(Fifth Gear) - Driving A Car With No Oil - PSA: Check your oil! - General

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUE5fcdBf9Q[/media] Thought it was an interesting video, even though the results were pretty self-explanatory. I have to top off mine every few weeks, but it's a good reminder for those who drive their cars without thinking much for the oil level. Go check it now, it costs nothing to check and it could most definitely save your engine.

Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?

[QUOTE=Buck.;49565513]Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?[/QUOTE] If it's anything like my car, then it's because the engine pretty much eats it. But I drive a beat to shit diesel banger, so I have a small Co2 extinguisher in my car in case of diesel runaway if I for some reason can't kill it with a clutch-dump into fifth from standstill. The old worn turbo is responsible for most of the oil eating.

[QUOTE=Buck.;49565513]Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?[/QUOTE] It's better to add new oil than to let it run without. The myth of having to change your oil every 3,000 miles is just a mass ploy to sell oil methinks. Almost all engine oil you can buy from the store has conditioner that cleans the inside of your engine as it circulates which is why it looks gross. Some cars burn up oil for various reasons. So topping it off between full on changes is almost more important than the actual full on changes as running even a quart low can cause problems for some engines.

One time, I ran for 6 months without checking my oil. When I did [I]finally[/I] change it, I had one half of a quart in a jeep 242. It needs 6 quarts, and I had one [I]half[/I] of a quart. Engine just... didn't [I]care.[/I]

[QUOTE=Van-man;49565546]If it's anything like my car, then it's because the engine pretty much eats it. But I drive a beat to shit diesel banger, so I have a small Co2 extinguisher in my car in case of diesel runaway if I for some reason can't kill it with a clutch-dump into fifth from standstill. The old worn turbo is responsible for most of the oil eating.[/QUOTE] A couple relatives have F150s that have a headgasket that for whatever reasons tends to leak atiny bit. It's a well known issue. If the trucks have been sitting for a week or more, you can smell it burning off for a few minutes. The choice becomes add pint of oil every couple of weeks as needed, or spend a thousand+ for a new headgasket. A headgasket which will inevitably fail in the exact same way in a year or two. Pretty easy to see which of the two is more cost effective. All of the trucks in question have been running fine for 250,000+ miles.

[QUOTE=Buck.;49565513]Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?[/QUOTE] All cars burn oil, some more than other. Old cars seem to burn more as they're usually slightly worn and parts are old. My car being 33 years old has some slightly leaking valve stem seals, so oil will leak into the combustion chamber when driving. No blue "oil" smoke or anything, but does smell a bit of burnt oil. If I had to change the oil every 2 weeks, I'm pretty sure I'd be broke. :v:

[QUOTE=Jackpody;49565802]All cars burn oil, some more than other. Old cars seem to burn more as they're usually slightly worn and parts are old. My car being 33 years old has some slightly leaking valve stem seals, so oil will leak into the combustion chamber when driving. No blue "oil" smoke or anything, but does smell a bit of burnt oil. If I had to change the oil every 2 weeks, I'm pretty sure I'd be broke. :v:[/QUOTE] it's possible to change the valve stem seals on almost any engine without even removing the valves (and thus the head) But it's kind of a pain in the ass and sometimes requires specialized tools with a pricetag to match. Also your piston rings (especially the oil ring) are probably also worn, and usually when changing those to some that are oversized compared to the original it's also a good idea to re-hone the cylinder walls.

I always change my own oil. I will 2-3 times a year change my oil filter because they're so cheap. You can literally buy 5 quarts of oil from any auto store and get a oil filter practically free or heavily discounted.

