Oil level advice please

[Fat Ox 0]

Hello everyone, I'm a new member and I'm looking for some help...

 

A lady friend of mine (I'm not helping her out to get into her pants, honest) recently discovered that she's been running her VR6 without enough oil... Topped it up (used 2 litres). I think the capacity is 6 litres? What problems could it have caused and is there a minimum 'safe' oil level. The car seems to be running well ie no clunking noises, no smoke and it flies! Also she said the oil pressure warning indicator didn't come on at any time, other than when initialising, which I think is a good sign? I'm, as you've already guessed, pretty limited in my mechanical knowledge so I'd appreciate your comments.

[TomB 0]

TBH (and this is from another non-mechanically minded man) I would have expected the oil light to come on if the level had dropped too low. How did she discover the there wasn't enough oil? Was it below the minimum on the dipstick?

Cheers,

Tom

[conleycrew3 0]

not hundred percent but iv heard roumers that vr6's are only 4.7 litres of oil. again not sure but thats what iv heard

[Fat Ox 0]

Hey Tom, She got around to checking the oil level (to late i know) and there was no reading on the dipstick. I've read that it's 1 litre from min to max. Like I said I put 2 litres of 10w 40 in to get it reading max. I did it on level ground and followed the manual and made sure I didn't overfill. I read in the manual that the oil warning light is for the pressure and not the oil level but I don't really know what I'm talking about to be honest...

 

Thanks for your reply dude.

[Fat Ox 0]

Only 4.7 litres you say? I read 6 with filter change and 5.5 without... Who knows. I'm more worried about the possible damage to be honest! I'm thinking it would have seized up if it was major?

 

Cheers for your input.

[conleycrew3 0]

just been flicking through cars for sale, found out what happens when you run vr6 without oil

follow this link

http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30659

[Fat Ox 0]

Thanks for that. The guy said the repairs were carried out due to 'prolonged use with low oil' which I'm hoping isn't the case with my friends car...

[Supercharged 2]

I think you'll be ok to be honest, VR capacity is 6 ltrs so as long as it wasn't driven to hard, especially around corners then you should get away with it...

 

I'd just keep an eye on the level now as obviously 2 ltrs has disapeared since the last oil change!

[dr_mat 0]

VR6 oil capacity is 5.5 litres, and 1 litre from min->max on the dipstick.

Not good to run them low, it reduces the ability to remove heat from the cylinders, not to mention the lubrication problems. Might be a good idea to change the oil soon - what's left in there has been worked twice as hard is it would normally be so you might be running into oil sludge issues sooner than normal.

Otherwise, there's not a lot you can do other than wait and see how it goes.

[Fat Ox 0]

That's reassuring, cheers Mod. I had a look at her service history which shows the car has done 4k since the last oil change. Since it had a top up the oil level hasn't really moved after a few hundred miles so i'm thinking it's just burnt off the 2l of oil since the service which from what i've read on the forums is about normal for a VR6.

 

Do you know if the oil pressure warning light should flash and buzz if the oil level gets critical? I'm thinking that because if there's not enough oil in the system then that would affect the pressure and set of the warning light...

 

Do you think that she should have it checked out by a specialist or would the signs of any damage be really obvious to spot?

 

We really appreciate you guys (and girls?) taking time to help us out.

[dr_mat 0]

2 litres in 4k miles is a bit high useage, but not unheard of. Does it smoke?

You can't really "see" the damage without disassembling the entire engine and taking a micrometer to components, so all you can do is change the oil and watch and wait.

Yes, if the oil level drops really low, the pump won't be able to maintain pressure, and the warning light should come on.

There needs to be enough oil in the sump for the pump's pickup to not run dry for it to maintain oil pressure. If all the oil is up in the top of the engine, then ...

[Fat Ox 0]

Morning Dr.Mat, It doesn't smoke thankfully. Will change the oil and filter ASAP. Forgive me as I'm a bit useless at mechanics... Could you explain the bit about the pump and the warning light please... If all the oil is up in the top of the engine then... The light should come on or do you mean the engine will seize?!

[dr_mat 0]

.. if all the oil is up at the top of the engine, and there's not enough left in the sump, the pump's pickup will go dry, oil pressure will drop .. the light will come on ..

That's all I was referring to.

If the engine was going to seize, or had been seriously damaged by this incident, it would undoubtedly have done so by now, or would at least be making nasty noises.

[Fat Ox 0]

Thanks for bearing with me Mat.

[Rob Heath 0]

Women drivers :oops:

 

Luckily I have trained my sister to be always checkin the oil and water on her vr