[streetracer]

Hey everyone! My oil light came on last night. The car has approximately 3200 miles. First oil change was at 1700 miles. I have a few questions if anybody wants to answer them. 1) Does 1500 miles seem reasonable for the light to come on? 2)How many quarts did I burn, and how much oil should I use to replace it? 3) Does my car qualify as an "oil burner", or is it too soon to tell since I'm still breaking in the motor? Thanks again guys/gals.

 

[dimer0]

Are you serious?

 

[2001Z06]

Did you check the dipstick to see what the oil level is? That will tell you how much oil you are down from normal. I would imagine the oil light comes on at 1 qt under. Some one please correct me if I am wrong on that. As far as "oil burner", 1500 miles for 1 qt is pretty normal especially in the first 6K miles. Many people on the forum that observed similar use have noticed a significant decline in use after 6K miles. I certainly would not panic over the use but it sounds like you are not checking your oil very frequently. In the first 6K miles, I would suggest checking the oil every time you put in gas or once a week in the morning before you start the car. It only takes a minute. That way you will never get 1 qt down. The oil level on the dip stick should be somewhere in the middle of the cross-hatched area. Do not over fill.

 

[Ranger]

Not a whole lot of good news in answer to your questions. Everyone seems to have a slightly different experience.

It's very difficult to get an accurate reading from the dip stick. This is because the tube drips oil onto the stick above the real level. So there is always uncertainty as to the correct reading.

The "low oil level" warning comes on when (1) it's one to one and a half quarts low or (2) the car is actually only somewhat low but positioned on a downward or upward slope when the ignition is turned off. So when the "low oil level" warning comes on, you should check the oil level manually using the dip stick and get the best reading you can to judge how much oil to add. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the warning doesn't necessarily clear as soon as the oil level is made right.

My Z06 is at 9000 miles and still burns a quart every 1000 miles. I simply set the 2d trip odometer everytime I fill the oil to the full line or change it. I carry a couple quarts of Mobile1 in the rear bins.

My engine is strong and I'm not about to have it torn apart for new rings until I'm ready to buy a new one or the warranty is about to expire.

There are a lot of threads on this topic here and over on the Corvette Forum.

Ranger

 

[Ranger]

Not a whole lot of good news in answer to your questions. Everyone seems to have a slightly different experience.

It's very difficult to get an accurate reading from the dip stick. This is because the tube drips oil onto the stick above the real level. So there is always uncertainty as to the correct reading.

The "low oil level" warning comes on when (1) it's one to one and a half quarts low or (2) the car is actually only somewhat low but positioned on a downward or upward slope when the ignition is turned off. So when the "low oil level" warning comes on, you should check the oil level manually using the dip stick and get the best reading you can to judge how much oil to add. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the warning doesn't necessarily clear as soon as the oil level is made right.

My Z06 is at 9000 miles and still burns a quart every 1000 miles. I simply set the 2d trip odometer everytime I fill the oil to the full line or change it. I carry a couple quarts of Mobile1 in the rear bins.

My engine is strong and I'm not about to have it torn apart for new rings until I'm ready to buy a new one or the warranty is about to expire.

There are a lot of threads on this topic here and over on the Corvette Forum.

Ranger

 

[MARZ06]

When my light came on, I added oil and simply hit the reset button. Is that going to cause problems? Should have waited for the warning to go away by itself?

 

[streetracer]

Thanks again for the responses! Actually, I added 1/2 quart and the light went away. I have not driven it that much since, but will continue to closely monitor if it comes back on again( hopefully not for a while). The dipstick is difficult to read sometimes, but let's just hope I didn't overfill.