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I am having a huge panic attack HELP!

5K views 59 replies 25 participants last post by  Bullitt95 
#1 ·
So I went to check my oil and I didnt see **** on the dipstick after running it for like a minute. I recently posted this in regards to noise that I was hearing. Could these two things be correlated?

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forum...-weird-grinding-vibrating-noise-start-up.html

Help I dont know what to do, I got my oil change done a few months ago, the dude told me to get my engine flushed because my oil was black and he showed me it. I did it and after the oil change it is about 2-3 thousand miles since and I get synthetic and now when I check the oil it doesn't appear to be any. Wtf can be wrong, no one noticed there was a leak somewhere? I know I didn't. Can it be burning up for some reason? I also had labor work done underneath my car and no one mentioned ****. I have about 1 quart left and I am thinking of buying more as Walmart with my dad car and filling it up, then take it to a shop. I want to make sure I definetely do not have oil so I dont overfill it
 
#2 ·
Have you gotten underneath the car and visually inspected for any leaks instead of relying on someone else to tell you? Is there any noticeable power loss? Any oil in the coolant? When driving is there any noticeable smoke from the exhaust? As far as no oil being on the dipstick that's a bad sign. How do you know you only have 1 quart in the pan?
What I would do is go ahead and pick some oil up ask change the oil and see how much comes out. Also, make sure that the oil filter gasket from the old one is in the can and not sitting on the mating surface. If it is and a new filter was put on top of it then you could be loosing oil that way but you would definitely notice it. Trust me. Do those and get back with us. We really can't tell you what could be the problem until you start troubleshooting.


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#3 ·
I havent gotten underneath the car because I dont have any tools to do so.
I have one quart in the bottle not in the pan

Basically in short I am a college student that owns a mustang who doesn't know too much on vehicles, mostly very basic stuff

There is no noticable power loss. I hear vibrations and feel them slightly when turning on my car for a few seconds and also when turning a certain way

I am going to go to buy oil and a filter tonight and get my vehicle at a shop tomorrow to see what the problem is

But you guys are helpful in a way that helps me better understand what I should/shouldnt do. So basically is it safe for me to put in 5 quarts if the dipstick doesnt show any oil on it?
 
#4 ·
I would add 2 quarts, then start it and let it run a minute. Then, shut it down and continue to add until it's on the full mark. Then you will know how low it was. Nobody here could possibly know what your noise is...better hope the engine isn't toast.
 
#16 ·
That's what I'm afraid of. A friend of mine had the engine in his Jeep underfilled with oil at a lube shop and didn't realise there was a problem until the engine started making ticking noises. By the time he found out that the engine was 3 quarts low on oil, the damage was already done. Bearings worn down to the copper, scored crank, and engine basically f***ed.
Agree with the idea of slowly topping the engine up with oil and running it but I'd do it one quart at a time. Unfortunately it may already be too late but I hope I'm wrong.
 
#7 ·
Yeah its complete. By broken if you mean that if there is any chipped piece on it then no.

I cant read the marks, but there is not a drop of oil on the bottom of the dipstick when I fully insert it. the only oil on the dipstick is whatever got picked up from sliding the dipstick through the tube.

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 PM ----------

Don't add anything! Drain the oil and count how many quarts you take out of it, it's the only way to know how much oil you really have in there. Unless the engine is ticking I wouldn't worry about you running it without any oil in it. Also, you're supposed to check the oil cold not when hot last I checked.

I dont have the tools needed to drain the oil. I normally go to a shop to get my oil changes. I may just add about two quarts, take it to a shop, diagnose the problem and get it fixed. The shop is about 1.5-2.0 miles away so would you advise me against this? I want to be safe. There is no ticking that I hear only initially after starting my engine and at certain times when I make turns. It is not constant basically
 
#8 ·
The engine holds 6 qts, if you add a quart or 2 and it shows on the stick you're probably ok as long as you haven't been running the piss out of it. The main this is get oil in it and see how low it was. Draining it is not the only way to see how low it was, it's the hard way to see. If the engine is damaged then the damage is done. Adding oil is a good thing if you're not going to drain and change it.
 
#9 ·
True, I will add oil until there is an indication of it on the stick in a safe region, I will then proceed to go to the shop at low speeds. It is a good reason to actually learn the vehicle yourself so you dont have to rely on other people. WHere did you guys learn about your cars? I have noticed that something was up oil ever since I started hearing the noise. Thank god I dont listen to my radio otherwise I may of not even heard it. So what I am going to do tomorrow is use my sisters car to buy the oil, then go to the shop driving at low speeds. Should I make the mile drive to the shop I go to about 1.5 - 2.0 miles or should I go more local which is .1 mile away. This is the place I go to http://www.yellowpages.com/clifton-nj/mip/van-houten-auto-repair-17268876. I recently started going more local but now I regret ever doing do.

I had my engine light turn off because of removing my catalytic converters. Would turning off this light cause other engine related problems to not show up?
 
#17 ·
Looks to me like it's maybe 1 qt low from that pic and fairly clean
 
#18 ·
sounds like they installed only 5 quarts of oil during your oil change, i've had that happen to me before.

---------- Post added at 01:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

The oil level that is on your dipstick shows that you are still ok, just add 1 quart and keep an eye on your level.
 
#19 ·
Yeah, alot of people still think all cars are the 5 quart standard. Ours are 6ish quarts. Mine usually takes about 6.25 quarts.

also to the people saying to add multiple quarts at a time, do not do that....thats a great way to overfill your engine.

Get an accurate cold reading on a flat surface, then slowly add oil until you see it on the stick. Never just dump 2 quarts in.
 
#20 ·
With our PCV it does pull a little oil, and that appears maybe 1qt low. Most places think our cars only hold 5qt. Which is just another reason to NOT go to a shop for a simple oil change. Add oil and check it often for an entire oil change. But I see no reason to panic.
 
