A week or two ago I was out with friends and the "Low Oil Level" light came on. This is the first time that has ever happened. I check the oil periodically (granted, not as often as I should) but it was a complete surprise when this light came on.

I drove the car back home lightly, keeping the RPM's low. I left the car in the garage and purchased Mobil 1 Full Synthetic SAE 5W30. For one thing, the dipstick seems a bit inconsistent. It seems the orientation has to be just right to get an accurate reading, which is why it could have been low the whole time and I was just reading it incorrectly. Anyway, maybe it is slightly bent and I need to get a new one? So I checked the oil and saw that it was just under the "Operating Temp" mark. My procedure was run the car till it was up to temperature, then shut it down and wait 10-15min for the oil to drain. I began adding oil slowly and checking the dipstick. I now have it at about exactly the middle of the "Operating Temp" hashes. The light is no longer coming on. It was only low 1/2 quart of oil.

So now I want to make 100% sure that the motor is ok. The light was only on for a running time of 40min at the most. Then the oil was filled back up. Now for what I'm experiencing, which could be total BS and just being hyper-sensitive from the light being on. When driving around, I "thought" I could smell a burning odor. I could have been imagining it, but it was enough to get my attention. It's never very strong and nothing is obvious under the hood. Everything "looks" fine. I also noticed a bit of smoke from the tailpipes during startup and while it was warming up. Again, this could be normal as it was only about 55-60F outside when I started it up. I think it went away after some time. I'd like your thoughts on this. Finally, I let the car warm up for a bit and then went to wash it. The washing area in my apartment complex is literally 1min away. I sprayed the tailpipes when I was wetting the car down and could hear it sizzling/popping from the heat/water. I guess I've never noticed that before, especially from a short drive.

With those 3 things above, it has me a bit worried. It's probably nothing. With the Low Oil Level light coming on, and those 3 things I mentioned above...what could be a possible issue? Any way to check and verify that everything is ok?

Would love to hear your thoughts. My FRC is nearly stock, with only an intake and exhaust.

 

I would say you've nothing to worry about. Its easy to talk yourself into a corner when that happens

I changed my oil last year and used the prescribed 6.5 qts. A few days later the same Low Oil Level caption came on. I topped it off with 1/2 qt and no problem since. Running 1/2 qt down wont harm the engine. These engines are an amazing piece of engineering and the experts describe them running dry for an amazing number of miles

As with any oil issue keep a close eye. Watch the temps and pressures and make sure they remain normal but it should be fine.

 

I would say you are okay. 1/2 quart down is no big deal.

 

Have you guys experienced the same problems as me when trying to get a reading from the dipstick? I have to have the orientation just right for it to get an accurate reading.

If I don't, it seems to drag oil off the dipstick tube walls and it shows the oil as being waaaay over. It did that even with the Low Oil Level light on, so don't think I overfilled it.

I just find it odd that the dipstick is like that, guess I'll just grab a new one. Kept scaring the hell out of me though because I didn't want to overfill it. Had to check many times to make sure it was an accurate reading.

 

I haven't noticed the problem with the dipstick, but I don't check it that often. I just keep an eye on my oil pressure gauge to make sure things are okay.

I only look at the dipstick if I change the oil myself. A little extra oil won't harm your engine, I think its even recommended if you are going to do some racing.

 

If the car sits a while after shutting off, the oil should drain out of the dip stick tube.

 

Its not the best one that I've ever used. It often takes few shots to get a clean "dip"

 

I was taking readings when the car had been off for roughly 15-20min.

 

I'm sure your car is fine. Its easy to start hearing, feeling, smelling things after you think you have really messed up. Half a quart low is no big deal. Nothing wrong with being cautious though

 

I hear ya, I was paranoid as hell.

Really guys, thanks for the comments...starting to feel better.

 

What experts would these be?

 

They ran some LS1s to destruction during the test program. I read an article that described how long the engine survived. It surprised me but its not a test I'm about to repeat

I thought this article was the one but its not. It's worth a read anyway as it has a number of extracts from "All Corvettes are Red"

http://www.idavette.net/hib/ls1c.html

 

FRC_99,

Few things I would suggest for future reference.

If you ever get a warning light again, especially anything oil related, don't continue to drive unless it is a life or death situation or you have determined the cause and know it is safe to continue. I have seen vehicles with seized engines where the owner will say something like “yeah, I seen that light an hour or so ago, that's why I brought it to you”. Unfortunately some people mistake oil pressure and oil level warnings as meaning the same as the low fuel warning. They rationalize that the car is still moving, so they will continue on there way.

The next time you finish changing engine oil to the proper amount of oil, get the car off the ramps on level ground and after it has ran a few minutes, shut it down and let it set for 10 minutes or so. Check the oil level on the dipstick and wherever the oil level is mark the stick ether by scribing a line or marking with a paint pen. You now have a true reference line for proper level. The dipstick from the factory are close and will at least allow you to see there is oil in the oil pan, but they can be wrong.

You can even take the dipstick calibration one step better by purposely leaving one quart of oil out after the oil change and doing the same as mentioned above. You now have a line that indicates the one quart low line on the dipstick. Of course, be sure to add that missing quart.

Having a true reference can save you from a lot of agony wondering if the engine has the proper level of oil or not.

As far as an LS1 surviving without oil, I can tell you first hand that an engine will run an amazing amount of time with no oil pressure, however, not without damage. The damage done may not stop it right away, but will drastically reduce its life, and the damage will show its ugly face somewhere down the road.

Regards, Eric D

 

Keeping your oil level at the 'full' mark or 1 qt above is of course the safest way to run your Vette. So, you can drive it hard and not have to worry about the engine getting enough oil. But, the reason its safe can make you feel a little better. In the short term, the fill level is set where it is to ensure that under expected street driving conditions (think how hard some drive on the street) there will always be enough oil in the pan for the oil pump's pick up tube to keep oil flowing. When you go around a corner fast, the oil sloshes to the out side of the pan. In racing, it can go so far to the outside that the oil flow is interrupted. Which will damage or blow the engine. Which is why your owners manual says to over fill by 1 qt for road racing type of driving. The extra oil will keep the oil flowing in high G turns, even long ones. This can also happen in very hard braking, and for very fast drag racers. I would also think that even the 1 qt low would be enough to cover normal street driving, but that is hard to say for sure as everyone's definition of normal is pretty different for a Vette

In the longer term there may be other reasons, but for a short drive they won't add up to much of an impact.

If you were driving normally on the street, 1/2 qt low should not have gotten you to the point where damage was done. But, if you were doing some quite hard turning or braking then there is a very small chance the oil flow was interrupted. If you saw a 'low oil pressure' message, then I would be very concerned. Otherwise, it is most likely not an issue.


Not sure what was meant by that comment. But, your dip stick tube has an o-ring on it. It should never leak, and if it did you would be getting dirt and water into your oil which is not good. Replace the tube ASAP.

 

Sounds like something we'd be interested in

Tell us more

BTW, most members that track their cars seem to use 7 qts+