Low Oil

[akewlguy]

Lexus

[91LS400vgb]

I wouldn't worry too much if the oil was just a bit below the "L" for a short period of time. I've known people who've done that a couple of times without a tangible impact on the life of their engine (still got 180k+ miles). Actually 1 quart over 3500+ miles is not that bad. What weight oil are you using and how often do you change it? My '91 with close to 100k doesn't use much oil at all - using 5-30 mobil-1 here.

[nc211]

I use the same, mobile 1, 5w30. I don't use up any oil, but I don't drive very hard either. During the last two oil changes, I've put in about a cup of seafoam in with the old oil, let the car idle for about 10 minutes, then pull the plug and let all that black as midnight oil drain out. Once it's drained out, I pour in about 2 quarts of new oil to push out any of the old oil still sitting in the bottom of the pan. Basically until the new oil is draining out of the plug. I've noticed a large difference in the idle, but more importantly, the noises at start up. I use to have the ticking noise too. But now, no ticking noise at all. Of course I also seafoamed the intake a few months back, and going to do it again when it cools down a bit.

Point of the story, at 116k, I burn no oil at all, and since doing the 1 cup of seafoam, no ticking noises. Might be something to think about doing kewl. Don't rev the engine, just let it idle for about 10 to 15 minutes, drain out old oil, flush out with 2 quarts of new oil, and refill. Might help amigo? It worked for me, that's for sure.

[akewlguy]

Thanks for the feedback. I will look into the sea foam.

[Threadcutter]

Thanks for the feedback. I will look into the sea foam.

Chris:

He's right............I've been doing the "SeaFoam thing" with my engine oil as well. After a couple of treatments (and the resulting flushing of all the gunk), my "old" oil looks brand new after 3,000 to 4,000 miles. I've backed way off now because the oil is so clean at change time. It's a great feeling to get it THAT clean.

[akewlguy]

Where does one buy the sea foam?

Do you think a mechanic would do this. I don't even want to touch the oil bolt or filter. Not that I am lazy, but I do not trust my skills with cars. I get really mad.

[nc211]

Where does one buy the sea foam?

Do you think a mechanic would do this. I don't even want to touch the oil bolt or filter. Not that I am lazy, but I do not trust my skills with cars. I get really mad.

You can find seafoam in most auto part stores, like pep-boys, autozone, etc.... It's in a medal can, you can't miss it. MAKE SURE you buy the regular seafoam though, not the one that is for transmissions. Just check the can, it's easy to tell. A mechanic might do this, or they might not. However, in all honesty man...

It's super super super easy to do. Just pour in about a cup of seafoam into the oil slot on the engine. Start the car, let it idle. Then just take off the undercover "12 bolts maybe?" with a 14mm ratchet, undo the bolt on the drain pan and let it flow out into your container. Pour in 2 quarts of new oil, let that drain out into your container. Buy a filter cap attachment for your wrench, reach up and loosen the filter, let it drain into your bucket.... Put new filter on. Put plug back in the pan, and refill with 5.4 quarts. All done, and makes you feel good!

Or, just go to the mechanic, pour in the seafoam, let it idle...then have them change the oil, but tell them to pour a quart or two through first to flush out the crud.

Warning, do not put a ton of torque on the pan bolt when putting it back in. Just make sure it's tight, not super mega tight, so you don't strip the threads. I think it's 24lbs of torque.

[Threadcutter]

Where does one buy the sea foam?

Do you think a mechanic would do this. I don't even want to touch the oil bolt or filter. Not that I am lazy, but I do not trust my skills with cars. I get really mad.

Chris:

Don't read too much into it. If you have ever changed your own oil before, this is no more complicated than that. If you haven't changed your own oil, you can still add a cup of SeaFoam on your way into your "friendly Oil Changer place". Not that I'd recommend doing that, because half the time, they can't get the plug back in the pan or the cap back on the valve cover............Recent personal experience with the wife having taken her car into one of these hacks......

SeaFoam

[nc211]

exactly why i have a new lower oil pan...thanks to walmart stripping the threads on the old one..... i change my own oil from then on.

[93ls400walt]

Anyone develope an oil leak after the seafoam treatment? I have not added any to my oil change. I would like to do this. But from the talk of oil leaks developing after switching to a synthetic oil that broke down engine sludge. I wpuld like to hear anyones thoughts.

[Threadcutter]

Anyone develope an oil leak after the seafoam treatment? I have not added any to my oil change. I would like to do this. But from the talk of oil leaks developing after switching to a synthetic oil that broke down engine sludge. I wpuld like to hear anyones thoughts.

Walt:

Not me.........3 Seafoam treatments @ about 3500 miles between oil changes. Running Dino with no problems/leaks. 175K miles total. I'm quite happy.

I have nothing against synthetic, other than price. I figure that if I can keep my oil that clean for that long by doing the SeaFoam thing periodically, I'm not going to bother with synthetic. 175K miles total. I'm quite happy.