[QUOTE=Van-man;49565849]it's possible to change the valve stem seals on almost any engine without even removing the valves (and thus the head) But it's kind of a pain in the ass and sometimes requires specialized tools with a pricetag to match. Also your piston rings (especially the oil ring) are probably also worn, and usually when changing those to some that are oversized compared to the original it's also a good idea to re-hone the cylinder walls.[/QUOTE] Yeah, the engine is a petrol and has done 262k km, so it does have some wear and tear. Starts and runs fine, so I just top it off every few weeks, doesn't drink too much (I'd estimate just over a liter per 1000 km). Doesn't seem to show too many signs of it being a piston ring related issue, seems more like a valve stem oil-like consumption, so once I get the valves adjusted, I'll probably ask for the stem seals to be replaced. Can't hurt and shouldn't cost too much.

Love my good ol 94 ranger cus its just awesome that it leaks oil from everywhere and otherwise leaks everything else everywhere too (its tough as fuck though my aunt drove it super low on oil and with one spark plug pretty much unplugged and its still fine afaik) [QUOTE=S31-Syntax;49565690]One time, I ran for 6 months without checking my oil. When I did [I]finally[/I] change it, I had one half of a quart in a jeep 242. It needs 6 quarts, and I had one [I]half[/I] of a quart. Engine just... didn't [I]care.[/I][/QUOTE] But don't jeeps just drink oil anyways? And are known, especially in the older models, for being held together on luck and impossibilities? Doing most of your own car maintenance is pretty easy anyways, and can be a good exercise in understanding the car better and you get to save some money so win-win

[QUOTE=Buck.;49565513]Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?[/QUOTE] My first car was a rusty old nissan from 1991. Took about 2 months for it to leak oil from dipstick max to min. Though after I changed the valve cover gasket it stopped losing so much. Still did though

[QUOTE=paindoc;49566050] But don't jeeps just drink oil anyways? And are known, especially in the older models, for being held together on luck and impossibilities? Doing most of your own car maintenance is pretty easy anyways, and can be a good exercise in understanding the car better and you get to save some money so win-win[/QUOTE] Oh yeah, both it and the previous jeep were absurdly resilient. Previous one went 50,000 miles on the same oil and the same filter. That one though oddly enough just... [I]didn't[/I] leak. At least not much. I was not kind to that jeep for the first couple of years, and I regret that to this day.

when i got my first car at 16 i didn't top off or change the oil for a full year. it was uh rough

I was hoping to see the aftermath inside the engine.

[QUOTE=Smoot;49566407]I was hoping to see the aftermath inside the engine.[/QUOTE] The metal is welded together I'm pretty sure from the intense heat.

[QUOTE=Mister_Jack;49565564]It's better to add new oil than to let it run without. The myth of having to change your oil every 3,000 miles is just a mass ploy to sell oil methinks. Almost all engine oil you can buy from the store has conditioner that cleans the inside of your engine as it circulates which is why it looks gross. Some cars burn up oil for various reasons. So topping it off between full on changes is almost more important than the actual full on changes as running even a quart low can cause problems for some engines.[/QUOTE] i would never top off unless i got a leak. every 3-4K miles the oil turns completely black instead of gold/purple. Ever since our family car got gunked up from just topping off, we never top off and rather do a full cleanse and charge.

Its fine to top off between oil changes if your car burns oil, but never just top up even if its burning. You'll just end up with dirty burnt oil sludge in the oil pan. That can't be good when it gets sucked up and travels back through the engine.

[QUOTE=codemaster85;49566904]i would never top off unless i got a leak. every 3-4K miles the oil turns completely black instead of gold/purple. Ever since our family car got gunked up from just topping off, we never top off and rather do a full cleanse and charge.[/QUOTE] You HAVE to top off an oil burning car every now and then, else the scenario in the video above becomes a reality. Oil in non-burning cars will turn black as well, nothing wrong with that. As long as it doesn't smell burnt, smells of coolant or petrol, it's good. Just change it every 5-7k miles. If I didn't add some oil to my car every now and then, I wouldn't own a car right now. :v:

[QUOTE=Buck.;49565513]Why would you just top up the oil without draining the old oil first?[/QUOTE] Because you'd waste a fortune and be a monster to the environment. If it's a quart low and the oil's still gold you don't need to drain the four quarts left and put five in, just put one in.

i should probably learn how to check my oil in the first place haha