Surprise - TWO quarts of oil from low to high on the dipstick (was After not using any oil before, dipstick surprisingly shows no oil in engine)

"Bud H" <budh@REMOVETHISwmis.net> wrote in message news:...[color=blue]
>
> 2002 Toyota Highlander Limited Edition V6, engine and transmission 3.0
> liter 24-valve VVT-i V6 Automatic, bought in December, 2001 and now has
> 127,000 miles.
> After using synthetic motor oil during most of the vehicle's life, today I
> saw the oil warning light blip on for a fraction of a second just before
> arriving at work. After checking oil level, I learned I had NO indication
> on the dipstick! The last oil change had been 7,000 miles earlier with
> Mobil 1 synthetic.
>
> Every time I have changed the oil in the past, it has been very close to
> the original level with nearly zero oil usage. Now out of the blue, there
> is no level and indications of some sludge in the area under the gas cap.
>
> No leakage noted on the ground and no leakage evidence near the drain plug
> or oil filter. Oil was changed today and vehicle driven almost 100 miles.
> No problems at all in engine performance and oil level.
>
> Anyone ever experience something like this before where engine oil usage
> is WAY higher than it is normally?
>
> Bud H
>[/color]

It took 4,000 miles for level to go from the high to low mark on the
dipstick.

A surprise, however. It took TWO quarts of oil to fill from the low to high
mark. Something I was not expecting. (All levels taken on level ground
first thing in the morning before the vehicle was started.)

So the oil consumption rate is 2,000 miles per quart of oil, not 5,000 miles
per quart as I thought previously.

Bud H

Bud H <budh@REMOVETHISwmis.net> writes:
[color=blue]
> A surprise, however. It took TWO quarts of oil to fill from
> the low to high mark.[/color]


I've always had the impression that it was an industry convention
for the distance between the low and high marks on an oil dipstick
to represent one quart of volume. Does anybody know whether that's
actually the case?



Geoff

--
"Support Darwinian evolution -- squash a weakling today."
-- David Wren-Hardin

"Bud H" <budh@REMOVETHISwmis.net> wrote in message
news:124n00sgparbkb5@corp.supernews.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Bud H" <budh@REMOVETHISwmis.net> wrote in message news:...[color=green]
>>
>> 2002 Toyota Highlander Limited Edition V6, engine and transmission 3.0
>> liter 24-valve VVT-i V6 Automatic, bought in December, 2001 and now has
>> 127,000 miles.
>> After using synthetic motor oil during most of the vehicle's life, today
>> I saw the oil warning light blip on for a fraction of a second just
>> before arriving at work. After checking oil level, I learned I had NO
>> indication on the dipstick! The last oil change had been 7,000 miles
>> earlier with Mobil 1 synthetic.
>>
>> Every time I have changed the oil in the past, it has been very close to
>> the original level with nearly zero oil usage. Now out of the blue,
>> there is no level and indications of some sludge in the area under the
>> gas cap.
>>
>> No leakage noted on the ground and no leakage evidence near the drain
>> plug or oil filter. Oil was changed today and vehicle driven almost 100
>> miles. No problems at all in engine performance and oil level.
>>
>> Anyone ever experience something like this before where engine oil usage
>> is WAY higher than it is normally?
>>
>> Bud H
>>[/color]
>
> It took 4,000 miles for level to go from the high to low mark on the
> dipstick.
>
> A surprise, however. It took TWO quarts of oil to fill from the low to
> high mark. Something I was not expecting. (All levels taken on level
> ground first thing in the morning before the vehicle was started.)
>
> So the oil consumption rate is 2,000 miles per quart of oil, not 5,000
> miles per quart as I thought previously.
>
> Bud H[/color]

Oil capacity, including filter, is 5.0 quarts.

I also have an 02 V-6 Highlander. It has about 55 thousand on it.

I bought a "lifetime" oil/filter change and use it 4 times/year or
about 3000 miles.

I've used Castrol 5-30 since new with Toyota filter.

As often as I have it changed, there so far, hasn't been any
indication of using any oil (nor not much color change either).

I can never remember any vehicle (inc 440 Dodge 8 quart motorhome)
that ever was more than about 1 quart between marks.

Our 05 3.5 Avalon with 3.5 is a 6 quart and it also is 1 quart between
marks according to owners manual.

Only thing I could add - it might be partially plugged oil returns and
oil (if damned cold and not had time to drain back) This is a damned
big stretch with synthetic oil.

Ron

"Geoff Miller" <geoffm@u1.netgate.net> wrote in message news:e2ggua$fnr@u1.netgate.net...[color=blue]
>
>
> Bud H <budh@REMOVETHISwmis.net> writes:
>[color=green]
>> A surprise, however. It took TWO quarts of oil to fill from
>> the low to high mark.[/color]
>
>
> I've always had the impression that it was an industry convention
> for the distance between the low and high marks on an oil dipstick
> to represent one quart of volume. Does anybody know whether that's
> actually the case?
>
>
>
> Geoff
>[/color]

The dip stick on my motorcycle and lawnmower both have the full-to-add mark of less than a quart.

But Bud undoubtedly made a booboo.