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Old 08-08-2018, 08:05 AM
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Corgidog1
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Default Excess oil consumption issue

Had my 2015 base C7 for a little over 3 yrs and only have 6300 miles on it. I get the oil changed every April when the weather changes. When I had my last oil change in April, I checked the dipstick and it was at the upper hash mark-OK. However just for yucks yesterday I checked my dipstick (first time outside of checking after an oil change) and noticed the oil level was very near the bottom hash mark. I have only driven the car about 900 miles since April and am concerned about the oil consumption. I do not track my car, but I do like to give it occasional spurts of hard acceleration when I do drive it. Any thoughts on this. Thanks
Old 08-08-2018, 08:33 AM
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JonMN
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Wow, I have had just one car with very high oil consumption and it's not fun. I do know that the level varies a lot depending upon how long you wait to measure it. I would suggest topping it off and then actually measuring at an exact time after shutting off the engine to try to get a more precise record. You might find you are really OK. Good luck!
Old 08-08-2018, 08:56 AM
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John Micheal Henry
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Did you check your oil in April after the oil change? Who ever changed your oil may have not added the correct amount. You can check your oil in the morning before you start your car and get an accurate reading..
Old 08-08-2018, 09:03 AM
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raylo
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Dry sump or wet sump? Same temperature when both checks were made? I'd change the oil again but use one of the 40 weights... either the "approved" 0W-40 Mobil 1 ESP or one of the 5W-40 offerings. Run that for awhile and see how she does.

Last edited by raylo; 08-08-2018 at 09:04 AM.
Old 08-08-2018, 09:20 AM
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Corgidog1
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Originally Posted by raylo
Dry sump or wet sump? Same temperature when both checks were made? I'd change the oil again but use one of the 40 weights... either the "approved" 0W-40 Mobil 1 ESP or one of the 5W-40 offerings. Run that for awhile and see how she does.
Thanks.

base=wet sump. Temps were different as one was in April and the other was in August. I will top off with Mobil 1 5-30 since it was the same oil always used and put in by the factory in 2015.


Old 08-08-2018, 09:21 AM
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Corgidog1
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Originally Posted by John Micheal Henry
Did you check your oil in April after the oil change? Who ever changed your oil may have not added the correct amount. You can check your oil in the morning before you start your car and get an accurate reading..
Thanks for the reply. Checked in April and amount was correct.

Old 08-08-2018, 09:22 AM
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Corgidog1
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Originally Posted by JonMN
Wow, I have had just one car with very high oil consumption and it's not fun. I do know that the level varies a lot depending upon how long you wait to measure it. I would suggest topping it off and then actually measuring at an exact time after shutting off the engine to try to get a more precise record. You might find you are really OK. Good luck!
Thanks. Waited 4+ months.

Old 08-08-2018, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Corgidog1
Thanks. Waited 4+ months.
OK, I was thinking minutes, not months. When car is hot, wait a specific number of minutes and measure level. Drive 1000 miles and repeat. Oil measurement is very dependent upon engine temp. [I did this over and over and ended up with a new engine for my 911 as consumption exceeded a Qt per 500 miles.]
Old 08-08-2018, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by JonMN
OK, I was thinking minutes, not months. When car is hot, wait a specific number of minutes and measure level. Drive 1000 miles and repeat. Oil measurement is very dependent upon engine temp. [I did this over and over and ended up with a new engine for my 911 as consumption exceeded a Qt per 500 miles.]
I waited approx. 10 minutes each time after driving. Really do not want a new engine.

Last edited by Corgidog1; 08-08-2018 at 11:11 AM.
Old 08-08-2018, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Corgidog1
Had my 2015 base C7 for a little over 3 yrs and only have 6300 miles on it.
Why do you even have this car? 2100 miles a year??? Who ya saving it for, the next owner?
Old 08-08-2018, 10:24 PM
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madrob2020
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He asked for info about oil, nothing about "do YOU approve of his driving habits". Just saying, wait 5-10 mins. after reading before you post. I know everyone on Facebook/Twitter, etc. can't wait to Flame everyone else but this is a HELP forum with folks asking for real advice. If I have no knowledge or input to the question then I simply observe to see if something comes up that may help me also. Really not trying to pick a fight but sometimes we get a "bit mean" on here.
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Old 08-08-2018, 10:34 PM
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Bill Dearborn
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I am more of the opinion that you get a more consistent reading if you measure oil level after the car has sat over night and cooled off. Worrying about how much the oil level changes with the temperature goes away. With a wet sump engine check the oil the first thing in the morning after the engine has been off for 8 to 10 hours.

