Hi Forum, this is Randy's wife Candice who is the primary driver of Big Red.
I have found that when I get the low oil warning indicator (not sure of the exact warning words) Randy will check it and ends up adding 2 1/2 quarts of oil to top it off.
It seems strange to me that there isn't a warning prior to this much needed oil addition like when the warning indicator Maintenance due soon versus Maintenance due right now!
I have been fortunate to only be a few miles from the house when I get this warning.
In looking at the Owner's manual under Oil, under Warning lights I do not see this warning indicator explanation. It's as if it doesn't exist.
In my opinion I see this warning indicator of low oil as a flaw in the computer system. The warning should come on at a quart low, not 2 1/2 quarts.
Anyone else have this issue?

 

On a car that age the oil needs to be checked EVERY WEEK.

 

Even down 2 1/2 quarts it's not going to immediately damage the engine since there should still be almost 7 quarts of oil in the car. You just need to top the oil up ASAP. Like the previous posters mentioned I just check the oil every week now but I drive mostly highway and my car starts to burn oil around the 2500-3k Mark. Other than that it drives fine

 

If your engine's oil level has dropped within a week, you're either putting a hell of a lot of miles on it (many 1,000's), have a leak, or have engine wear issues. I change the oil in my '11 LS every 5k miles or once per year and the few times I've checked, perhaps just before I change it to be sure there are no problems, there has been no meaningful oil level drop. These engines shouldn't use oil.

 

It's pretty good actually. It tells you to add oil ASAP. But it doesn't say pull over and get towed to the dealership. If they put the level that triggered the light at the point major damage was occurring, that's what the message would be. If it went off after being down a quart it would pop up all the time for me. I typically add a quart every fill up on my little oil burner but she runs great.

 

I just drove 3500 miles in one trip last month and when i got back the oil was down almost 2 qts. I did a check before i left and a change when i got back. Before i left i added about a 1/2 qt it had been driven about 3000 before the trip. Those miles were just mostly short trips.

 

Sometimes too much consumption is due to a bad PCV valve . My consumption greatly reduced after replacing the PCV valve .

 

If you don't drive the car much or drive at sustained speeds over 70-80 mph I don't think you will get that warning IMO. I've been testing different theories since I first got this warning over a year ago but my commute is 70 miles round-trip every day at highest speeds. It's annoying but I don't worry about it much.

 

RV here -

**** off FunFact.

To the rest of youse:

HOW MANY QUARTS DO YOU NEED TO ADD TO TOP OFF AFTER GETTING THE LOW OIL WARNING?

IS YOUR EXPERIENCE TYPICAL?

Understand that better?