Oil level resistance
 

Oil level is one place to get fuel savings. More oil means more default resistance to engine.

Basicly engine producer has given accepted max-min level of oils. Basicly producer would accept continuous min level run.

Double saver is oil pressure warning, but it is a good idea check oil level often if you try. Fill a bit more if engine get more noisy.

Using 0W oils and middle oil level I have achieved about 10% savings were achieved when used in city short runs of 6 mi (10 km).

Has anyone else tested oil level effect?

Crankshaft shouldn't be churning the oil in the sump with a full sump. No gain besides slightly faster oil warmup, but you have a higher risk of damaging the engine during turns.

Could you please explain why is that and how it will realize?

The oil pump sucks in oil near the bottom of the carter, but if you run very low it may draw air instead when you are on an incline or through a corner where the oil slopes to the sides. Air in the oil lines is not good, the pump should draw oil all the time.

If the oil level is high the pump will have to work ever so slightly less hard because of the fractionally higher pressure at its intake.

0W oils do save some, especially in colder climates. I see lower idling when cold and slower warm-up due to less friction.

a great deal depends on the particular design of the engine. You can't throw a universal statment out there like both of you did and have it apply to all engines. On some engines it may help to run less oil, and some it may not.

I run my Toyota half qt low. that's because that's where a 5 qt jugs puts the level at and it doesn't use oil so i don't worry about it. I consider that a better option then putting 6 qts in, which a lot of people do. course I could put a half qt in, but then I would have a half qt of oil laying around.As long as it's between the safe marks , it's good.

.

Y’all funny.

Running low oil levels is just asking for problems that can be easily avoided. As mentioned, turns, slopes and odd angles can starve the pump momentarily leading to failure.

Low oil levels concentrate containment’s which lead to increased wear.

Low oil levels increase oil temps which can lead to the oil chemically breaking down prematurely, thus not providing the necessary protection required.

Use the correct viscosity recommended by the manufacturer. They pay engineers to design, test and build their engines.

Machining tolerances and heat determine viscosity required.

Using a incorrect viscosity can cause metal to metal contact thus shortening engine life.

Engine’s are expensive last time I checked.

Truck and heavy equipment fleet owners take oil samples and use Oil analysis reports to determine when oil changes are needed and if abnormal chemical or metals levels are detected.



Y’all using Oil analysis...???

No...???


Uh Oh... 😳




:turtle:

>

.

Trust or not
 

So you do not trust engine producer to be capable to define low level line.

.

The low level line by the manufacture is there to indicate to the end user that “Maintance” is required to avoid potential damage.

;)


>

.

And for those who like my sister that don't believe in maintaining, they add a low oil level light which probably adds $10 to the price of her car.

Must be totally not necessary.

Like Redneck said - use the oil type, viscosity, and quantity of oil specified by the manufacturer. We spend more than a year testing before changing an engine oil and everything about the lubrication system is designed to match the specified oil. Too heavy, too light, or wrong type can easily destroy an engine.

In controlled testing dropping the viscosity of the engine oil one step is good for about 1.5% fuel economy savings. (For example going from 10W-30 to 5W-30)

Anything between the two marks should be safe and approved by the manufacturer. Don't go lower and do check it very often. Owner's manuals usually say to add oil when it gets to (or below) the lower mark. I'd keep it at the max in a racing car. My Insight calls for 0w-20. I use 0w-16 and run it near the low mark, which is only two quarts in the engine. My oil gets changed once a year and my oil analysis from Blackstone Labs says I'm doing fine. $10 annual oil change and $30 analysis!

In most, if not all cars, that's an oil pressure light. Light on = no oil pressure! If that's on, the oil pump is sucking air! It should never light up on a running engine.

My Dasher is grounded because the oil pressure light has failed. I tore the dash apart and it's an LED on a flexi-cable (not like a Beetle at all!). When I get it back together, the switch and the battery are 6" from each other and I can almost see them through the slots in the back edge of the hood. It needs an auxiliary light fabricobbled in.

It would run forever with due diligence, but there's always Murphy's Law.

I watched an "Engine Masters" TV program where they kept taking out oil and checking power on the dyno. There is an "ideal" level where power is maximum and it is low. Not recommending this. They were also testing oil pan design vs. power. Try finding the program on either MAVTV or MOTORTREND TV.

There’s no question that oil flinging around in the crankcase robs engine horse power.

That’s why there’s a aftermarket for knife edge crankshafts, crank scrapers, windage oil pans, deep sump oil pans, etc. etc.

The ultimate in crankcase performance is a dry sump system.

For race engine’s this makes sense as they spend the majority of their time at high rpms. And the effect is easily measured on a dyno.

However, at the rpm of a typical oem engine at highway speed any gain would be negligible, if any.


In my opinion.

The juice isn’t worth the squeeze...



:turtle:

>

.

As long as the oil level between the too low and the too high mark on the dipstick, it's good. Too much oil is worse than it being below the top mark.

The color is also significant. But you can't just eyeball it, it needs analysis.

Beetles only need 2 1/2 quarts, so I used to change it as soon as it darkened.

I don't believe running the oil at or near the low level produces enough beneficial fuel savings to counter the risk of engine damage. Small cars use 3-4 quarts and the oil helps to keep the engine running cooler, so I don't see any "real" savings. I recommend using the oil weight that the designers engineered for all vehicles.

I think for any absolute geeks, or extremists wanting to play it safe.... Best thing would be to opt for thinnest recommended oil, a smudge above the minimum mark on oil dipstick.

For the extremist, who is going to know and understand the risks, could opt for thinner then recommended oil and be right on the minimum of dipstick - however regular changing of oil would then be highly advisable due to concentration of contaminants increasing.

For most of us, running the right oil around halfway on dipstick should be fine ��.... But I don't see any benifit to going to the maximum unless you aim to change oil at long intervals.


The gains, to using less and thinner oils are real, probably very small...... But the risks are real too.

Manufacturers probably have a cautious margin for error so personally for me - I'd feel ok, though slightly uncomfortable running on the minimum if I was to regularly check the level.

If I was parking the car on a steep road or strange angle, on a regular basis I'd think again and add a bit more oil to be safe.