No oil!

[Shamus1972]

Hi - This morning I noticed my car was making a buzzing/ticking noise.......
It sounded like it was coming from inside the dash/behind the drivers footwell somewhere. After trying to find something loose that could be making the noise I checked the oil.....empty!
I haven't had a warning light on and the pressure has been fine - about 3 weeks ago it was 2/3 full, could this be the source of the noise? How much damage could I have done?
My 12000 mile service is due in about 2000 miles/2 months, is it worth taking it in sooner to have it checked out?

[ATG]

aaagghhh ... yes this could be the source of your noise .... and it could have done a lot of damage ... more knowledgable people will no doubt join the discussion, but any idea why the oil has been lost? How long might it have been run with no oil, e.g. how long has it been making the noise?

[Shamus1972]

I've only done about 10 miles with it making the noise.

When I checked the dipstick there was oil all over it, but after I wiped it and re-dipped it there was none!

I've probably done about 400 miles since last checking the oil. Between buying the car and the oil level being lowish I probably covered 1500 - 2000 miles, I can only think the level when I bought it was "fuller than full" which is why I could do so many miles before it needed a top-up.

The noise does sound more like something loose than something mechanical (or am I just fooling myself?) and seems to be linked with resonance - ie, it is more obvious at the revs that make the car rattle and the rear window squeak! (Still fooling myself?)

[squirrelz]

Isn't there a special procedure for checking the oil in the SP6/AJP engines? Something to do with them being dry sump or something?

[apeebles]

You must ensure that the engine is up to running temperature. Ie. Take the car out for a quick spin to get the engine warm (70 degrees or so) and then check the oil....... Never check the oil when the engine is cold........

[Nick Elliott]

The oil level from minimum to maximum is about one liter so you still have another five or so circulating around the engine you still had oil pressure so doubt if there is any harm done. As the book says check oil level when at running temperature,

[fish]

Oil checking in the SP6 needs care as sometimes they can suddenly indicate a loss of oil.

The noise you describe may not be the lack of oil. ALTHOUGH YOU MUST CHECK THE OIL AND BE HAPPY IT IS FINE.

If you get a faint ticking noise that seems to come from under the dash normaly worse on tickover then it changes noise when you just put weight on the accelerator it is caused by the alloy pedal box cover acting as a sound board. It picks up the noise through the accelerator cable.

I solved mine by taking the pedal box cover off and wrapping the acc cable in foam.

It is a noise that is very hard to pinpoint and can sound like it is coming from the engine. I don't think it is a common known problem but it is very easy to fix. I haven't heard it on all the Tuscans I've driven it vearies from each car.

[lrussell5]

if the engine is cold and has been standing for a while it SHOULDNT touch the dipstick!! You MUST read the handbook for oil level testing in the dry-sump speed 6 engine. I think you're OK, as long as the oil pressure was ok as you say. Not sure about your noise though, but dont panic (yet!)

[Luca brazzi]

quote:
Oil checking in the SP6 needs care as sometimes they can suddenly indicate a loss of oil.

Totally agree. Checked level after a short run, dipstick was clean....phhhrrrt. Let engine warm up completely, took out on another run, always below 2,500rpm. Checked again, smack bang in the middle of the min and max. Phew.

[Jarrett]

It is my understanding that to get an accurate measurement of the oil levels, not only does the engine need to be fully up to temp but (due to the dry sumping) you need to take the dipstick reading *immediately* after switching off the engine.

Otherwise the oil drains back to the sump and you may have more in there than the dipstick shows.

Jarrett

[gb61390]

I've been having the same fun checking the oil level on my Tamora. Checking after stopping at running temperature the dipstick now shows a splattering between the min/max so all's OK. Would be much easier if you got a solid line like on 'ordinary' cars though!
Bet you Tuscan owners don't have the same trouble adding more oil than we do on the Tamora? The oil cap faces backward to the engine block so there no room to tilt even the smallest oil bottle!
Cheers...... Andrew

[hollans]

Had similar oil problems. Almost impossible to get a reading on the dipstick no matter what engine temp. Just had car checked as Oil pressure was low (20ish) and warning light briefly flicked on. Problem was diagnosed as no more than low oil level. Had it filled but 1 week later problem has come back. Normal pressure (40ish) then down to (20ish), warning light flicks on. Put 1 litre in and pressure is back up! This can't be right!

[ajvmoore]

Hot engine, and hot oil, run the engine, have a friend sit in the car, turn off, IMMEDIATELY wop the stick out, wipe, screw cap and dipstick down quickly, and off again - there is yer oil level. a few seconds more and a gasping/gurgling sound means that you will not get a reading . I do not know what happens to the oil, but it does all disappear if you not quick on the dip! The procedure is a pain in the arse. I have joined the many owners who keep close tabs on consumption. I use 1 litre per 800 miles ish, and one litre per hour on track. If the reading I get stacks up with what I expect, I count it as true. Sometimes the reading is not what I expect, then I only trust it when I get three consistent readings following the procedure above. BTW thread on tuscowners says dealers now recommending Carlube RRR , not Mobil 1. (Can they be mixed or do I have to change it all?)

[shoggoth1]

With the Tamora, after a good run, I have the bonnet up, glove on (because it's bloody hot in there) and rag at the ready. I reach, turn off the ignition and leap into action.

In just under 2,500 miles it does not appear to have used any oil at all, always seems to show just above the max mark.

Cheers.

[Shamus1972]

Thanks for all your help!

I'm fairly confident that it is not an oil problem now - I ckecked the oil about 5-10 minutes after a 5 mile drive, so am thinking the oil just drained away. The noise is a buzzy/rattly noise and I get it when you turn the key and the starter is turning over - it sounds a lot like the sound I'd expect if vibration was causimg the glass to rattle in the dash, except it's not that!

[b11ocx]

Twas not the dealer recommending Carlube, it was the factory when I picked up my car last week.

[MikeyT]

Surely a more common sense approach (mind you, this is TVR we're talking about here) would have been to have the oil level check in a different place. Why have it on the block if its a dry sump engine

Can't you have it on the place where the oil IS stored? Or am I being a tw@t?

[diesel dougal]

The dip-stick is at the oil storage, hence the problem; the easiest way is to keep the oil pressure at 40, running with oil pressure at 20 at high revs means you have not got enough oil in the system.

DD

[Jarrett]

Shoggoth1,

I had the same on my Tuscan. Used no oil at all until the 6K/12month service (was actually on 4.5K). Dipstick always showed over full in fact. Since then it has been using about 1L per 1K which is far more TVR'ish!

Jarrett