Like I said in a previous post, it's nice to check your oil at 3500 miles, pull the dipstick & it looks like brand new oil.

[akewlguy]

Okay so if I put seafoam in the engine and then have mechanic (that I trust) change out oil I will be fine. Is it okay to put in and drive a few miles to mechanic or just go to mechanics and put in sea foam then idle for 10 minutes.

Inform mechanic to use a quart or two to clean out crud.

[blake918]

Chris, have you checked for any leaks under your car? My high-mile '95 doesn't require me to add any M1 between oil changes. One of these days I'll run seafoam through the crankcase...

[Threadcutter]

Chris, have you checked for any leaks under your car? My high-mile '95 doesn't require me to add any M1 between oil changes. One of these days I'll run seafoam through the crankcase...

Blake:

First of all, Congratulations.......very cool!

If I remember correctly, you're at about 250K(?). How many miles do you noramlly go between oil (Synth) changes? What is the condition/appearance of your oil when you change it? If it's clean, why SeaFoam the crankcase?

[OmarG]

I do just have to say that i'm starting to hate my car. It's making me overly sensative to small things... like a light NORMAL tapping or a bit of vibration when braking. I would probably over maintain my car if my wallet allowed. So age old question... should i start her on synthetic? Also what does Seafoam do? Good luck on your LS man.. though i doubt you'll need it:)

[blake918]

Blake:

First of all, Congratulations.......very cool!

If I remember correctly, you're at about 250K(?). How many miles do you noramlly go between oil (Synth) changes? What is the condition/appearance of your oil when you change it? If it's clean, why SeaFoam the crankcase?

Thankya TC! I have about 280k miles. I go 5,000 miles between M1 10w30 changes. I despise changing the oil in this car (because of the oil filter location), so I'm all for spending a little extra for a product that will allow an exended interval. LOL The oil looks bad to my eyes when it comes out (I'll pull the dipstick tomorrow to see what that looks like.). I think the PO of my car was lax with the oil changes because the valve covers and what lives beneath were varnished pretty badly, not to mention the bit of sludge that we found in the oil pan.

[oohryry]

Just checked my oil and its down a bit below L. I am so *BLEEP*ed off that I let it get down anything. Looks like the car is burning a quart every 3500+ miles. Is this common for the 93? I don't see any leaks. It also could be that the engine is hot so oil is displaced, but I am sure it is not a quart of displacement.

Also a few weeks ago I started engine and it was sluggish. Then I heard a tappin and suspect that was the oil not getting to top of engine after baking in the sun for 3 weeks. Either way I need a garage and this sucks if I drove and damaged my engine in any way.

3500 miles per quart is great. How many miles do you drive before you change your oil? I do the 5000 mile change and replace at Valvoline Express with Semi Synthetic. My oil looks clean when I check the dipstick. Also what type of fuel do you use? Are you a faithful premium sustainer? Me personally, I downgraded to mid-grade.

[Threadcutter]

Chris:

Inform mechanic to use a quart or two to clean out crud.

I just noticed this statement from your previous post & I wouldn't recommend that much. What most guys have been recommending & I have been doing is adding about a cup to your existing oil just before you change it or have it changed. At $6.00 per can, using half a can per treatment is a bonus.

If people have had problems with leaks as Walt has asked about, it could very well be from either adding too much SeaFoam or leaving it in too long. Remember, this process should be spread out over multiple oil changes. Yoiu won't get the inside of your engine shiny new with just one treatment and you could actually cause problems by putting too much in. Remember, it is a solvent, not a lubricant. By adding it, your are temporarily reducing the "lubricity" of the oil.

I remain a big believer in the treatment and with judicious/careful application, it will work just fine for you.

BTW, this treatment is the same treatment that the oil changer places charge anywhere from $15.00 to $35.00 for. I still wouldn't recommend that you have them do it because getting the threaded drain plug back in or without crossthreading it remains a formidible challenge for them. Besides, if you add half a can of SeaFoam, it'll cost you $3.00 & accomplish exactly the same thing. In the "old days", the "pros" would just add a cup of Kerosene................................

[nc211]

I completely agree with Thread....100%.

This is one of those times when the saying "if you want it done right, do it yourself" can come in handy. If done incorrectly, problems could definetly mount. All it takes is about a cup of seafoam poured into the warmed up old oil, and let the car IDLE for 10 mintues. Don't drive the car, don't rev the car, just let it idle at it's warmed up rev's. I wouldn't put the seafoam in if the car is at cold idle. I don't think seafoam at 1,300 rpms on a cold engine is a good idea, at all.

And the threads on the oil pan.... strip the oil pan threads, and it's $600 for a new one. You could tap the thread, but the likelyhood of an oil leak is pretty high. Plus, the LAST thing you would ever want is for your oil pan plug to fall out, or wiggle itself loose when you're on the highway.... That would be the end of the engine. Plus, this is one of those repairs, in my opinion, you want a Lexus dealership to do. It's worth paying the premium in my mind, knowing if it was done incorrectly and results in engine failure, you've got the dealership on the hook, and not Bubba down at ACME Autoland.

