i checked my oil recently and i found that its over the top dot. i think its .5 litters above what its supposed to be. for the last two oil changes, i put in 5 liters. but i think im supposed to put just 4.5. ive been using 5 liters for about 6 months now. what would be the harm in having an extra .5 liters of mobil 1 sythetic oil in the engine? im due for a oil change so i will be changing the oil back to 4.5 liters.
litres or quarts? My H23 takes nearly 5 quarts every change, even though the helms says less, but that's just to the top dot. 1/2 a litre shouldn't be too bad, but generally an excess of oil in the engine increases the chance of blowing a seal from the extra fluid pressure (that right?) It should be alright to just add 4.5, start her up, let her idle, turn her off then top off though.
4 liters makes 1.32 US wet gallons, and 4 quarts makes 1 gallon. I put a little less than 5 quarts in mine, so yeah, try 4.5 liters and see where it stands after running the car for a minute or less.
yeah, basically that's it, overfilling increases the risk of blowing a seal, but if you put a little too much on one change, you should be fine, no reason to do it again though.
sorry guys, i meant 5 quarts. i use those mobil 1 bottles that come in quarts. so its been at 5 quarts for the past 6 months. i use to put 4.5 quarts but the mechanic put in 4.5 and it didnt top off. so he added the extra .5 of the bottle. but now that i check it. its above the top dot by i think 3 cms or something. so that would be ok for only 6 months? how would i know if i blew a seal or not?
ive been at 5 quarts for 6 months, so at this oil change, ill have to lower it to 4.5 quarts since thats what its supposed to be. is there a way to take out oil easily just until the oil change or the oil filter has to be removed?
i agree, i would rather run a little low too then a lot high. i would always it rather be a little off then a lot off.
Last edited by MidNiteMysT; 04-08-2004 at 03:35 PM.
somewhat easily, just loosen the drain plug, applying pressure to it still keep it on the hole as you loosen, When you see oil start to squeeze around the plug through the hole, loosen a bit more, almost completely out, and tilt the plug up, sideways or whatever so there's a space, be in a position though to quickly tighten it up again. Like I said, I almost put 5 in mine, there's barely enough left in the bottle to top it off if I need to, and with the amount i put it, it's right at the top dot. You're not putting a lot of miles on your car if I remember correctly, so 6 months is fine, especially since it's synthetic. As for the overfilling, since you have stock internals, and nothing that would be weaker because of weight loss, you'll be fine. As for blowing a seal, you'd notice ... oil burning, etc.
It's technically 4.2qt., for a H23 Prelude that is. Probably exactly that on most other types of Ludes as well. I was told that by the shop/store where I buy my car parts.
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uhh yeah, the Helms says something to that effect, buy lemme tell ya, it ain't 4.2Q. I put in 4 the very first time I changed my oil, capped it, started it, stopped it, checked, and it was quite low. So I added a bit, still low, turns out it took most of the 5th bottle before it was up to top dot.
the helms say this
Capacity for oil change with filter
F22A1 engine: 3.8 liters (4.0 US qt, 3.3 lmp qt)
H23A1 engine: 4.3 liters (4.5 US qt, 3.8 lmp qt)
H22A1 engine: 4.8 liters (5.1 US qt, 4.2 lmp qt)
its wierd how urs tops off at almost 5. so it seems im .5 US qt's over. although my mechanic put in 5 and it seemed fine at the time but now that i look at it, its over the dot by what seems to be alot. a few cm's over the top dot. i just never checked my oil to often. does the oil get thinner after its warmed up? would that account for why it seems to be more when i check it? or it doesnt matter if the engine is cold or hot?
Last edited by MidNiteMysT; 04-09-2004 at 12:47 PM.
It really shouldn't matter, I'm sure it expands a little, but as long as you're checking some time after you've turned the car off and allowed all the oil to settle, it should be accurate. I'm imagining the amount I put in has something to do with the engine being used, but who knows. All I do know is that when I had my exhaust fitted, the honda tech also drained flushed my transmission, and when he asked me how much fluid I bought, I said 3 qts because even though Helms said 1.9 or 2, I'd be safe to get three, and he didn't even hesitate when he said "that's right". That led to me mentioning how much oil I put in, I told him that even though Helms says 4.2, I put close to 5, and he said it was normal, and that's about how much I'd be putting in, although I'm the dumbass that didn't ask why.
o ok cool. i guess i just wont worry about it. its wierd how your oil goes right up to the top dot on 5 quarts. and btw, the helms says 4.5 quarts, not 4.2.
Originally posted by G_Loc I've put 5 quarts in mine for the past 30k+ miles I've driven the car and haven't had any problems.
you have a prelude si aswell? does it also show that its on the top dot like 4thgenready2go? i find that pretty strange. maybe you burned some oil so its now at the level its supposed to be or you checked right after the oil change so it didnt have time to burn oil and it was ok? sorry to drone this on but its very interested how its different for our cars when they are the same engine. im not as nervous about having the 5 quarts of oil in my car now but im curious now, what oil do you guys use?
and 4thgenready2go, maybe i should clear something up because im not sure if you understood correctly. you said:
"You're not putting a lot of miles on your car if I remember correctly, so 6 months is fine, especially since it's synthetic."
maybe your under the assumption i used the same oil for 6 months. i change my oil a little before 3 months every time because i drive more on the "severe conditions" explain in the helms manual so thats why i dont go up to 6 months, plus im paranoid. so i wasnt using the same oil for 6 months. it was actually two seperate times that i put it up to 5 quarts. otherwise, i used to put 4.5 qaurts before that. it was just the two recent oil changes i had that i filled it up to 5 quarts. im not sure if you understood that already andi dont think it matters but just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.
Originally posted by MidNiteMysT
you have a prelude si aswell? does it also show that its on the top dot like 4thgenready2go? i find that pretty strange. maybe you burned some oil so its now at the level its supposed to be or you checked right after the oil change so it didnt have time to burn oil and it was ok? sorry to drone this on but its very interested how its different for our cars when they are the same engine. im not as nervous about having the 5 quarts of oil in my car now but im curious now, what oil do you guys use?
Yup, Si. It leaks a bit of oil, so I'm usually down by a quart at 3k. I don't notice any difference in how the car drives when I change the oil and after a few thousand miles on it. I use Valvoline Durablend 10w-40.
it does matter, since it's synthetic, you don't actually have to change every 3k, or 3 months, and since it's so expensive, that's a plus. but in the end it's up to you. Let me clear something up. Like I said, I don't put 5 whole quarts in, it's ALMOST 5 quarts, there's a little left in the 5th bottle, not 1/4, but enough to notice. I would said I'm putting about close to 4.8 or 4.9 Quarts in, and I usually add 4.5, cap, start, run for a minute or so, stop, and check. After topping off to the top dot, I've consistently, since I bought my car, have put that much oil. Keep in mind these have all been changes with new filters. Ok then, let us all stop poking the dead animal, I think everything's been answered here.
yea i know i dont have to change every 3k miles or 3 months since its sythetic but my conditions are severe because its stop and go traffic all the time. and i just like it to have fresh oil all the time. thats pretty wierd that your car takes 4.8-4.9 quarts. maybe its a vtec in disguise. i dont like poking dead animals but i do like asking a lot of questions
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i dont like poking dead animals but i do like asking a lot of questions 
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