#21 ·
You ran the car for 20 minutes and then checked the oil? Mcfly! You have to let the motor sit and the oil drain back down into the pan. Never check your oil level with the motor running. You only do that for automatic transmissions.
 
#25 ·
That's how I read it too Boss. Glad I'm not feeling too crazy here

I check it in the morning after it's been sitting all night.

OP, if you're on the stick, anywhere between the two holes is "technically" safe. If its at the bottom hole, its just about a quart low. Put half a quart in first, and check then add more. It's easier to add more, than to try to take some out

---------- Post added at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:01 PM ----------

I would invest in those tools ASAP. Basic (and I do mean basic) hand tools are a necessity for more than just oil changes and now is a good time to start learning to do your own oil changes, filter replacements, etc. No reason not to learn.
This. You can get a craftsman jack / stands set for a hundred(ish) bucks, and a 192 piece socket set for a little less. Watch the sale papers, sears has good deals for decent quality tools
 
#24 ·
Install some camshafts bro, youll learn way more than you want to, guaranteed :p Def would agree in investing in a jack and a ratchet-socket kit, Itl take ya far
 
#26 ·
I agree with the guys on getting your own tools. Even low quality stuff will allow you to do simple things like oil changes without any issue. If there is a harbor freight around, they sell tools for dirt cheap.

You can also poke around craigslist for used tools.
 
#28 ·
A motor can run with 2 quarts of oil perfectly fine, the reason ford uses 5 is for extreme wear circumstances and the fact that with just 2 quarts the oil becomes frothy
 
#30 ·
You can't be serious. The engine is designed to take 6 quarts with the oil filter so running it on 2 quarts is a recipe for ruining the engine. Would you like to use your engine as the guinea pig for this brilliant experiment?
 
#34 ·
Is using water a bad thing to flush it out with? ? And no I'm not a moron I stated clearly the reason that ford uses 6 quarts is because extra capacity is needed in extreme conditions that is why high performance motors have larger oil pans. I also said it can run on 2 quarts under very low load and more than likely not have much damage if caught because the oil is still in the motor it just gets frothy. But I guess just disregard what I say because apparently I'm a moron ?
 
#36 ·
So you are trying to say that our VCT would function correctly with just 2qt of oil? And what does "under very low load" have to do with damage? Does the amount of load on an engine make cams spin more? Does the crank spin less with low load? What "load" is 2qt good for? I'd like to save 28 bucks an oil change for those 4 useless quarts that ford says we need.
 
#35 ·
My emojis turn to question marks so the question marks are the laughing emojis BTW as in a joke..m
 
#49 ·
Just so many good ideas on this website. How much does a quart of oil weigh and what time can I shave off the 1/4 ?
 
#51 ·
Here's the way it works with the motor oil. The oil pump picks up oil from the bottom of the pan, through the pickup tube and screen, then into the pump. From there the oil goes into the crankshaft, through the crank main bearings and rod bearings. Oil is also pumped to the top of the heads to lube cam journal bearings, lash adjusters pump up, oil is dispersed along the top of the head lubricating rocker bearings and springs, etc. The timing chain tensioners and VCT system also get oil under pressure to operate. The oil also has to pass through the oil filter during this process.

Knowing all this remember...the oil drains back into the pan through the use of gravity. It follows small porous passages and makes it's way to the pan to be recirculated. Yes an engine could idle with only 2 qts in it, but I would never do that. The oil has a long way to go before it comes back to the pan and 2 qts is not enough to keep the oil pump from starving for oil especially if the engine begins to rev. You always want the oil pickup tube to be deep in oil, not pulling oil from an inch deep bath where it WILL begin to cavitate and pull air/oil mix.

Keep the oil level up!
 
#53 ·
Correct me if I'm wrong but, these motors will develop a valve tick when they don't have enough oil. Valve tick will be a slight to loud ticking sound that speeds up as your rpms increase. As long as you don't hear valve tick you probably haven't caused any problems. If you do get low enough that you aren't lubing your valves or cams, you will cause excessive wear and make your engine start to burn oil faster or eat your cam bearings. If you ignore that warning sign, you will destroy your engine (oil pump, rod bearings, rings, cylinder walls, etc.)

I always tell people to check their oil before an oil change. If you notice that you are low on oil, start doing periodic checks as appropriate. Maybe check after a couple days, then a week, then a few weeks then a couple months. Of course the frequency depends on how many miles you drive. An engine can start burning oil for many reasons but, as long as you keep oil in it (clean oil), they will usually run for a long time without failing. What ever frequency you decide to check your oil, make sure you increase it if you ever notice oil burn. It sucks to have to add a quart of oil every week but, I know some people in the past that have had to do it and their car/truck ran for years that way. If you drive a company truck, checking oil is often a daily requirement.

I mentioned clean oil, because going too long without an oil change (everyone argues how long is too long) can lead to oil excessive wear and oil burning or other problems.

My advice is to put oil in it until you are at the proper level and then to listen to see if you hear any strange sounds or other signs of problems. Continue to do regular oil checks before driving the car until you either figure out how often your car burns a quart of oil or if the tech only added 5 quarts to start from. The reason that everyone recommends that you learn how to take care of your car yourself is because there are so many incompetent techs out there that have no idea what they are doing. If you always rely on someone else, you are just rolling the dice.
 
#54 ·
IM PUKING OUT WRONG INFO?!? HE JUST SAID EXACTLY WHAT I DID AND YOU AGREED ROFL
 
#55 ·
How did he say the same thing as you? You said it is perfectly fine to run the car on 2qt of oil.....you sir did in fact puke out wrong info. If you can't comprehend that, well that is not our fault.
 
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