Help with oil issue

Musefan

Hi

I own a 2009 1l yaris which had oil+ filters done in Jan & then again in mid may. Since the last service I have done about 14,000 km. It's booked in for a full service on Saturday. Today I noticed that the oil pressure warning lamp came on when I turned a sharp corner &when going up a hill. I also noticed a faint grinding sound shortly after this happened. Asked a family member if it was okay (the mechanic who did last service) and they said it should be fine. I didn't feel right about it though. Went straight to a filling station & checked the oil level which was extremely low (the dipstick was almost dry!). I filled it with 1.7l of the correct oil (as per manual guide) which brought the oil level mid way between the two points on the dipstick. I ran the car for a few minutes, drove home (about 6 min drive) and checked the oil again. The level was fine. I went back and drove the same route with the same hill and sharp corner- The oil light didn't come on the car sounded much better than before.

My question is would it be okay to drive until Saturday when it is checked given that I have topped up the oil?

I do actually check my oil very regularly but I'm new to owning a car and I didn't realise that one side of the dipstick (particularly in a Yaris) can become smeared with oil when you pull it back up. I think this meant I was interpreting the reading incorrectly. I also booked my service with a garage on Saturday, rather than putting pressure on family members (who are mechanics!) to help me with things! Thanks in advance

colm_mcm

Stop into any garage tomorrow and they will help you.

Too much oil is bad too. I wouldn't be leaving it till Saturday to check.

JohnBoy26

If you can, check the oil regularly from now one as those Yaris's can burn a drop. I know the interval is 9k miles but maybe changing the oil earlier, at around 7k might be better.

punisher5112

Should check oil levels and other fluids including tyre pressure at least once a week or when fueling.

Hopefully you got oil in before it has done major damage,.

Never wait for a oil light to tell you when to check.

This is one thing that puts me off a car when says 1 Lady owner because any women I know including sisters don't understand they have to check and 1 drove her car nearly 50,000kms without any service or even checking tyres.

ION08

punisher5112 wrote: »

Should check oil levels and other fluids including tyre pressure at least once a week or when fueling.

Hopefully you got oil in before it has done major damage,.

Never wait for a oil light to tell you when to check.

This is one thing that puts me off a car when says 1 Lady owner because any women I know including sisters don't understand they have to check and 1 drove her car nearly 50,000kms without any service or even checking tyres.

Yeah, best combo is lady driver but maintained by a male.

I always check my missus car oil level, tyres and make sure its serviced on time with correct grade oil.. hell i'll even bang the mats for her

Most women drive cars a lot more gently but are terrible when it comes to lifting the bonnet and general maintence!

Musefan

Thanks for the advice- I'll call the garage in the morn & top up at more regular intervals.

Just to note- I do check everything very regularly (coolant, break fluid, tyre pressure, oil, water, lights etc!) even though I fall into the "lady driver" category!

I have a family member (male+ mechanic) who was assisting me with maintenance but it seems like this is not always the best combo as mentioned above!:pac: As I stated, I didn't realise that one side of the dipstick would give a bit of an inaccurate reading as I checked it as oil smeared on one side!!

punisher5112

Musefan wrote: »

Thanks for the advice- I'll call the garage in the morn & top up at more regular intervals.

Just to note- I do check everything very regularly (coolant, break fluid, tyre pressure, oil, water, lights etc!) even though I fall into the "lady driver" category!

I have a family member (male+ mechanic) who was assisting me with maintenance but it seems like this is not always the best combo as mentioned above!:pac: As I stated, I didn't realise that one side of the dipstick would give a bit of an inaccurate reading as I checked it as oil smeared on one side!!

Thats good to hear you check but wasn't aimed at you op.

Guys can be just as bad;)

Just seems girls do it more and seem to get away with a lot as if I were to do that to my car it would blow up big style.

Happy motoring:D

greasepalm

take dipstick out wipe with rag replace and withdraw and if needed do it a few times,i had a customer in every 2 weeks for a top up which is bad for toyota,he left car into a toyota dealer and unsure what they did but not seen him for 2 months not needing a top up of oil,this was a 2008 model like the citroen,peugeot asked toyota where we buy parts from and they did not know.

Tigger

oil level in sump and oil level in sump when car i srunning or just stopped is different
too much oil will cause problems check oil level when the car has been stopped for about half an hour