Mystery oil

[Limbo]

oil this seems to all come about from me getting an oil cooler.
And no the oil cooler does not have a thermostate.

Now here's the mystery.

When i put it all together it seem to use alot of oil, and this was fine due to extra lines, and oil cooler. Took 5 litres, the entire bottle of OEM oil.
Now when i put it in i put 4.5 ltrs which is about what the car takes when fully out of oil. Started car for 60sec, then test and check. Then final start for another 60sec and check. All was good an on the dot.


Now the car seemed to be sluggish, but i though maybe that was my imagination. Friends said it might be cos the oil is running cooler.

Then about 1 week later i check the oil its about 1.5 times full!
I though holy crap, So i go and take some out. I go thru the whole thing again putting the oil back in. Now the unusual part is that there was not much oil left to get it to mark. And i though this was odd.
So i let the car run for 5mins, then the oil goes up about 3mm on the stick.

Now where is all this oil hiding and then reappearing? it doesn't seem to make sense. I've measured on level ground so that's not the case & there is direct lines to the cooler and nothing unusual.

Anyone got any clues?

[JasonGilholme]

Are you using clear pipes for you're oil lines???

There could be a descent amount of oil that is getting left in the pipes but not all the time!?!? Did you relocate you're oil filter or just use an adaptor thingo??

I hope this helps a bit.

[bennjamin]

gravity might be playing preassure issues with your piping.

[Limbo]

nah pipes are not clear, i've nver seen clear pipes that would take that sort of pressure and temp. They are Blue (cos its No. 1's favourite colour) and its double reinforced oil lines 8mm

Could be Ben, but wouldn't the oil pressure keep the oil at a constant level in the pipes?

anyone else got any ideas?
P.S i'm waiting on you Arronng to comment!

[bennjamin]

Could be Ben, but wouldn't the oil pressure keep the oil at a constant level in the pipes?

anyone else got any ideas?

Im just thinking out loud here ~
Since the stock oil pump is designed to work thru oil pressure for the stock amount of oil/psi ~ im sure this is reduced with the loss in pressure from a oil cooler kit.

[Limbo]

not sure but i've gone back to look again and the oil's gone up its about 4-5mm above the level sign and now i'm too lazy to jack up the car again.

I would have though that since the lines are only 8mm thick they wouldn't be acble to afftect pressure that much

[aaronng]

nah pipes are not clear, i've nver seen clear pipes that would take that sort of pressure and temp. They are Blue (cos its No. 1's favourite colour) and its double reinforced oil lines 8mm

Could be Ben, but wouldn't the oil pressure keep the oil at a constant level in the pipes?

anyone else got any ideas?
P.S i'm waiting on you Arronng to comment!
Okok, you caught my attention. :)

Few things, including those that already have been pointed out.

But first, I have to ask these questions:
Did you do the installation yourself or did someone else do it for you?
Was the tubing connected such that oil enters the bottom of the cooler and out through the top?
How many times have you changed the oil? Is this the 2nd time?

[Limbo]

Ok i did the install and i did it on the hoist to make sure all was good., The oil enters the top of the cooler, which is situationed hoziontally (Its a rectangle type) the height of cooler is about 5cm and length is about 12cm. then comes back thru the bottom. I didn't wanna affect flow too much so i tried to make the oil flow in the least resistant way.

Also the oil cooler line going back to the sandwich plate is on a 45 degree angle to not overdo the pressure

[aaronng]

Ok i did the install and i did it on the hoist to make sure all was good., The oil enters the top of the cooler, which is situationed hoziontally (Its a rectangle type) the height of cooler is about 5cm and length is about 12cm. then comes back thru the bottom
That's the problem. If oil enters from the top, you are not able to remove all the pockets of air in there when you do an oil change. Just swap the lines so that oil enters through the bottom and comes out through the top. And be prepared to top up your oil again.

Once you have filled and run the engine for a few seconds, turn it off and leave for 30 minutes. Then come back and check your oil level. If it is low, top it up and repeat the process.

[Limbo]

gezz and i though i was being smart putting it at the top, now i'm gonna have to drain it again bugger. I'll have to borrow another of mum's clean containers so i can repour back the oil :)

Thanks mate i knew i could count on ya

[Limbo]

P.S i'd rep ya but it doesn't let me cos i already reped for something else

[aaronng]

Hehe, no problem. I hope it solves your problem!

