No Oil Leak Or Burn - 2 Quarts Low - Where did it go?

liquidfluidity · Post by **liquidfluidity** » 16 Apr 2013, 13:51

Checked the oil yesterday in the S70 T5 and found the dipstick dry! Only about 1500 miles into the oil change. The car doesn't leave any drops on the ground and doesn't seem to burn any. The engine has sounded fine. I would have thought that it would have made a heck of a racket being that low. Any ideas? I suppose it could be possible that the shop didn't fill it correctly or check it after the change. I had the radiator changed out at the same time along with the oil lines. How much oil does the cooling side of the radiator hold? I am at a total loss. I'm going to check it again tonight when the wife gets home as I didn't quite fill it to the center of the "range" on the dipstick as I was kind of scared that all of sudden there would be too much.

On another note, is it common for there to be a yellowish sludge on the dipstick periodically? I was told that it was from condensation....

Post by **rspi** » 16 Apr 2013, 14:02

Yes it is normal for the dipstick to gather condensation, especially when driven on short trips.

As for your oil, pull the cover off the top of the motor, takes a T30, 6 of them. You likely have about a quart of oil up there, especially if the PCV system is clogged. The rest will be forced out anywhere until it blows a RMS or cam seal.

Post by **jblackburn** » 16 Apr 2013, 14:04

Crawl under it and look for oil leaks around the turbo that may not have hit the ground.

Pull out the oil dipstick at idle when the engine is warmed up. Is it smoking?

liquidfluidity · Post by **liquidfluidity** » 16 Apr 2013, 14:05

I'll give that a shot although I'm not quite sold. I had the cover off not too long ago and found a little oil sitting. Replaced the fill cap and cleaned it up a bit and it didn't come back. Will check it out for piece of mind , though. Thanks!

jblackburn - I did notice that it is a little wet in the area around the turbo, but not 2 quarts wet. I also checked for the any smoke coming form the dipstick tube and there was zero - although it may not have been warm enough. The wife had gotten home about a half hour before I started checking things out.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Apr 2013, 14:32

I'm going to vote for under fill on the oil change. Perhaps someone filled by a capacity chart and did not check the dipstick after the job?

No sense chasing demons until you fill the dipstick to the mark and then check on time and mileage after a weeks driving...

Post by **xHeart** » 16 Apr 2013, 14:44

liquidfluidity wrote:Checked the oil yesterday in the S70 T5 and found the dipstick dry! Only about 1500 miles into the oil change...I suppose it could be possible that the shop didn't fill it correctly or check it after the change...

That is a lot of oil. I was loosing a quart between the oil and filter change.
I would refill and watch the dipstick.

liquidfluidity · Post by **liquidfluidity** » 16 Apr 2013, 17:22

Well, just finished going through everything and found nothing. Dry under the the sparkplug cover, minimal wetness around the turbo, no smoke from the dipstick tube, no oil in or around the airbox and tube, undercarriage pretty much dry(except for the tranny lines - been putting that job off

)

Guess I'm just going to check off another mechanic not to go to

I'll check the oil level again on the weekend and see if there's any change. Guess I'll have to start doing my own oil changes on this one when I do my Impreza. Kind of sucks that there aren't any decent mechanics around here and the nearest dealer is well over 60 miles away!

How often do you guys change the compression washer on the drain plug? I've had my Subaru for around 5 years and just changed it for the first time during my last oil change. I have heard that Volvos are prone to leaking around the washer so I don't want to do a change and have it leaking.....

Post by **abscate** » 16 Apr 2013, 20:03

I've gone a couple of oil changes re-using it but sometimes it has seeped a bit. Do it right !

Post by **jblackburn** » 16 Apr 2013, 21:46

Once a year (3-4 oil changes for me).

I wonder if they just put 4 qts in it instead of 6. It's a lot quieter when the oil's filled up right.

liquidfluidity · Post by **liquidfluidity** » 17 Apr 2013, 13:43

Technically, no. The engine has always been quiet other than the injector noise. That's why I was so amazed that it wasn't ticking with a vengeance.

Figured as much on the drain plug washer. I suppose this is a dealer only item and Advance wouldn't have them? Probably have to order a couple, I guess...