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I would never normally post about anything but this perplexes me. I have a 2000 tracker with the 2.0. It’s not leaking or smoking and runs great. I put in 1-2 quarts more than the manual calls for and I’m not showing any on the dipstick overnight but if I drive and pull it, oil is splashed around the stick like usual. Any ideas where the oil went or what’s going on?
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Firstly, I would be inclined to correct the oil level to its recommended capacity, regardless of what the dipstick shows. Drain your oil and refill with the correct amount.
Clean oil can sometimes be difficult to see on a dipstick, especially if the dipstick is plastic and is yellow/orange in colour.
It isn’t as if your oil pan suddenly grew an extra chamber and is hiding the oil. And you’d notice if the sump was damaged and leaking the oil out as quickly as it’s being put in. At this point, I’d say it sounds like an optics problem.
The stick is dark grey and I rub it with my bare fingers it is dry. It calls for 5.5 quarts I’ve put in at least 6.5. I just changed it.
Well, the only other obvious possibility I can think of is a badly leaking rear main seal, causing the engine oil to flood into the transmission bell housing. If you have an automatic transmission, you should be seeing evidence of leaking at the bell housing, as auto transmissions are seldom fluid-tight at the bell housing. If you have a manual transmission, you may not be showing signs of external leakage, but you would be experiencing obvious clutch-slippage problems.
Also, are you sure your dipstick isn’t broken, and is now shorter than it should be?
The dipstick is the correct length and correct one for the vehicle. I have an auto transmission and no leakage is spot anywhere. The bottom of the vehicle is dry as a bone.
You say the car drives fine, so I’m guessing you have no oil pressure warning light/gauge issues. Assuming the warning system is functioning, the oil level is sufficiently high to feed the oil pump, in which case it should be reading on the dipstick.
I was thinking there might be a constricted oil return galley somewhere in the engine, slowing return flow to the sump, but even then you should be showing oil on the dipstick after the car has been sitting overnight.
You haven’t done anything goofy like using Armor All on the dipstick, have you? 😛
i moved this to service and repair questions answered here, people here may be able to better help you.
as far as my input is concerned Evil-i has brought some valid points up.
If as you state you put more than the required amount of oil.
Shown no signs of any oil leaks, no signs of burning oil.I’m left with thinking:
1- Check the fluid level of the transmission and see if it is over filled now.
2- Check the radiator for oil.
3- Check to see that the dipstick is full seated.
4-Check to see that the dipstick tube is fully seated into the lower block.Is this car new to you, and you’re still a bit unfamiliar with it? I ask because if you recently got this vehicle, perhaps the previous owner installed the wrong dipstick, which isn’t the right length, and you’re unaware of the switcheroo. It’s a possibility.
If, on the other hand, you have a longer history with this car and the oil level started to go wonky recently, we’re playing ball on a different field. If this is the case, I’d be inclined to drain the oil after the car has been sitting overnight (when it isn’t showing on the dipstick) and measure the amount drained. If the amount is close to correct, there’s something weird going on with the dipstick. Perhaps there’s a halo of sludge buildup within the dipstick tube that’s wiping the oil off as you’re withdrawing the stick. It sounds unlikely, but I’m running out of good ideas.
If the volume of drained oil is significantly less than what it should be, the only good thing I can think of is that the oil might be getting past a bad rear main seal and pooling within the bell housing, even though I still believe you’d be seeing obvious signs of leakage if this was the case. To check, I’d remove the starter and look into the bell housing with the aid of a good bright light. Things should be bone dry in there. If a couple of quarts have been hiding in there and have been flung around by the flex plate and torque converter, it should be obvious. A couple of tablespoons of flung oil will look like a gallon, so a couple of quarts will resemble the mess caused by the Exxon Valdez.
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