 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Honda Cars / January 2006Engine off time-oil check 94 accord
Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked oil. He said, no good idea so we turned off the engine waited about two minutes and then checked. Showed more than a quart low. He was alarmed but had just driven over a thousand miles on a high mileage engine and assumed he had burned some. Put a quart in and checked it again and it showed within the two dipstick holes about three quarters of a way to the top hole. He called me on the road when he had stopped for lunch and said the dipstick then showed about a quarter inch over the full hole indicating probably a half quart or so too much. The engine on this check had been off for about thirty minutes. We assumed full drain back from the head and any other crevices in the engine. question: How long should you wait to get a reasonably accurate reading on a fully warm engine after turning it off? Is a half quart too much a problem. Should he drain it back to protect the seals? thanks Frank > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked > oil. He said, no good idea so we turned off the engine waited about > two minutes and then checked. Showed more than a quart low. He was > alarmed but had just driven over a thousand miles on a high mileage > engine and assumed he had burned some. I assume he was alarmed about the oil consumption rate, but not the low oil level. As long as the low oil pressure light didn't come on, the engine should be fine. > Put a quart in and checked it > again and it showed within the two dipstick holes about three quarters > of a way to the top hole. > > He called me on the road when he had stopped for lunch and said the > dipstick then showed about a quarter inch over the full hole Huh. That surprises me a little, based on everything you say about warming the car up, etc. Sounds like about half a quart too much. > indicating probably a half quart or so too much. The engine on this > check had been off for about thirty minutes. We assumed full drain [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > How long should you wait to get a reasonably accurate reading on a > fully warm engine after turning it off? I don't wait. I turn it off; within five minutes, I check the level. The manual says to check "a couple of minutes" after turning the engine off. > Is a half quart too much a problem. Should he drain it back to > protect the seals? Is your son on the road as we speak? I think, based on my reading, I'd let the extra half-quart or so go until after the trip. Then I'd do a proper check (warm up car with say at least twenty minues of driving; turn off; check oil level). I'd drain to get it between 1/2 and 3/4 on the dipstick. Too much oil causes frothing, IIRC, which of course cannot result in optimal lubrication. OTOH, if the car is consuming oil, it'll be in spec, level-wise, by trip's end. On the third hand, if your son is handy and fastidious about not risking damage to his car, get some Latex gloves for a few bucks at a drug store, let the car cool down somewhat, get underneath and drain out the half-quart or so. It's gonna be messy. Or stop at a Jiffy Lube or a Wal-Mart car service center and pay them $10 or so to do it. On 1/8/06 12:06 PM, in article ckk2s1t05v7c7pdfcp15hsee6jmgctq952@4ax.com, > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Frank Not enough to worry about. I wouldn't do anything. How long since the last oil change? When the level suddenly goes up like that, the first suspect is that the oil filter is full & has gone into bypass mode. > On 1/8/06 12:06 PM, in article ckk2s1t05v7c7pdfcp15hsee6jmgctq952@4ax.com, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > oil change? When the level suddenly goes up like that, the first suspect is > that the oil filter is full & has gone into bypass mode. eh? the oil filer is full as soon as the pump starts working - assuming there's enough oil to reach the scavenger pipe and fill the pump. >On 1/8/06 12:06 PM, in article ckk2s1t05v7c7pdfcp15hsee6jmgctq952@4ax.com, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >oil change? When the level suddenly goes up like that, the first suspect is >that the oil filter is full & has gone into bypass mode. Oil was changed just before he came to my house. Trip is just over a thousand miles, so filter was relatively new. Oil looked clean. >>On 1/8/06 12:06 PM, in article ckk2s1t05v7c7pdfcp15hsee6jmgctq952@4ax.com, >> [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > Oil was changed just before he came to my house. Trip is just over a > thousand miles, so filter was relatively new. Oil looked clean. I'm also assuming the car was on perfectly flat ground both times while checking? I've found it can vary a little based on where the car is parked when checking, ie on a slight incline in a driveway. -Dave He started the engine cold which pumped the thick cold oil up in the engine. It could take hours or even days to drain back down when cold. That is the reason it showed so low after only two minutes. You should have brought it up close to the bottom hole and run the engine until hot. Let it drain for 10 or 15 minutes and then check the level. Oil expands some when hot. Being a half quart high won't hurt. If it had been a problem he would have seen foaming on the dipstick because when too high the crank and connecting rods hit the oil and whip it like a beaten egg. Explain to your son that the oil should be checked at the least whenever he fuels the car. He should also check all other fluids at the same time. If he doesn't drive much he should check them weekly. > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Frank > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car that's very bad practice btw. start it and start driving right away [but NO full throttle until warm]. idling to warm it exposes the motor to massively prolonged rich mixture which dilutes the oil film on the cylinder walls, contaminates the oil, leads to excess carbon build-up, etc. the old days of high oil viscosity at low temps are OVER. start and drive. > to start back I asked if he had checked > oil. He said, no good idea so we turned off the engine waited about [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > How long should you wait to get a reasonably accurate reading on a > fully warm engine after turning it off? 5-10 mins. > Is a half quart too much a problem. Should he drain it back to > protect the seals? yes. > thanks > > Frank Reading the section on "Checking the oil in your engine, and topping up" from this web page http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html should solve your mystery. > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Frank > Son has 94 accord four cylinder VTEC. Was visiting for the holidays. > As he was warming up the car to start back I asked if he had checked [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > How long should you wait to get a reasonably accurate reading on a > fully warm engine after turning it off? couple minutes should do it > Is a half quart too much a problem. Should he drain it back to > protect the seals? nope. perhaps it wasnt checked on level ground? either at your home or on the road? if the nose (front) is pointing down a slight bit, the oil will tend to read high. i think. > thanks > > Frank > question: > > How long should you wait to get a reasonably accurate reading on a > fully warm engine after turning it off? Safest and most accurate time to check: Cold. After sitting overnight. The car must be sitting in the same attitude (angle of tilt) for each check. Oil expands with heat. And it will drain back at a different rate depending on how hot it is. A winter's drive of fifteen minutes may only heat the oil up to 120º. An hour's drive may see it go up to 210º. This will make a difference in the expansion rate and thus the report the stick gives. Also: if the oil has lots of water and fuel in it when you check, and you then drive a long distance, that contamination will burn off, giving a low reading the next time the oil is checked. > Is a half quart too much a problem. Should he drain it back to > protect the seals? Nope. Just leave it. If there's really that much in there, that is, that is.  SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ were you on a hill when you checked it? i just dont see how letting it cool could change it so much since at oil change shops and what not they check it right when u pull in, how hot your engine is shouldnt effect your oil level, you were prob just sittin on a small hill when u checked it the first time, then when he stoped he was on level or a hill goin the other way. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.