Ticking engine, oil consumption?

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

Hi,

I was driving my car the other day and at the end of my journey (15 miles) i noticed a loud ticking from the engine. When I stopped and opened the bonnet, it was obvious it was coming from the cams. Half hour later I decided to check the oil level, and to my shock there was barely anything on the dip stick!!

Got the Mrs to run me up Halfrauds and got 5L of 5W/40 fully syth (along with a free 8 pc screw driver set - bonus!), and topped the enigine up. 2.5-3L it took... its was only service 6 months ago!!!? Now admitadly, I hadn't checked my oil since that service , partly because in the previous 1.5 years of ownership its consumed very little oil, and partly because i've had coursework and dissertation coming out my ears in the last 6 months, and partly because I regularly look for oil patches when leaving parking spaces for leaks. So my bad on that front - nevertheless, leason learned! Luckily now though the engine sounds fine and seems to go ok.

What im wondering though is...

How on earth has it consumed 2.5-3L of oil in 6 months??? That is assuming K-tec put the right amount of oil in, and judging by my overall satisfaction with them it's quite likely they didn't! I wont be going there again

I cant help but think that with low oil levels, the engine power has been gradually deteriorating.... is this likely? and what damage, if any, could have occured in the engine? I didnt at any point see the oil presure warning light illuminate though, so i'm really hoping that this is not the case...??

Thanks for any info

 

[Dip]

Did you check oil as soon as you stopped? Best time to check is when cold/left standing for over 5 mins IIRC.

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

Yeh half hour after i stopped

 

[activ]

Do you have an "OIL OK" display on the dash when you start the car?

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

cant say i've ever notice that tbh :S , and i've just gone out to start my car, and low and behold, no OIL OK message!? Where is it supposed to be displayed? the little computer screen in the speedo just displays SET --- (for cruise control)

So what does this mean?

 

[caister]

Have you had a good look around for leaks?

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

well i havn't noticed any oil patches anywhere i park. Under the bonnet there isn't really much space to inpsect everything, but what you can see all looks clean...

I'm concerned that i dont get the OIL OK message though... what does it mean exactly when you see it and dont see it? Is it oil pressure, oil level or what?

Cheers

 

[caister]

well i havn't noticed any oil patches anywhere i park. Under the bonnet there isn't really much space to inpsect everything, but what you can see all looks clean...

I'm concerned that i dont get the OIL OK message though... what does it mean exactly when you see it and dont see it? Is it oil pressure, oil level or what?

Cheers

It should come on everytime you start the car and when it shows if you press the button on the end of the wiper stalk it shows you the oil level. The oil ok is there to tell you your oil level is fine. However i'm not sure what it shows when you do not have enough oil.

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

where should i be looking for this OIL OK message? Should I be worried im not seeing it?

Can anyone offer any piece of mind RE damage to the engine?

 

[mattjk]

Well is it still ticking now?

Oil-ok will appear on the little computer when you put the ignition on.

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

no its quietened down now, but im just anxiously wondering what damage, if any, could have occured....

 

[SimonX]

Your oil warning indicator will not display when you start up if you have the cruise control switch on.. it just shows set--- as you described.
Last year my 182 cup consumed 4 litres of oil in 8000 miles. Having left the cruise control on I never saw the oil warning indicator until it was too late ! Engine was knackered and had to buy a replacement. Although just outside warranty, Renault refused any liability, even though it seems like a design fault to me if the oil warning system is overridden by the cruise control display !

 

[mattjk]

Really you should have been using the dipstick to check thats what its there for. The oil display on the dash is just a gimmick really.

 

[Tom|Nbk]

Can't understand the logic. Having loads of coursework is absolutely no excuse to dodge a 2 min job oil is the single most important thing

 

[caister]

Can't understand the logic. Having loads of coursework is absolutely no excuse to dodge a 2 min job oil is the single most important thing

Very true, I had a disertation and 8 pieces of coursework to do since Christmas yet I still found time to check my car and give it a service etc

 

[16vMK2 to 172Sport]

thanks, but the lecture on car ownership and maintenance really isn't necessary, I'm fully aware of all that and I admitted my mistake in the first post.

All I was after was advice on the ramifications of what happened... that was all

 

[partyboy23]

think your self lucky my 182 goes through about a liter of oil every 800miles and the renault garage told me this was normal as it is a high burning engine or something,i have no leaks that i can see,i had a well recomended company rebuilt my engine last (not naming no names)and re done all the stem seals and i know they know what they are doing so i just assume that this is the way it is

 

[sideways danny]

How on earth has it consumed 2.5-3L of oil in 6 months???

how many miles have you done in that period? performance engines tend to use a bit more oil than mundane equivalents, especially if driven hard. I remember back in the mid 90s my brothers F7P engined renault 19 16v would use a litre in 1-1.5k and that was regarded as normal.

 

[Martin_172]

my 172 uses about 2 bars on the screen when you check it with the computer by the time the next service is due every 8k i do.

howerver i ALWAYS check it manually as my old dynamique told me it was fine and full and it was very low. ive saw another that was the same.

 

[franx]

only trust the stick. mine NEVER used any oil but since the cams were put in i have to fill up regularly. Not so much but still..

 

[caister]

Mine uses a little but not allot. I think 1 litre every 1000miles is within Renault tollerences but I would be concerned if my car suddenly started using that much.

 

[Martin_172]

i had a well recomended company rebuilt my engine last (not naming no names)and re done all the stem seals and i know they know what they are doing so i just assume that this is the way it is

you had an engine rebuild, its using a litre every 800 miles and your assuming thats the way it is because it was a "well recomended company" lol

 

[caister]

Some of the cars in this thread are using way too much oil IMO. A little is acceptable but anything more than a couple of hundred ml every 1000miles would worry me.

First thing to do is to check for leaks properly and not by just looking at the ground where you park your car. You need to get the undertray and inlet manifold off and have a good look around especially around the sump, oil filter and top of the engine.