[Ross W.]

Under the original owner's care, my car suffered a stripped drain bolt as well. On my car, it was fixed with a repair kit. So far, so good. No leaks. My car doesn't use any oil between changes, at least so far. As for synthetic oil, I'm going to switch soon, perhaps next oil change. Seafoam? Never heard of it. Is it a detergent package? Back in the day, before I did an oil change, I'd put two tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid into a fully warmed crankcase, idled for ten minutes, then drained. Worked like a champ! A little bit in the gas tank made a great fuel system cleaner too, but I wouldn't advise that on fuel injected engines.

Anyway, back to the topic, as long as the engine is not run at high speeds or long distances, low oil won't be much of a problem, even if the lifters are ticking a bit. Just act quickly!

[akewlguy]

Hey guys. For sure I agree to do it your self.

This time the man fixing my car is like my father. He is awesome and does it right. So the odds are that I would mess up the bolt. So he will do it. Cheers and thanks for all the great advice

[Threadcutter]

Hey guys. For sure I agree to do it your self.

This time the man fixing my car is like my father. He is awesome and does it right. So the odds are that I would mess up the bolt. So he will do it. Cheers and thanks for all the great advice

Chris:

I grew up with a father that basically did everything himself, so I learned a lot of things from a very young age. Because of this, I sometimes presume that everybody else can/should be able to do the things that I can, plus a lot more. I admire the fact that when someone realizes how far in over their head they are, they stop, find someone that is proficient at the task and has that person do it.

By the same token though, I also believe that you should try new things to learn and broaden your horizons. As a number of us have said, this isn't difficult. The hardest part for me is generating enough enthusiam to lay down, flat on my back, slide under the car (multiple times), reach up, loosen or tighten something & probably have a bunch of dirt & crap fall into my eyes.

If you're worried about crossthreading or stripping the bolt/drain plug, what I find has worked for me for many years is the following;

Before even thinking about picking up a wrench, by hand, insert the drain plug into the threaded hole. It is a right hand thread (clockwise to tighten, "normal" thread). Turn it clockwise until you can feel it "engage" the threads. Provided it does that, continue to turn it clockwise by hand until it is at the end of it's travel.

If you can't feel it engage the threads, push lightly on the head while turning it backwards by hand. You should be able to feel a once per revolution "click" where the thread on the plug and the thread on the pan go "over the top" of each other. That is your starting point. Once you feel that "click", turn the bolt/plug clockwise & it should properly engage/thread on. Once you've got the plug all the way on by hand, you can now tighten it up (not excessively) & viola!, you're done........

Give it a shot. NC has a BIG problem with the oil changer places because they can't do the above correctly more than about 40% of the time. I happen to fully agree with him.

No one, yourself included, can do any worse than them. In fact, I think that the new hires at these places get to learn what I've described above, but they get paid to learn it on YOUR car!..........Unfortunately, a high (pun intended) percentage of them are VERY slow learners.

[akewlguy]

Thanks for the support.

[W201 sweden]

I strongly believe in using high quality oils and filters for all cars, both Lexus and "lesser"... ;)

Good base oils with good "additive packages" cost more, but you WILL have less problems with sticky lifters and rings, sludge, wear etc. The "sea foam" product is, AFAIK, not available in Sweden, but I know people that have fixed (at least temporarily) leaky power steerings with some of the Omega Oil products.

I have personally used Swepco products for almost 15 years in my old cars, ie SAAB turbos (even for tuned engines) Mercedes, and lately in my Lexus. I have never had ANY oil related problems, and these oils clean up the engine inside. I drive at LEAST 10.000 km (6500miles) but often the double between changes, and still engines in my used cars get cleaner and better, the further I drive. :)

When I bought my Mercedes, it used 5 liters of Swepco oil (1gal+1qt) over the first 6000km. Then consumption started to go down rapidly. Now, 55.000km later, I add 1(!) liter between changes at approx 10 000miles. The Swepco oil released stuck piston rings, I guess, and they went back to actually sealing... :)

/Alexander from Sweden

[blake918]

One of these days I'll run seafoam through the crankcase...

Well, I finally did it. It was about a month/month and a half ago. 5,000 miles later, it was now time for an oil change. I was skeptical going in to this (I ran Seafoam through my intake and was fairly unimpressed with the outcome. Sure, the smoke screen was cool, but my car was no better or worse than before.), so I photographed the oil on the dipstick for some before and after Seafoam comparisons.

Anyway, the first shot is of M1 SS @ 5,000 miles, and the second shot is M1 SS @ 5,000 miles and post 8oz Seafoam in the crank case idling for 10min (it took 3 quarts of oil to flush all of the crap out of the engine.). Obviously, the oil is a lot better after the seafoam! I think I'll probably do it again to see if the oil can't get even better after 5k miles.