Bill
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Old 08-08-2018, 10:52 PM
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owc6
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Originally Posted by Corgidog1
Had my 2015 base C7 for a little over 3 yrs and only have 6300 miles on it. I get the oil changed every April when the weather changes. When I had my last oil change in April, I checked the dipstick and it was at the upper hash mark-OK. However just for yucks yesterday I checked my dipstick (first time outside of checking after an oil change) and noticed the oil level was very near the bottom hash mark. I have only driven the car about 900 miles since April and am concerned about the oil consumption. I do not track my car, but I do like to give it occasional spurts of hard acceleration when I do drive it. Any thoughts on this. Thanks
With the few numbers of miles you put on your car each year, I would say you do not have to worry about excessive oil consumption during your ownership in the grander scheme of things.

If there is "excessive oil consumption," after the break-in period, I would say that taking too long to put on 1500-2000 miles may not be such a good thing. I don't know how long it took you to put the first 1500 mi on the car, but that is probably the most important 1500 miles the car will ever have, and doing it in a matter of weeks, or days,to set rings to pistons (so they learn to love each other), rather than months (or more) does the engine a favor in the long run.

At this point check and add oil as necessary. Cars have been consuming oil for decades. As long as you stay on top of it, no real harm, IMO.
Old 08-08-2018, 11:24 PM
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JerryU
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Originally Posted by Corgidog1
Had my 2015 base C7 for a little over 3 yrs and only have 6300 miles on it. I get the oil changed every April when the weather changes. When I had my last oil change in April, I checked the dipstick and it was at the upper hash mark-OK. However just for yucks yesterday I checked my dipstick (first time outside of checking after an oil change) and noticed the oil level was very near the bottom hash mark. I have only driven the car about 900 miles since April and am concerned about the oil consumption. I do not track my car, but I do like to give it occasional spurts of hard acceleration when I do drive it. Any thoughts on this. Thanks
If you went from near the top hatched mark on the dip stick to the bottom mark, that is ~1 quart. Owner’s Manual states when at the Min mark add a quart. That is about 1 inch on a dry sump assume about the same on a wet sump.

If you actually burned a quart in 900 miles you’d see that as a smoky exhaust. I assume there are no leaks. Is there oil on the filter?
Old 08-08-2018, 11:35 PM
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kaplana08
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Originally Posted by CP
Why do you even have this car? 2100 miles a year??? Who ya saving it for, the next owner?
Dont think that is the comment the OP wanted. How much he drives his car is his business.

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Old 08-09-2018, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by CP
Why do you even have this car? 2100 miles a year??? Who ya saving it for, the next owner?
I guess understanding of other peoples choices is not your strong suit.

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Old 08-09-2018, 07:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Bill Dearborn
I am more of the opinion that you get a more consistent reading if you measure oil level after the car has sat over night and cooled off. Worrying about how much the oil level changes with the temperature goes away. With a wet sump engine check the oil the first thing in the morning after the engine has been off for 8 to 10 hours.

Bill
Thanks for the reply .I did measure it again after I let it sit overnight but I did not do that when I had my oil changed it April. I added some oil and will measure again in a couple of weeks after letting it sit overnight to be consistent.

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Old 08-09-2018, 07:36 AM
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Corgidog1
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Originally Posted by JerryU

If you went from near the top hatched mark on the dip stick to the bottom mark, that is ~1 quart. Owner’s Manual states when at the Min mark add a quart. That is about 1 inch on a dry sump assume about the same on a wet sump.

If you actually burned a quart in 900 miles you’d see that as a smoky exhaust. I assume there are no leaks. Is there oil on the filter?
Thanks for the reply.. Good logic with the smoky exhaust of which I have none. No leaks and will check oil on the filter. I, have no problems checking and adding oil as needed as long as there is no engine problem causing excess oil.

Last edited by Corgidog1; 08-09-2018 at 07:37 AM.
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Old 08-09-2018, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by owc6
With the few numbers of miles you put on your car each year, I would say you do not have to worry about excessive oil consumption during your ownership in the grander scheme of things.

If there is "excessive oil consumption," after the break-in period, I would say that taking too long to put on 1500-2000 miles may not be such a good thing. I don't know how long it took you to put the first 1500 mi on the car, but that is probably the most important 1500 miles the car will ever have, and doing it in a matter of weeks, or days,to set rings to pistons (so they learn to love each other), rather than months (or more) does the engine a favor in the long run.

At this point check and add oil as necessary. Cars have been consuming oil for decades. As long as you stay on top of it, no real harm, IMO.
Thanks for the reply. Good point about the first 1500 miles of which took awhile to reach. So I guess I got an oil burner for a C7. No big deal in the scheme of things.

Old 08-09-2018, 07:44 AM
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Something is telling me there is nothing wrong with your car and it doesn't burn oil.

I would read the owners manual about the checking procedure and then be vigilant about checking it. I'm betting you find out everything is fine.


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