Two weeks ago an auxiliary shaft seal leaked oil from my 1990 Accord and
the oil pressure warning light flashed on. I filled up the engine with 4
quarts of oil. My question is when the oil pressure warning light is on,
how many quarts of oil should I put in the engine? Or put another way,
is there maybe a quart of oil still in the engine when the oil pressure
warning light comes on? Should I have only put 3 quarts of oil in the
engine when the oil pressure warning light flashed on?
Randolph - 15 Jan 2005 07:49 GMT
> Two weeks ago an auxiliary shaft seal leaked oil from my 1990 Accord and
> the oil pressure warning light flashed on. I filled up the engine with 4
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> warning light comes on? Should I have only put 3 quarts of oil in the
> engine when the oil pressure warning light flashed on?
Looking back at previous posts, aren't you the guy who had the front
engine seals replaced along with the timing belt(s)? Was this auxiliary
shaft leak before you had seals replaced, or did you have the second
seal leak after the other seals were replaced?
The oil pressure warning does not reflect the amount of oil left in the
engine, it can come on even if the engine has all the oil it needs. Some
cars have oil *level* alarms in addition to the oil *pressure* alarm,
not sure if the '90 Accord has this. Regardless, the oil level alarms
are not very accurate.
What you need to do is to fill enough oil that it reaches somewhere
between the "MIN" and "MAX" marks on the engine oil dip stick. If 4
quarts is the specified oil capacity of your engine and you filled 4
quarts without draining the engine first, there is a good chance it is
over filled. You should check this and drain some oil if necessary. Too
much oil can cause problems.
TeGGer? - 15 Jan 2005 14:09 GMT
J786@webtv.net wrote in news:9093-41E8C019-378@storefull-
3278.bay.webtv.net:
> Two weeks ago an auxiliary shaft seal leaked oil from my 1990 Accord and
> the oil pressure warning light flashed on. I filled up the engine with 4
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> warning light comes on? Should I have only put 3 quarts of oil in the
> engine when the oil pressure warning light flashed on?
The oil pressure light will come on when the oil pressure drops below a
certain amount (4.3 PSI on my Integra). It has nothing to do with oil level
by itself.
In your case, your oil pump started sucking air, causing pressure to drop,
probably to zero.
How much oil to add? Up to the proper mark on the dipstick, that's how
much. And how much that is, is how much it is, circularly speaking.

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The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
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Sean Dinh - 16 Jan 2005 00:12 GMT
When the oil light in my Civic lit during hard cornering, it usually mean it
needs 1.5 quarts.
> Two weeks ago an auxiliary shaft seal leaked oil from my 1990 Accord and
> the oil pressure warning light flashed on. I filled up the engine with 4
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> warning light comes on? Should I have only put 3 quarts of oil in the
> engine when the oil pressure warning light flashed on?