FIlling up Oil

[milly143]

I have had the most ridiculous journey of my life today but I'll spare the details. On my way back my oil warning light came on so I stopped at a petrol station and put some oil in. My Dad asked if I had checked the oil level before I filled it up and as I could tell from the way he was asking me that I should have done, I fibbed and said yes. What could happen if I didn't check the level and just put more oil in? The light went off once I'd done it.

[AlBags]

If you over-fill by a LOT .. maybe a few litres, the engine may smoke badly until burned off excess oil. This is because bottom of engine is spashing in oil and chucking it about everywhere.
If you absolutely fill the oil filler to the top of the filler .. maybe 15L .. Engine will hydraulic up and die. Probably not run again, because it may bend itself!
So some .. 1-2L over is sort of ok.

[Vagrant]

This: http://en.wikipedia.o...Diesel_engine_runaway

[milly143]

Oi! I'm not bad at driving, just at looking after the damn thing. :o)

I only put a little bit in, maybe a cap full. Is that too much? I'm worried now. I drove about 30 miles after that with no problem. Would I have know after that amount of driving if I was going to have a problem?

[AlBags]

Read my entry : )

[milly143]

It's a petrol engine.

[milly143]

This is where I will look REALLY dumb because I can't picture how much a litre is so I still don't know if I over filled it. Can't go and check now or I will cause suspicion.

[AlBags]

This is the problem .. y-see ...
You are not reading anything!!

[milly143]

I am Al, I promise. I have read your post about 3 times. I just don't know how much I have actually put in, so I don't know if it would be close to a couple of litres or more like 15 litres.

[AlBags]

1 milk bottle = 1 pint.
1L = approx 1 3/4 pints.
Help any?

[AlBags]

If you bought 15L at a petrol station you would know about it ..
They would charge you maybe £65. Not many sell large 5L (gallon) containers. They like to sell you the smaller 1/2L or 1L ones to make most profit.

[ChuckFickens]

I'd guess you bought some oil at the petrol station (did you get the correct stuff?) in which case you probably bought one litre of oil.

[milly143]

I think I can hear you sighing from here Al :o)

I think I'll be ok then. I put in a really small amount, litterally about the amount that would fill the cap of the bottle.

Thanks for being so patient with my stupidity!

[milly143]

Yeah I bought it at a petrol station. It was the smallest bottle they had which was 15 quid. I did ask the guy to check if it was the right one but his English wasn't exactly fluent so I just got it based on the fact it said suitable for all petrol cars.

[ChuckFickens]

putting a cap full of oil into an engine is not going to make any difference to anything, it's hardly worth it.

I'd suggest you get somebody to show you the correct way to check the oil and find out what quantity of oil would be required to take your car from the low mark on the dipstick to the high mark so you have a rough idea of how much to add if needed. (though if it's very low you should add a little at a time and check between each time)

[milly143]

I know how to check it, I just stupidly decided not to because I was standing in pouring rain with a very light coloured blouse on and had been sitting in traffic in the middle of London for 5 hours which inlcuded passing a dead body on the road so by that point I kind of just wanted to get home.

I will check it properly tomorrow although perhaps it would be a good idea to get someone to show me how to fill it properly. I realise I have just done the population of female drivers no good at all!

[ChuckFickens]

"which included passing a dead body"

Ah well, look on the bright side, somebody is having a worse day than you.