Do engines "like" a certain oil level?

[PRND3L]

Here's one I'd never heard before:

BiL tells me that it's widely known that every individual engine has a certain oil level it likes, may or may not be the OEM spec, and will settle to that point if overfilled above its particular "oil level sweet spot". Example, car calls for 5.5 qts, but will burn off a quart and settle at 4.5 qts for the remainder of the OCI, no matter how many or few times it's topped off.

I call Bee Ess on it.

Anybody? Input appreciated.

 

[Donald]

I would say not likely. I would keep the engine as close to the full mark as practical.

However the auto makers have got to assume that the majority of drivers are idiots when it comes to maintaining their engines and have a built in a margin of error beyond the operating range. Lots of people will dump in a QT of oil when its low regardless of if it needed 8OZ or 16OZ or 1QT.

So what would be nice to know is what the + margin of error is and what the - margin of error is. Probably on an engine by engine basis.

What would be nice to know is what

 

[daman]

#@$%!...

 

[Blue99]

Don't quite know what the logic would be for an overfill to cause oil consumption.

Usually, poor ring seal, high engine rpm's & loads or leaky valve stem seals would induce oil into the combustion chamber.

Other causes of consumption could be a malfunctioning PCV system or a poor Noack volatility rating for the oil.

But, how an elevated oil level in the crankcase would cause consumption is beyond me.

BTW, I typically run my 5.3L GMC Sierra 4X4 with 8 oz. of overfill and the consumption is about 8 oz. in 2500 miles.

 

[NYEngineer]

A common trick in performance engines is to run a larger than stock pan, like a 7 quart for instance and only put 5 quarts in it. This keeps the oil away from the reciprocating assembly for reduced windage. I've seen guys do the opposite and add a quart to a 5 quart pan and it gave them nothing but trouble. I wouldn't run less than the stock amount because I believe the oil would run hotter.

 

[Gary Allan]

As others have said, it may be some volatile component in the oil ..but this would tend to assume the same oil. That would fit your condition.

Having the wrong dipstick and adding a quart too much could have some of it managing to end up out the PCV due to getting whipped up a bit until the level is low enough. Not to the point of losing pressure due to foamation since the engine may/probably isn't operating in a hi-per go fast manner. Just splashing up too much oil until it doesn't happen anymore.

This you can throw out the window if all the capacity charts say 5 quarts (or whatever) for the application ..and 5 quarts is added.

..those two conditions fit the symptom.

 

[dwendt44]

I had a car that seemed to like oil a half quart low according to the dip stick.
Add, and it would quickly burn it off to the half quart level then stay there.
Go figure.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

When I overfilled my 86 Civic Si, it would consume down to the full line, then stop. I think it called for X.5 quarts, and I usually just poured in that extra 1/2 quart to avoid having it sitting around the garage. The engine would 'rid itself' of that 1/2 quart fairly quickly and stay locked at the full line for the rest of the OCI.

 

[PRND3L]

Wow, I'm surprised to see some anecdotal evidence that there may be something to this. Theoretically it just doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Quote:

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When I overfilled my 86 Civic Si, it would consume down to the full line, then stop. I think it called for X.5 quarts, and I usually just poured in that extra 1/2 quart to avoid having it sitting around the garage. The engine would 'rid itself' of that 1/2 quart fairly quickly and stay locked at the full line for the rest of the OCI.

---

My Integra actually does the same thing

Before I left on vacation, I was about a half quart overfilled, and I checked the oil after 1000 miles of pure highway driving (35mpg+!) and it was down onto the full line, and it's stayed there since. It did that on my last OCI as well. Strange

 

[CBDFrontier06]

Hey, they like what they like...if you don't provide it, they take care of it themselves. ;-)