Oil!

[southernsc300]

i put a quart in my car about 3 weeks ago because i noticed it was a little low, and just last week i hit my "time to change oil" mile. well today my oil light goes on and i go home and check. i have almost NO oil in my car.the dip stick is dry except for a little oil spot on the L. my car does not leak oil, what could be the problem?

[The Grinch]

Are you burning any bluish white smoke? If not i would fill it to spec and just keep an eye on it. Temp and gravity (oil just hanging out in the head before it drains) can play tricks on you sometimes.

there are only so many places oil can go. burn or leak.

[AWJ]

You've got to be leaking somewhere. Unless it wasn't filled up completely. How's the drain plug gasket looking? It could play tricks I suppose. You'd definitely know if it you were burning it though.

[southernsc300]

i have no leak spots in my garage. how would i know if i was burning the oil? other than the smoke? i guess i hafta go check the smoke some time today.

[The Grinch]

Dont just start it up and floor it cold. Many cars with high miles will have leaking valve seals that will smoke a minute after startup. get it up to temp first. you can also just look at your plugs. they would have black gunk around the threads (that could also be a leaking valvecover to plug gasket) or electrode.

I would think with that much loss though you would have to notice burning (youre not blind are you?).

have you looked at the undercarriage for oil?

[UCF3]

I have a gasket leak on my SC, and I didn't noticed fresh marks on my garage floor for weeks, but I know for a fact it's leaking. It's very slow to drip, so there's a good chance it dropped somewhere else. Jack the car up and see. If you don't see anything, try visiting PepBoys or NAPA. Buy some bottle of DYE and add it to your oil when you're filling it up. After a day of driving, check it with a black Light.

Don't forget to switch to 10W30 or something thicker. It slows the dripping process.