I checked the oil level in my wife's 07 Fit and it showed about a half a pint below the full mark. The MM shows the oil at 50%. Should I buy a quart of oil and add some or just drive it until it's time to change the oil as long as the quantity doesn't go below the bottom mark on the dip stick?

 

Corollas are notorious for burning oil (up to two quarts per 5000 miles; well within normal limits), so after owning 3 of them, I was always checking the level. For me, I would always add oil back in since after all, it is the engine we are talking about. It is not worth the risk, plus the stuff that remains in the engine (when low) has an even higher concentration of contaminates then when it is full. Top it off.

 

A little below the full mark isn't at all unusual even very soon after an oil change, as the level generally drops a bit due to oil filling the filter and oil passages as the engine is first run after the oil change. I personally wouldn't worry about it being halfway between the "full" and "low" marks, although of course it's always wise to keep an eye on the level and particularly to watch if it changes.

(As an aside, I'm assuming you meant half a quart rather than half a pint. If it is actually half a pint, one cup or a quarter of a quart, there's definitely no need to add more for street driving. Of course, topping the oil up to the full mark isn't going to harm anything even if it's not necessary.)

 

OP, I'm hoping this isn't your 1st car and you are somewhat car-inclined. If the oil level is in-between the marks, then you should be good for your daily driving and errands run till your next oil change. Treat it like any other car. Add if it bothers you add some but really not critical. What's critical is that you check routinely, having too much oil or none at all.

If you track, drift, run 1/4 mi or consistently do long trips with it then that would be something to consider. But you probably wouldn't ask... Just my take.

 

Since a quart is 2 pints and the difference between the fill marks is a quart (or lier which is about 1.1 quarts.) that means the Fit is down about 25% below full and minimum, We race that way often to be sure there is more space for the air to pump back and forth beween cylinders under the pistons. More power and better mpg.Then of course it depends on how far away is oil change and more important how short the time that the reduction occurred. If its since yesterday you must check the reason.
good luck.

 

It's not my first car since I have been driving since 1965. I just wanted some advice if it is worth the effort to add a pint or less of oil between changes.

 

Well, if you're down by 1/8 of your oil then what's there is getting more stuff in it and wearing more. There's no exact science to this but how much effort is it to buy a quart and dump half of it in? Presumably the MM is basing its timing on having the oil pan full. So if you're planning to drive the car to 5 or 0% before changing the oil, well, I'd bother to add some. And then check it a little later and see if it's losing/burning oil or not.

 

I like to add some fresh oil mid-way into an OCI (Oil Change Interval) because I'm told it replenishes some of the additives.

(An Exxon engineer told us that the additives are depleted first...not the base oil. Tho', synthetic oils contain less additives, which is one reason why they protect longer than mineral oils in daily use.)

YMMV of course. Don't overfill...

 

Add the oil. These cars consume oil as part of their normal function and use oil pressure to activate the VTEC.

 

that exxon guy was filling you up with snot and snake oil

your motor definitely wont use only additives until they break down, then the oil itself.

If that were the case oil wouldnt even be used, its cheaper to make the additives then the oil.


Plus additives make up LESS then 1% of the oil in that jug!!!

 

Whatttt? engines do not normally consume oil unless rings are not functioning as designed or there's a leak. And using oil pressure to activte VTEC as a source of 'consuming' oil

 

Right on, but adding:
I seriously doubt any lubrication engineer said that; I count a few of them among my acquaintances. Additives last longer than 10k miles in useful amounts and if fact tests have shown at least 24k miles. Though synthetics are slower to lose viscosity and shear strength all lubricants lose viscosity and shear strength regardless of additives.

 

ALL engines use up oil between changes.


What do you think happens to that oil that is squeezed onto the cylinder walls for ring lube? You dont think 1500+ degree combustion temps wont burn it up?

Its one of many reasons a catalytic converter exists.

 

When the rings ae properly seated the amount of oil left on the cylinder walls is measured only by microscopic s. thats why there is no real measureable change in the oil capacity.
And cat converters exist to remove CO and nitrous oxides. If you losing burned or unburned hydrocarbons, aka oil, enough to know it to the converter it won'tconvert long.

 

Even if the engine 100% burns all fuel, your catalytic converter will still get sooty over time.

Oil left on the cylinder walls is not really a microscopic amount.
The bigger the motor the more oil it burns.

Even Honda states all their motors use oil. Its a result of engine design, not a engine failure of some sort

 

I don't recall ever having to add oil between oil changes in the 300,000+ miles I've driven. I might've once or twice a long time ago, not something I'd have remembered necessarily. But on my Fit, 36,000 miles so far, with oil changes every 7-8k as per the MM, nope. And I check the dipstick regularly.

 

My 2000 Accord V6 has never used any oil between changes. The car and drive train is almost 14 years old with 157,000 miles. My 07 Fit ha a little less than 50,000 miles.

 

Yes it has BUT the amount is not very much. In modern engines it IS a property of ALL internal combustion engines to leave trace amounts of oil on the cylinder walls that does indeed get burned like 13fit said. It used to be a lot more in older engines before the invention of moly coated rings but it HAS to leave oil on the walls for lubrication or the engine will seize and some of this does indeed get burnt.


AND activating the Vtec system with action from the oil does NOT involve consuming any oil NONE NADA ZIP ZERO ZILCH.

 

The newest SM and SN spec of motor oil have MUCH LESS phosphate (ZDDP) specifically, in order to prolong converter life.

Which tells you, that engine designers KNOW that oil will need to be "processed" by your catalytic converter.

 

If it's between the low and high marks on the dipstick I wouldn't bother picking up oil to top it off.

Basically exactly what you said in your original post.