[Limbo]

ok just finished changing the lines around hope it does the trick.
When i checked the oil level it was exact again. I will check tomorrow morning as see if it moves again

[Limbo]

ECUMAN based on your other post i should check just after engine is off.
Its a touch over full, if i let it sit now it seems to go down slightly.
Will try again in the morning when its easier to find dipstick

Do you have any other ideas?

[Limbo]

alright now i've checked it this morning after taking more oil out.

Its just on the dot when i just turn the car off. If i let the car sit for about 4-5 mins then it goes up about 3mm. I think that's as good as its getting.

Gez so much trouble just for one oil cooler. Last car certainly didn't cause this much trouble with the oil cooler.

P.S Could be No. 2 is just wanting attention cos i've been spending so much time with No. 1 and studying

[aaronng]

That's right. Because it takes about 5 minutes for the oil to drain back down into the sump. For both cases, you have the level between max and minimum dots?

[Limbo]

yeah when just after running it is on the max dot, when its left its about 3mm above max dot.

[aaronng]

that's the same as my oil level. On the max dot just after running (dealer fills it up too much).

[Limbo]

i never had this problem before i got the oil cooler. I jsut went for a drive and it feels the same now.

[aaronng]

Is the car still sluggish?

[Limbo]

not as much, but it looks like its still the same the switching of the oil cooler lines didn't help, its still got like 5-6mm over full at cold

Maybe i need like a one-way valve to stop this

[aaronng]

not as much, but it looks like its still the same the switching of the oil cooler lines didn't help, its still got like 5-6mm over full at cold

Maybe i need like a one-way valve to stop this
Nah, as long as your oil pickup and oil cooler return lines are filled with oil, the oil from the oil cooler won't come back down.

Being on the dot when just run and 5-6mm over when cold sounds like normal behaviour. If your car doesn't burn oil, then you could take some out. But I think it is ok at that level.

[ECU-MAN]

make sure you always are consistant when checking the oil level.

eg start the car when its cold. turn it off then check the oil with out waiting.

if you do it the same every time, with the same temp engine you will get a good idea.

Just want to ask, in your 1st post you said you checked the oil again and it was 1.5l over. did you check it with out starting the engine ????

[Limbo]

l'm not sure if the car feels sluggish anymore its hard to tell, but i was sure the car felt like it had more power last time before the oil cooler. In my other car i never had this problem.

There shouldn't be any bubbles in the lines right? cos they should have come out of the car by now......

I'll try running some better oil when i install my guages and see if i it does anything
Currently running OEM oil cos i was gonna install the baffle later and didn't wanna waste good oil

[Limbo]

Yeah it was 1 1/2 over the stick limit when the car was sitting there for about a day.

Now its only about 5mm over but after i start and run the car the reading is right on the dot of max.

[ECU-MAN]

always check it when you have just start the engine and then turned it off.

I never open the bonnet and just check the oil as I know it will give me a faulse reading.

eg. the car is low on oil, but because it was left sitting there when I checked it, the oil level is on the top dot, so the car is left low on oil.


also the hight of your cooler might come into play

eg

if it sits higher than the sump oil level, then it will leak out back into the sump. if it sits lower then it will always have oil in it.

[Limbo]

But my oil level goes up when the car is sitting there for a while, and yeah the sump is lower but the sandwich plate is higher than where the oil cooler sits. I don't think it can move up the lines to the plate

[SKREMN]

that was the first thing i noticed when i installed my oil cooler it used up alot more oil but then when its cold and drains all out its too full but when the lines and filter is full its ok
so wiht ym car with a cold engine i will allways have more then the dot and that is correct
when it is cheaked just 1 min after turn off its almost all good

[tinkerbell]

anti-drainback valve in the oil filter?

might be defective or missing?

[Limbo]

Shouldn't be its a K&N filter not a cheap one.
I guess i'm not the only one with the prob then

[SKREMN]

i have noticed the anti drain back valve on the k&n's allow slow relese back out noticed this after leaving an old filter out and came back and then it leaked everywhere

[Limbo]

hmm then should i go back to OEM filters?

[tinkerbell]

you shoudl use a K20A filter - it is smaller and tighter and provides more consistent oil pressure over the Z79A ones...

[Limbo]

what's the K20A filter model number? And will it fit???

[bennjamin]

you shoudl use a K20A filter - it is smaller and tighter and provides more consistent oil pressure over the Z79A ones...

same as the S2k oil filter in comparison ?

[tinkerbell]

K20A oil filter will fit, why woudl i be telling you to use it if it didnt? :confused:

ask for an oil filter for any 02+ Honda... eg Civic, Jazz, Integra, Euro etc