frankdatank91

I didn't think my car burned oil so quickly but I was wrong :/

On my way home from work I barely saw my oil light go off (as in it was illuminated then went off as soon as I caught it). The past two days or so maybe three, I have heard a buzzing sound (A little like the sound that hair clippers make). I drove it about 30 miles more like that

I added a full 3 quarts of Mobil 1 then the buzzing went away.

Did I do any damage to the engine? I read other topics like this but I'm not too sure if they had real damage

Moddiction

Usually once the oil light goes off damage has been done. Not always. Sometimes people get lucky. But since you kept driving it even after seeing the light you could be in for trouble in the near future.

eremoy

There's a reason why they call it the oil light of death. I forgot what psi it comes on at but it's at a critical point. Three quarts is extremely low. How long did it take to burn that much?

apme123

might spin a rod bearing, only time will tell

speakeasy2009

Three quarts low?? Christ all mighty.. and no visible leaks?? I cant believe burning oil that much isn't making the car smoke at all either... like Eremoy asked, how long did it take to burn that much oil ? Im a fanatic if mine dips even one X below the fill line I top it off...

steven975

An average decade-old AP1 will use that in 3000-4000 miles.

zeroptzero

^ He said consumption might be normal depending on the oil chainge interval on an ap1, but infrequent oil checks and our retarded dip sticks must be responsible for many engine deaths (including mine). If your engine isn't dead already it could happen sometime down the road unexpectedly. Dump the current oil and check for metal flakes/pieces and go from there. The buzzing you describe is likely added vibration from the bearings being damaged. With mine the oil light only came on at idle speeds it would go out at higher rpms. Keep an eye on things the next while and see if you notice any more engine vibrations and if the engine light comes on again.

lopez14

Last week I discovered that I too had been running low, I was running on 2.5 quarts for I honestly don't know how long, my previous oil change was like 2months so like 2k miles before. I didn't hear any different sounds and my oil light didn't come on because I don't have the sender in there anymore I have an aftermarket one. Well the point is I did a complete oil change imediately when I knew I was that low, I'm still daily driving it hoping for the best. Goodluck!

BirdShot

If you want to see if damage was done the only way to tell without taking it apart is to send a sample of the current oil to a testing lab. Look for lead, copper and tin. The results will be a little skewed since you added 3 quarts of oil but if you did any real damage to the bearings you will see it in the oil.

Send a note with the sample telling them the situation.

starrman

Not positive on this, but I think the light comes on at 10psi, that is why an oil pressure gauge is a good idea. Check you oil every time you fill the fuel tank...only takes a second and could save you a lot of trouble...and I agree our dipsticks are retarded.