where did the oil go?

[hwyaden]

had the oil changed in the bongo 2 weeks ago - 7 litres were put in according to the bill. this morning i checked the levels and it was down to the last quarter of the dipstick.
where has it gone? i can't see any leaks anywhere so i guess i must be burning it.

[mikeWalsall]

Maybe they changed it .. re filled it to the dip stick mark .. but did not recheck after the engine had run .. and the oil filter and galleries had filled up ..??

[helen&tony]

Hi
Top it up now with the same oil they used (presuming that you are checking on a level surface, and pushing the dipstick all the way home), then check it after a good run. It may be as Mike said, and they filled it, ran it, but forgot to top it up before you took it....stranger things have happened
Cheers
Helen

[hwyaden]

will do, thanks

[Simon Jones]

The official capacity of oil including filter is 6.7 litres. For invoicing purposes they have rounded it up to 7 litres on the bill. If they did actually stick 7 litres in, then it would be too full, so quite possible some may have found its way out the system. Do you get excessive blue smoke or oily deposits on the rear of the van?

Oil should be checked cold with van on a level surface, so as previously suggested, fill it to somewhere between half & full, then check it when next cold after a run. I can't recall how much oil my diesel Bongo used to get through but I'd probably only need to top it up once between oil changes (3000 miles).

[hwyaden]

no blue smoke or deposits. will check it tomorrow as i did 80 miles in it tonight.

[cmm303]

but I'd probably only need to top it up once between oil changes (3000 miles).

is that a top up every 3000 or an oil change every 3000? Might have got a bit blasé, forgetting how diesel service intervals have increased so much.

[Dodgey]

but I'd probably only need to top it up once between oil changes (3000 miles).

is that a top up every 3000 or an oil change every 3000? Might have got a bit blasé, forgetting how diesel service intervals have increased so much.

The specified oil change interval is every 6 months or 3000 miles, which ever comes earlier. You should not need to top it up in between. It shouldn't be using any really. Not on 3000 miles/6 months.

[rita]

Both Castrol and Comma recommend 6000 mile or 12 month,whatever comes first,for the WLT engine,when using their recommended product. The old 6month and 3000 mile info is probably outdated.(by modern oils)

[Simon Jones]

Personally, I tended to aim for the 3000 mile rule for oil changes. Even though oil formulations have improved over the years, the engine has not and as it gets older the rate of wear is going to increase as bearing surfaces wear away and component materials degrade and become less efficient.

Vehicle manufacturers don't design engines to last forever, otherwise the cost of production would be high & they would sell less vehicles. What's cheaper in the long term? Change oil & filters regularly, or strip engine down to replace piston rings, main bearing shells and other components when they wear out?

[Dodgey]

Both Castrol and Comma recommend 6000 mile or 12 month,whatever comes first,for the WLT engine,when using their recommended product. The old 6month and 3000 mile info is probably outdated.(by modern oils)

I'm with you on that one. I change it once a year. I do around 2-3000 miles tops.

Modern semi synthetic oils last a Looooooong time before shearing/degrading.

[helen&tony]

Hi
MMmmm I agree with Simon, For a small comparative cost, I use Bosch filters, or Mann, and Elf Semi or fully synthetic at 6000 Km...Oil and Filter
The engine makes very little noise, hardly needs a top-up ever, done 200,000 Km plus, and doesn't clatter on start-up as with cheaper filters and filters...
No contest!
Cheers
Helen

[Northern Bongolow]

modern oils are a lot better than the old original spec, but if your still running your egr system you still need to accept that the egr is putting carbon back into your engine, this carbon (exhaust) must be suspended and filtered out if engine damage is to be held back. modern oils and filters are better at doing this, but, for the price of a filter and new oil, its possibly the way to go.
many companies offer oil sample testing now so you can estimate better when the oil needs changing, this may seem extreme but the cost of good oil could be offset if you get an idea of how your engine is coping and change it only when needed.

[hwyaden]

right, i've done about 450 miles since i posted and the oil is now about 3/4 full, so roughly a quarter has gone over that distance. that seems a bit heavy