Falcon FG XR6 Engine Ran with Too Little Oil

LJunk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 14:24
Last edited 01/03/2020 - 14:51 by 1 other user

I did an oil change on my old man's FG XR6 yesterday as it's been 18 months since it had been serviced at an independent mechanic.

I let it drain for half an hour while I had lunch. When I came back to my surprise there was only 5L of oil in the drain pan! The Barra is supposed to take 6.8L; surely it couldn't have burn 1.8L in 18 months? There's no sign of any leaks, which leads me to believe that the mechanic only put in 5L during the last service…

What sort of damage could this have caused? I took the car for a warm up and noticed there's a faint whine. 😕

Automotive Car Ford

Comments

  • Seraphin7 on 01/03/2020 - 14:33
    +10

    Let's cut to the chase … the probability that you will have any claim whatsoever against the mechanic in question is bordering zero.

  • Hithere on 01/03/2020 - 14:45
    +7

    couldn't have burn 1.8L in 18 months

    A car that would be 8+ years old can easily use 1.8 litres of oil in 18 months.

    and noticed there's a faint whine.

    So stop wining then. That's got nothing to do with how much oil was in the car, it was well above minimum/dangerous level.

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 15:43

      Thanks, that's reassuring. Is it safe to assume the engine's fine as it still drives?

      What are the symptoms of the oil level dipping below minimum? You know, for when he complains about funky noises in his car. 😅

      • Hithere on 01/03/2020 - 16:07
        +2

        If the oil level drops below safe minimum usually the oil light or engine management light will come on.

        If ignored a grinding noise accompanied by the motor seizing and weird things like holes in the block will occur resulting in a bill for several thousand dollars which will be the final outcome.

        • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 16:40

          Cheers, that's a relief.

  • Cheeper on 01/03/2020 - 15:09
    +1

    Very likely the oil change was done by a general labourer or apprentice and just threw in a standard 5L container but nothing you can do about it now. Move on.
    Always check your car over when you have something done .. a lot of slack asses around.
    Tip.. If you ever get new tyres check your wheel nuts before you drive off. ☹️

  • qwerty on 01/03/2020 - 15:19
    +2

    So you or your dad didnt do an oil dipstick check for the entire 18 months ?

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 15:45

      Nope, he doesn't take care of his car. I took his car in for the previous service at my insistence and cost…

      I'm learning to do these things myself, as I always had my car serviced regularly when it was less than 5 years old.

    • spychiatrist on 01/03/2020 - 22:41

      No dip stick in Falcon?

      • Euphemistic on 02/03/2020 - 06:58
        +8

        Typically in the drivers seat as well as engine bay.

        • Slopshua on 02/03/2020 - 08:08

          This made me laugh

  • brendanm on 01/03/2020 - 15:47

    5l of oil plus what's in the filter, so probably just over a litre low. Not an issue, though not ideal.

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 15:51

      It was including what's in the filter since I knocked a hole in it to drain when I left it.

      Did it to minimise the mess when taking the filter off as it's in an awkward spot right above some suspension components.

      Thanks for confirming the engine should be okay.

  • Muzeeb on 01/03/2020 - 16:09
    +2

    Surely the FG has an oil warning light on the dash. If this never came on then don't stress.

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 16:42

      Cheers, that's a relief.

      • jonagrah on 01/03/2020 - 17:59

        Unless the oil warning light is broken…

        • Muzeeb on 01/03/2020 - 18:18

          The light is fine. Not sure if the sensor is though 😁

          • Euphemistic on 01/03/2020 - 19:47

            @Muzeeb: Do the FG series have a low oil warning or just a low oil pressure warning? I thought most cars only warned if the oil pressure was low, which will only show up if he pump isn’t working properly, so the pickup in the sump would probably need to be virtually empty.

            • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 21:41

              @Euphemistic: It's called a "oil pressure warning indicator" in the manual but then goes on to say it comes on when either the pressure or level falls below an acceptable level. Dad doesn't recall ever seeing it permanently lit on the dash, thankfully.

              • Ozpit on 02/03/2020 - 09:26

                @Junk Sifter: The manual also recommends the owner/driver check the level of the engine oil once a week with the dipstick and top up the oil as necessary.

