I just checked my oil on my tC and it was showing 3/4 full. The car was sitting in my driveway overnight so there wasn't any oil up in the engine.

I did an oil change about 2 weeks ago and put in 4 quarts (like it says to in the owner's manual).. I used mobil 1 5w30.

The car is definately not leaking anything, and it doesn't smoke at all (not even a little at WOT in the high RPMs, I had my friend ride behind me to make sure).

Should I put more oil in or should I just let it go?

Any advise or comments would be appreciated.

 

Did you check the dipstick after changing the oil and did you see it full at that time?
How many miles did you go in 2 weeks.
What do you mean by 3/4 full?
Are you saying the oil is 1/4 down on the dipstick, which is 1/4 quart low?
Or are you saying the oil is at the bottom of the dipstick which means 1 quart low out of a 4 quart capacity = 3/4 full?

If the oil is really a quart low, I would add a quart now. Then I would check the dipstick each day to see what is happening.

But....
Most likely you drained the oil, replaced the filter, added 4 quarts, did not check the dipstick, the filter took 1/4 quart of oil, which put the oil down 1/4 on the range on the dipstick, which you just noticed and are calling 3/4 full.

1/4 down on the dipstick is 1/4 quart low, not a problem, especially if the filter took it.
3/4 full means a quart low, need to add a quart.
Any rather quick loss or consumption of a quart is a serious problem.

 

whoa, that was confusing.. I think he ment that oil is 3/4 of the way up on the dipstick meter, is that correct?

 

Yeah, that's what I meant. The oil is 3/4 of the way up on the dipstick..

 

It's not a quart low, it's 1/4 down on the dipstick.. It said the same thing on the dipstick right after I changed it.

I just wanted to make sure 4 quarts was the correct ammount and to see if anyone else has checked to see if their car was the same way.

 

hmm, 4qts should be enough, that's odd that its only 3/4 full...

 

BTT to see if anyone has the same reading on their dipstick.

 

If you drain the oil, remove the filter, put on a new filter and put in 4 quarts, some of the 4 quarts goes to filing the empty filter as soon as the engine is started.

 

I did replace the filter, I just thought it would still say full on the dipstick even if there was oil in the filter.

So you're telling me it will never read full on the dipstick unless I have too much oil? 3/4 full on the dipstick means everything is ok?

 

The full mark does not mean too much oil. But it sounds like you will not see oil at the full mark unless you put in a little more than 4 quarts. If you want to see oil at the full mark after installing a new filter, you could always buy a 5th quart and keep the unused portion around for the lawn mower ;-)

3/4 on the dipstick means everything is OK, unless it happens suddenly and you cannot explain the loss. Then you should not add more oil, but keep watching the dipstick at every fill up to see if the loss or consumption continues, which would indicate a problem.

 

Alright, thanks for the info.

 

I was wrong on that. Yesterday I changed my oil. I put on the filter, put 4 quarts in the engine. The oil level was a tiny bit above the full mark. I ran it for a few minutes, then checked the dipstick. The oil level was right at the top mark - the oil filter had taken the excess.

If you did that and within a short time the oil level was 1/4 of the way down the dipstick, I would check the drain plug and filter, and the surface of the engine and the garage floor, for evidence of a leak. If no leaks, I would check the dipstick every day to see if the level continued to drop. If it continued to drop I would take it to the dealer before adding more oil. Show him the how much the oil dropped in X miles since the change.

1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4 down on the dipstick is not going to hurt the engine. As long as you can see the oil on the dipstick, you can be sure the engine is being lubricated. But if the level is actually (actively) dropping, there is a problem that must be found. Our xBs should burn no oil between 3,000 mile oil changes. Probably between 5,000 miles changes the level might drop a little bit.

 

You also have to make sure you are on level ground when you check the oil level.
If it only calls for 4 quarts w/filter change you should be OK. I highly doubt it is using any oil at this early time.