Oil Level info requested

[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

[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.