                It might be a good idea if you have a closer look at the maintenance section of the manual (now, not after the fact) to see what other things are recommended for the owner/driver to check between the regular service intervals, such as brake and coolent fluid levels, tyre pressures, etc. They only take a couple of minutes to check and can prevent major/costly issues occurring - such as a blown motor from lack of oil.

                • Euphemistic on 02/03/2020 - 10:35

                  @Ozpit: And then when OP visits his old man, pop the bonut thingy and check the fluids once in a while if the old man won’t. It only takes a few minutes.

  • Euphemistic on 01/03/2020 - 19:44
    +2

    There is a dipstick in the engine bay for a reason.

    It’s a Ford 6cyl. There are thousands of them running around that get no maintenance. It’ll probably be fine but last less than a we’ll maintained one.

    How many kms on it?

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 21:43

      Oi, who are you calling a dipstick? 😏

      Just over 70k, around 10k kms since previous service. He doesn't drive far and thinks it's the kays that count.

  • RockyRaccoon on 01/03/2020 - 21:23
    +1

    Oil breaks down as it gets older. Most new cars are supposed to have the oil changed at least every 12 months for a reason. My current Camry gets service at 15K or 9 months.

    An older car had shorter service intervals, and also depending on the quality of the oil, (synthetic lasts longer)this varies.

    If you change it yourself, go for shorter changes, cant do any harm and its relatively cheap.

    • Junk Sifter on 01/03/2020 - 21:48

      The Falcon specifies 12 months, so I think I'm safe sticking to that with Nulon Long Life 5W-30. Since I noticed some sludge I'm planning to throw in a bottle of oil flush next time, too.

      • RockyRaccoon on 01/03/2020 - 21:58

        The point to consider, did the mechanic put in a good quality oil, and did your dad, just take a lower cost option. Probably more likely than the mechanic cutting back on a few litres of oil.

        Most time they have a bulk oil supplier and just use that rather than the better quality oils.

        BTW one comment I saw was that the falcon uses a bigger sump to give it longer time between oil changes (your 12 months) so as others have said losing that much oil might still be within tolerances

  • aussieprepper on 02/03/2020 - 01:34

    It could burn that much oil easily my friends 2014 Corolla burns around 500+ml between each 6 month service. SO out of the 4.2L it takes i end up with nothing left at the end of the 6 months in a 5L bottle.

  • PlasticSpaceman on 02/03/2020 - 10:42
    +2

    As others have stated - that's perfectly fine. I'd also note that if the engine was cold when you did the change, it's quite possible that there was a fair bit left in the engine even after half an hour. Ideally do an oil change when the engine is warm - ie not so hot you'll burn yourself, but definitely not cold. For now, just top it back up and move along, making a note to change the oil a little more frequently - say every 12 months - and checking the oil level once a week for the next month and if it's not dropping a lot then move to once a month. Also suggest keeping an eye on the rear vision mirror for smoke coming out of the exhaust when accelerating.

    Symptoms of low oil? Lots of smoke coming out of exhaust, oil pressure dropping or oil warning light coming on initially when going around corners then all the time, engine starting to overheat, engine warning light coming on, horrible screeching noises coming from general location of the engine, little bits of metal along the road leading to where the car finally stopped…..

    • Junk Sifter on 02/03/2020 - 18:10

      Thanks for the pointers. We haven't seen smoke thank goodness.

  • batfastard on 02/03/2020 - 11:41
    +1

    Sorry mate, car is trashed.

    But I'll do you a favor, I'll give you $100 for the wreck.

  • OzHunterNSW on 02/03/2020 - 11:59

    Did you take the filter out? Is this a completely dry engine or with filter in?

    Besides, it is an old car… expect to burn a bit of oil.

  • jonkvh on 02/03/2020 - 12:54
    +1

    The original I6's use to run on five litres or thereabouts of oil back in the day. The extra nearly 2 litres was added to allow for stretching out service intervals to 18 months. The engine will be fine, as long as it wasn't under extreme load at any time. Did you use Pentrite oil? It's the best oil for the I6's.

  • Hirolol on 02/03/2020 - 17:39

    I know people that drive around with the oil light on

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