinder walls have been damaged to some degree, meaning you'll likely be losing oil from now on. If not, you're lucky.

Just keep an eye on it. Add as necessary. If you don't need to add oil, consider yourself lucky. I wonder what shape your bearings are in also.... If you haven't noticed anything different, just keep driving and keep an eye on things!!

thoiboi

1 liter of oil



yeah you gotta learn to use your dipstick OP, that's dangerous


bet that wasn't the first time you heard that either

oo7spy

My dad and I were talking not that long ago about how they have done away with many helpful meters in modern cars, battery voltage, oil level, etc. I was under the impression that the oil level meter wasn't necessary with an oil level light, but he said the light wasn't worth a damn and that it would only trigger at about a quart left. I wasn't so sure, but lo and behold, he sure was right. What a useless system.

RL09

hehehe.. I mispoke. actually i didn't check the level coz i didn't expect it to go down within a couple of months of it being changed, and i knew there's a sensor if it becomes low. The MID served as a bonus that it was changed and fine.

what's weird is, how come with ~ 1 liter in there, the light only came on when i turned or broke abruptly?

shame on you but i laughed at myself too

RL09

I hope nothing happened, but tacobello is saying for sure there's damage and it will eat oil

Yes, the close-by guy who changed the oil said this morning to wait till 1000km (600miles) and check level. if its down by a liter, then its gonna eat oil and its due to this not how the engine was prior to purchase.

RL09

If my oil in 5000 km is not pitch black, and its eating oil, then its proof they never changed my oil on purchase. They'll be paying for an engine.

RL09

Now do you like the thread 'the things u like least about rhe rl'?


i must say, on a couple of occasions, i smelled like something burnt smell after parking and getting out, but it was a tiny smell I didn't think much of it.

This mechanic this morning said that not to worry. He thinks this car's engine protects itself. He said this reluctance where the car didn't go as fast when i floored the pedal, was because the engine blocked itself out so as not to be damaged.

I immediately thought, i better double check that one with you guys... any truth to it?

Maintenanceman

Did you really saw that ~1L what came out?
I remember that when i bought my car i got warning of low oil level when cornering, i checked the dipstick and it was little bit higher than low point. Added something like 0,6L oil and changed oil and filter next day.
Sounds little bit strange that you get warning on that point when there is only 1L oil in the engine.
On that time i got emission (egr) and SH-AWD error codes, it was due the clocked air filter that was on the end of its life.

oo7spy

Getting the light during motion just means you were on the threshold of the sensor.

The only things that are for sure are death and taxes.

The RL has a knock sensor that can retard timing and protect the engine from damage caused by knock/ping as a result of low octane or bad gas. I have never heard of nor do I believe there is a system that can protect the engine from low oil.

RL09

Yea, i figured it may be a bit low, but 1 liter was shocking.

I got shawd, vsa, everytime i tried flooring the pedal.

RL_Coastin

Oh man, that is one of the worst things you can do to a motor, im not trying to scare you. My 2002 Civic burned oil, but never leaked a drop. I was not aware, so I never checked the oil...well the day before I was going to do an oil change, the motor crapped out. No oil on the dipstick.

Very expensive lesson. Check your oil regularly, no matter how new or fancy your car is.

Just keep driving normally and check your oil frequently.

RL09

He said it is the knock sensor yes, and it protects from overheating. low oil will heat, so it "detunes" and shuts off cylinders. He had scanned and got a engine Value:"Stuck".

He said it's why the car held back when i pressed the gas.

Dealer wants me to come in if it eats oil. We'll know in 600kms.

Maintenanceman

Knocking and low oil level are two different things.
Knock sensor works like oo7spy says.
I am quite sure that our cars have oil level sensor.
All cars have oil pressure sensors and usually when that warns you it is almost too late.
How to scan engine and get result "stuck"?

RL09

Dunno. Maybe he got 'blocked' or something similar and then interpreted as stuck.

he said some chambers were being shut down by the computer (no ignition in them) due to low oil/friction.

oo7spy

I have never heard of cylinder shut down on an RL. You might consider a different mechanic.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

RL09

Its not my mechanic, just a place not far that changed the oil instead of the plugs i had bought.

Here's what I found about knock sensors when he told me of it.


Ideal conditions would have the spark occur when the piston reaches top dead center (TDC). The flame front would travel across the combustion chamber for a complete burn of the air-fuel mixture just as the piston returns down the cylinder. Realistically, the air-fuel mixture takes longer to burn. The difference is a fraction of a second and must be compensated for. As a result, advanced timing is required. The design of the chamber and advanced timing generate optimal performance in terms of power, fuel economy, and reduced emissions.

SOUNDS LIKE MARBLES

Up to a point, more power can be produced in an engine by increasing spark advance. But too much advance causes engine knock. Once knock starts, performance decreases and there is a risk of serious engine damage.

Knock gets its name because it causes vibrations and banging in the cylinder.
Mild knock causes a “pinging” noise that sounds like marbles or small ball
bearings bouncing on a piece of metal.

Knock Sensors Do Two Jobs. Severe knock sounds like someone banging on
a door. Mild knock reduces power, wastes fuel and increases emissions. Severe knock can destroy internal engine parts including the pistons, connecting rods, exhaust valves, head gaskets and spark plugs.

Knock occurs when the air-fuel mixture doesn’t burn smoothly or is ignited too soon. Knock can be caused by “hot spots” in the cylinder, such as carbon deposits or spark plugs that are too hot for the engine, or high
combustion chamber temperatures.

RL09

I did hear the marble sound when i accelerated, and the car stalls, as if engine shutdown, then picks up again.

And my emission system sensor went on.

this mechanic had mentioned 'heat' to be a good cause for my knock sensor to have triggered in attempting to protect the engine. He seems to be right. Heat in the chamber causes the knock sensor to activate.

Basically, low engine oil seems it can trigger a knock sensor according to that. Hope my engine was indeed protected. I'm at 600kms and the oil has not reduced.

Hope it keeps going like this.

Maintenanceman

^ If your engine over heats because of the low oil level so much that the knock sensor starts to act, your engine is already done, so badly that you cant even drive to the scrap yard. This is my opinion.
Something here doesnt feel right, maybe somebody is trying to fool you.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

earlier, I mentioned that he would know if engine is at catastrophic failure point, as it wont even drive....

What I think he and his "mechanic" are speaking about is the vtec cam.

the cam operates on oil and wont allow the car to go past 4k RPM, a la safe mode.

if little to no oil fucked up his engine to catastrophic failure, he would know...ie: car wouldnt turn on today, etc.

the best advice is still to drive like normal, while checking oil level once a month

RL09

And that's what i'm doing.

What my actual mechanic is saying, over the phone, is that whether damage has taken place or not we'll know over time possible in up to 2 years. he says it could start eating oil later not necessarily now. That one left me baffled if anyone has an explanation to it.

Oil is pretty darker now not even 600km after the change, level is still at the top line.

oo7spy

Deterioration can be an exponential phenomenon. That would explain a time effect.