Oil

[Rally Sport]

I have a question This morning I put a little oil in my Buick lacrosse cx 3.8 and when I checked it later today it was still in the same place on the dipstick.What would cause that?And it does not smoke or leak oil anywhere I can see and I also put clean cardboard all under the vehicle and it was still clean when I checked it.And I don’t know what else to do about it.

 

[MelsRegal]

I have a question This morning I put a little oil in my Buick lacrosse cx 3.8 and when I checked it later today it was still in the same place on the dipstick.What would cause that?And it does not smoke or leak oil anywhere I can see and I also put clean cardboard all under the vehicle and it was still clean when I checked it.And I don’t know what else to do about it.

You have to check oil level on a cold engine so all the oil in upper areas has a chance to drain back.
How much did you add ?

 

[Rally Sport]

You have to check oil level on a cold engine so all the oil in upper areas has a chance to drain back.
How much did you add ?

It wasn’t very much and I waited about 15 minutes like they said to do.

 

[MelsRegal]

It wasn’t very much and I waited about 15 minutes like they said to do.

Again, check it in the morning. Most oil bottles have a clear strip so you can judge whether you put in 4 oz, 8 oz, etc.

 

[Rally Sport]

Again, check it in the morning. Most oil bottles have a clear strip so you can judge whether you put in 4 oz, 8 oz, etc.

Well were I have to park at it leans towards the left and there is no other place for me to park over night plus there is no level spot on the place.

 

[EDSELRANGER]

It wasn’t very much and I waited about 15 minutes like they said to do.

Not sure how common it is, but I've waited 15 minutes before checking too... and then checked again in a half hour to find an even higher level (1/2 quart more) showing on the dipstick. Some of that top-end oil must take quite a while to drain into the pan.

Which brings me to another observation. The owners manual for my 2015 LaCrosse says that ideally, the oil should be checked at each fuel stop. In the time it takes to fuel up, there's no way you're going to get an accurate reading of the oil level. I made the mistake of adding a quart at a fuel stop. Next time I checked it (after sitting overnight) it showed (maybe a quart) over-filled. The book also says that overfilling can damage the engine.

Does anyone know how much leeway (idiot-proofing) is built into the stick calibration? How much is too much? And what type of damage might be caused by overfilling a 3.6?

Thanks and sorry for the slight hijack.

 

[MelsRegal]

Not sure how common it is, but I've waited 15 minutes before checking too... and then checked again in a half hour to find an even higher level (1/2 quart more) showing on the dipstick. Some of that top-end oil must take quite a while to drain into the pan.

Which brings me to another observation. The owners manual for my 2015 LaCrosse says that ideally, the oil should be checked at each fuel stop. In the time it takes to fuel up, there's no way you're going to get an accurate reading of the oil level. I made the mistake of adding a quart at a fuel stop. Next time I checked it (after sitting overnight) it showed (maybe a quart) over-filled. The book also says that overfilling can damage the engine.

Does anyone know how much leeway (idiot-proofing) is built into the stick calibration? How much is too much? And what type of damage might be caused by overfilling a 3.6?

Thanks and sorry for the slight hijack.

One quart will not have a negative effect.

 

[EDSELRANGER]

One quart will not have a negative effect.

Thank you sir!