Riddle Me This: An OCI Mystery

[Brandon Gatz]

Rain and freezing temps as the climactic norm the last few weeks, I meandered into a new local mom and pop shop for my oil change in lieu of my typical DIY OCIs. With 54 qts of semi-syn Nextgen from my AZ score in the truck bed and Motorcraft filter in hand, I left the drain and fill to the "experts". 10 minutes and $15 later I'm out.

I check the dipstick next day and she's 2 qts overfilled. I check two more times throughout the day with same result.

I return to the "oil change experts", display the dipstick reading to the manager, and he pumps out 2qts of crude. We check the dipstick again, and the reading is on level.

The next day I check oil level again, and the dipstick is bone dry. I'd driven for 30 minutes prior to taking this reading, and with no abnormal oil pressure readings or other issues and check for leaks. Added two quarts, and 24hrs she's finally staying level.

Riddle me this.

 

[berniedd]

What does your car manual say about oil change amount? And how much oil did the mom and pop store put in? The numbers should be equal.

Regarding your experience, I had a similar incident with my 1st gen crv (4 quarts sump capacity) which had an engine overhaul just a week before. Oil level was at the top mark before I left the garage shop. A week later, I went on an hour's drive, and checked the oil 2 hours after shutting the engine off. Car was on level ground, and the oil was at the low mark. I rechecked it 3 times, always with the same result. No big deal, so I bought a quart of oil on the way home. It was dark when I got home and I decided to just do the add-oil chore the next morning. 12 hours later, lo and behold, engine oil was back at the top mark. Repeated checking over the next month showed the oil always at the top mark. To this day, I don't understand what caused the readings to be off.

 

[901Memphis]

Bad or no anti drain back valve in the oil filter could cause some variances.

 

[Shannow]

Dipstick tube causing an airlock will do all sorts of stupid stuff.

 

[berniedd]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Bad or no anti drain back valve in the oil filter could cause some variances.



Agreed. Variations in oil level can be due to bad or absent ADBV. I always use quality original Honda filters. So in my case (the opposite of your experience), I can safely assume that most of the time the Honda ADBV works, and that very rarely the valve may malfunction, right? If it did its job, my oil would be retained in the filter and oil galleries. If it malfunctioned, the oil would drain back to the sump and the oil level would RISE, not go low. It's too much of a stretch to think I started with a bad ADBV (ergo high oil level), it returned to normal function for a few hours (low oil level), then went bad again for the last few months. Besides, I don't hear any abnormal knocks or sounds on startup, and the oil warning light always goes off a quarter of a second after the engine catches, just like it always did in the 5 years I've owned it.

Whenever I have the oil and filter changed, I prefill the filter with fresh oil. The only time I did not prefill (filter filled with air), the oil warning light stayed on for 7 seconds, so I know how the car behaves if the filter isn't completely oil filled.


Originally Posted By: Shannow
Dipstick tube causing an airlock will do all sorts of stupid stuff.


That's more plausible to my mind.

 

[Kira]

Hello, Dip stick tube 'bounce' happens fairly often. Kira

 

[datech]

I have found the oil can take a lot longer than 5-10 minutes to drain back after running. Any more I only check at the beginning of the day, after it's been sitting all night.

And I always change the oil myself, so I know how much I put in.

Once I was getting an inspection at a quick lube place. They forgot to put the oil cap on the car ahead of me. The manager watching through the window noticed and alerted them before oil splattered all over the place. They hire amateurs there, you know.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

Originally Posted By: berniedd
What does your car manual say about oil change amount? And how much oil did the mom and pop store put in? The numbers should be equal.


It's a 6qt sump. I personally handed them 5.1qt jug + 1qt.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Oil was likely overfilled 1Litre and they took too much out. Nothing else.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

That does not explain how it would be 2qts under the day after we drained it to the proper level.

 

[jorton]

Good one. How much used oil was left in the engine. 1/2 quart more that usual? I usually pull the dipstick out for a few minutes, up to 5 minutes, before checking the level. Dip sticks have a rubber oring near the handle. Sometimes it makes a good seal, sometimes not.

 

[rshaw125]

The level after your oil change was correct.

I drained mine yesterday. Let it drip for 30 minutes and refilled with 6 quarts. I did not even check the dip stick. 6 quarts came out 6 went in.

I put the correct number of quarts out with the filter. Then there can be zero confusion as to proper refill amount.

You pulled new oil out and wasted it.

 

[SatinSilver]

Were you or anyone in the shop drinking?

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: berniedd
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Dipstick tube causing an airlock will do all sorts of stupid stuff.


That's more plausible to my mind.


Some tractor owners find that they have to remove the dipstick and the filler cap and let sit for 5-10m before they can get a level.

My Nissan sometimes reads (consistently) 1"-1.5" over first check morning after a trip, but normal the following day.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Were you or anyone in the shop drinking?


Of course. I'm always liquored up, and expect the same of my oil change engineers.

 

[jorton]

The relaxing effects take the bite out of a tough job. I was unable to replace a gas line on my chain saw before I popped a top!

 

[hattaresguy]

It could have been airlocked, one of my Mercedes always did that.

I had to remove the dipstick once and put it back in again to pop the "bubble" than wait a minute and get a proper reading. If you just pulled it straight out it would just show up on the min line, even when I knew their were 8.5 quarts in it.

 

[antiqueshell]

The fact that this issue never occurred until he took it to a shop seems to be a red flag to me, I agree with the incorrect filter and or a faulty ADBV on that filter.

Honestly I have had so many bad experiences with any shop I have taken my cars to (and I am not picky, but I do expect the job to be done correctly) I am ready to just do the basic work and let the rest of the car fall apart. You just can't seem to find honest competent shops these days, at ANY price.