Is It Normal For The Petrol Engine To Use Any Engine Oil ?

[forevered]

sorry if this question has been asked before, ive noticed today my 1.6 petrol engine has used some oil for the first time . looking on the back of the dipstick the oil appears to be halfway between the low and full marks. the car will be 5 years old in march and is due a service also in march.does anybody know approx how much oil it will take to get it back to the full mark, and which oil to use, as ive never had to top it up between toyota servicing it ? thanks for any advice

[Mistermena]

_{All engines use oil depending on how they are 1st run in and the type of use they get. Are you sure there isn't an oil leak? Has the correct oil been used on the last service? The difference between the min and max marks on the oil dipstick is usually about 1Ltr.}

_{This is a good oil... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mobil-1-ESP-Form-5W30-4x5L-/321062383129?pt=UK_Vehicle_Oils_Lubricants_Fluids&hash=item4ac0cf2e19}

[forevered]

i cant see any visible sign of a oil leak.nothing on the drive. i check the level on the back of the dipstick when you pull it out, is this correct ? as the front of the dipstick has oil streaked well above the full dimple. i hope the correct oil is used on each service as its done by the same main toyota dealer everytime on time.it probably hasnt just dropped from full in the last week as i probably havnt looked to closely in the past few weeks due to the bad weather. i had a nissan almera before the auris and in the 8 years i owned it it never used a drop of oil. its not due its next service for maybe another 2 months if i keep an eye on the level and it dosnt drop anymore do you guys think its safe to not top it up and leave it as it is, as i dont have any oil (never needed any) if i do buy some how long does it keep once opened ?

[Mooly]

If the level is halfway between then there is no problem running it like this until the next service. I used to find on my TSport that the "oil consumption" seemed to vary some years and I always put that down to different oils used (main dealer serviced). I never actually had to add oil, just noticed the level drop a little more some years than others.

Oil keeps a long time (certainly measured in many years) even when opened.

[forevered]

went in to my local main dealer on saturday to buy some top up oil,and mentioned why,they said they would top it up free of charge and make a note of my current mileage,and when it goes in there in about 4 weeks for its mot test they will check if its used any and do a free test to see if its burning any oil,no idea what sort of a test they do to check this ?

[Mooly]

I wonder if oil burning can be deduced from an emmisions test.

[Deggs]

My Toyota Corolla is 11 years old on a 51 plate, It uses 1 Litre oil every couple of months only when the weather is cold, as did my Estima, it never goes down when we are in the warm weather cycle of March to Oct, there is nothing to worry about as long as there is no oil leak as you has stated, all engines use oil to lubricate and cool the working parts and a little does get behind the pistons especially in very cold weather when the engine is cold, the metal contracts allowing oil to pass between the surfaces, once the engine heats up the metal expands and closes the tiny gaps. Hope this helps. Deggs

[Deggs]

Forgot to mention, since I changed from Mineral oil ( as per the Manufacturer recommendations in the user manual ) to 5w 30w Fully Synthetic I hardly use any oil now.

[tobiasdog]

Hi there, all the above advice is great. What you do not tell us, are the different types of driving conditions. When cars are driven around town for some time and then suddenly taken to high speed on motorways or A road condition. You may notice a drop in oil. What you are noticing, is the water content being burnt off due to the sustained higher temperature that then evaporates the water content. On checking the levels this shows as a dramatic oil consumption issue. It is quite normal for engines to have some water mixing with the oil when the car is only driven at low commuting speeds.

The water comes the combustion of the fuel and air.

Hope this helps.

[Roger2]

My 2 petrol RAV4's used no oil between changes in 7 years and 10 years repectively. I have used Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil from the first oil change in both and have used it in every car since it was first marketed in early 1980's. Even when the car was serviced by the dealer I took the Mobil 1 in and made sure it was used.

Also, my observation was that the use of Mobil fully synthetic gear oil in gearbox, transfer box and rear axle improved gear change and reduced noise.

I do not work for Mobil and I have to pay for my own oils at retail, but I will continue to use the fully synthetic Mobil products appropriate to my vehicles.

I have just changed to a Skoda, Toyota's have become too heavy and expensive whilst many other manufactures now match their reliability. If the GT 86 had been a hatchback and therefore had some practicality I may have been tempted.

[tobiasdog]

Hi there, some great advice in respect of your choice of oil. Costco sell Mobil 1 oil for around £25 .