Oil Level info requested

[ahdoman]

Hey all,
I'm going through Pearl and making sure all is good. I think I've read all of the threads on here about oil consumption but nothing answers my question; Attached is a photo of my dipstick. The black arrow is the oil level on the stick. Obviously it's above the fill hole by quite a bit. On any other car I would drain some oil. But, since oil and it's circulation is so critical to these engines I was wondering if it's common practice to overfill a bit and if so by how much?

[Mile High VX]

A few comments in this thread on overfill...

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=12660&highlight=overfill

Do you know what type of oil the dealership put in?

When I buy a vehicle I always change the oil, even though the dealer did, and put in what I want to run...typically Mobil 1 for me.

[Triathlete]

Over filling your oil is a bad practice and can do damage...
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080225234421AAhuQHo

[nfpgasmask]

Do not overfill. Definitely keep an eye on that oil level though. As other said, change the oil so you have a good starting point, and I would stick with conventional oil if it was me. I used synthetic in my first VX and it always burned oil. I don't know if this adds to the oil burning process, but...

Bart

[ahdoman]

Thanks for the input guys. I have no idea what kind of oil the dealer put in so I am planning on changing it, that's what started this. I'm going to drain a bit, put some Marvel Mystery in (thus the reason for trying to figure out oil level) and run for a bit and then change. The oil looks clean and the filter new so it looks like the dealer did that along with all the other fluids (they told me they did but I've heard that before). I just don't assume anything!

BTW - Quick tip; that dipstick was really hard to read. The oil wasn't clinging to it clearly so I cross filed it and now you can clearly see the oil line.

Tri - in my experience there are situations in the past where overfilling was a good practice and a necessity; I used to autocross & race a Porsche 914. The sump was specially baffled but under hard cornering it was possible to lose oil. I just wasn't sure if you guys had discovered a flaw in the oil pickup that made it necessary to slightly over fill.

[nfpgasmask]

I think what can happen is, with our VXes that burn oil, is owners get a little paranoid and overfill a little just so the VX never burns through it all.

Best practice, imo: Check oil level EVERY time you fill up for gas. Keep a quart in the VX just in case you are low and need to fill up.

You need to do an oil change, and then drive it for a month, checking the oil level regularly to see if you have a VX that burns oil, and if so, how much is normal for it. My original VX would burn a lot of oil on long drives at hwy speed, especially when inclines through the mountains were part of the run. I always carried a small Jerry can full of oil in my VX so I could add oil on an as needed basis when driving long distances.

It's just the nature of the beast I think. With my "new" VX I am going to keep it on conventional oil and see how it does. I don't think she is a burner...yet.

Bart

[Triathlete]

I've been using syn oil (mobil1) since I have owned my 99. I burn pretty much no oil.

[rowhard]

[quote=nfpgasmask;297250 I used synthetic in my first VX and it always burned oil. I don't know if this adds to the oil burning process, but...

Bart[/quote]

So Bart, did you switch back to the dinosaur drippings? And if so, any issues??

[nfpgasmask]

No, I never switched back. And like I said, I never thought that syn caused the oil burning, but it was always a suspect for me. I bought my original VX with 25,000 miles on it, and switched to syn with my first oil change. And it burned oil right away. So it was just a thought. I have no concrete evidence that syn caused or increased the oil burning. The only switch I ever made with my VX was from Mobile-1 to Shell Rotella HW synthetic. And with the Rotella, I can say it might have burned a little less oil, but it was a negligible amount. Some VXes just have an oil appetite I guess!

Bart

[ahdoman]

How's this for overfill; 20 extra ounces! Check all fluids has just gone to the top of my list!


Also - anybody know what this hose is for? It's looped over but open. The other end disappears down below the airbox where the inner fender meets the frame but I can't find it from there.

[Y33TREKker]

Best practice, imo: Check oil level EVERY time you fill up for gas. Keep a quart in the VX just in case you are low and need to fill up.
While I think checking the oil level with regular frequency is always a good idea, the disagreement I've always had with checking the oil while getting gas is that more time is usually required for oil that's been circulating in the block while driving to drain back to the pan to get an accurate reading.

If you check the oil level before the majority of the oil has had a chance to drain back to the pan, there's more of a chance that you'll get a false low reading causing you to end up adding unnecessary oil creating a potential overfill condition.

Better to simply check the level before getting in to drive anywhere after the vehicle has been sitting for awhile...at least in my opinion anyway.

As far as overfilling goes, I think as long as the level in the pan isn't high enough that the counterweights on the crankshaft are splashing into it you're good to go.

[MSHardeman]

Also - anybody know what this hose is for? It's looped over but open. The other end disappears down below the airbox where the inner fender meets the frame but I can't find it from there.

I'm pretty sure that is the front axle breather tube.

[ahdoman]

I'm pretty sure that is the front axle breather tube.

Is it supposed to terminate somewhere in the engine bay?

[blacksambo]

The VX does not burn oil so much as blow oil out though the plenum. Check the condition of your PCV valve, first. Then, act accordingly.

[MSHardeman]

Is it supposed to terminate somewhere in the engine bay?

Yes.....I guess. Yours looks just like mine. The tube comes up from the front axle, does a loop, and is tied back to itself so that the open end of the tube is facing downward. Presumably nothing can get into then.:_confused

[ipd]

I'm bumping this because I have some questions. First off, this is the most bizarre dipstick I've ever seen. I'm still trying to read it using the same methods I've used on other cars "pull, wipe, reinsert, pull, read"--but how can I tell if the reading I'm getting is 100% accurate, when there's so much potential to scrape oil off the sides of the dipstick?

Is there any trick to this?

[ahdoman]

I used a good coarse file and cross hatched the stick so it has scratches that retain the oil. If you do that just be careful not to file over the level markings and make sure you clean the slag off the dipstick after filing. Made a huge difference for me.