Oil in car..

suzieb

Hi hoping someone has some advice cos am desperate!

Have my nct tomorrow on a second hand honda civic I bought recently. Had to get few things done to it but just checked the oil there and its totally empty.

No warning lights came on to warn me and as only have car a while didn't get it checked..

Can i buy oil myself to fill it up or is it a job for a mechanic?
Really panicking that such silly mistake will cause me to fail nct..


TIA
suzie

eringobragh

i'd be worried about your car failing before the NCT!!!

Oil is the lifeline of a car you could top it up but at this stage you'd be better off get it flushed and changing the filter what level is it on the dipstick. Did you buy the car privatly?? Did you buy a car without checking the oil??

Slidey

first, are you sure there is no oil in the car??
If it is at the bottom mark a half litre should get it well up, dont over fill it! Put a bit iin at a time. So long as you get oil to suit a petrol engine it wont matter. Most petrol stations will sell you a can

Slidey

eringobragh wrote: »

i'd be worried about your car failing before the NCT!!!

Oil is the lifeline of a car you could top it up but at this stage you'd be better off get it flushed and changing the filter what level is it on the dipstick. Did you buy the car privatly?? Did you buy a car without checking the oil??

Why would you need to get it flushed???
Honda engines are normally bulletproof but because of their high revving they tend to burn a wee drop of oil. Nothing to panic about and certainly no reason to get it flushed

suzieb

eringobragh wrote: »

i'd be worried about your car failing before the NCT!!!

Oil is the lifeline of a car you could top it up but at this stage you'd be better off get it flushed and changing the filter what level is it on the dipstick. Did you buy the car privatly?? Did you buy a car without checking the oil??

I know its so stupid of me but i evidently dont have a clue bout cars.
Bought the car cheaply from a "friend" as my last car went on fire and needed something cheap quickly cos insurance didnt cover fire?!

On the dipstick its silver,no oil at all showing up. Dont know how the car has been moving and its actually being moving great

mike65

Is the oil leaking? oil on the drive/pavement/road? If not then its either been badly neglected or its been used in the engine (smokey smelly exhaust). Anyway for tomorrow just head to a garage of any description and throw yourself at thier mercy with a 4 litre pack of multigrade oil, they'll do the necessary.

Whether your car gets through is another matter but you won't know if you don't get some oil in the engine.

Mike.

Slidey

as i said they really are bulletproof but that wont help. Put a litre into it, and see if it needs more after that. Oil light will only come on after the oil pressure drops bellow 7psi, which is normally too late

suzieb

Defo no oil leaking as no marks in my parking space at my house.
Possibly can sometimes get smell from the exhaust but actually got part changed tonight in fast fit called the central box i think as they said it was wrecked and car would fail on the emissions.

Yeah i reckon the car was neglected by last owner so its prob in my best interest if i just try get rid of it and buy a new one as i cant afford to put anymore money into it.So car loan looking likely.

eringobragh

slideways wrote: »

Why would you need to get it flushed???
Honda engines are normally bulletproof but because of their high revving they tend to burn a wee drop of oil. Nothing to panic about and certainly no reason to get it flushed

There bullet proof alright, but if its empty/low you may as well drain it and change the filter rather then throwing good oil on top of potentially bad oil.Its not going to take a whole lot longer to do it right. Do it once do it right.

Slidey

A little bit of burning oil is not a big deal, so long as you dont see a puff of blue smoke everytime you bury the foot its not really a prob...
Send it in for the test and see how it gets on, neg thoughts are a no no!
Hondas jap engineering will shine through!

suzieb

Hey thanks for all the advice.
I'll get some oil in the morning and top it up slowly and hopefully it will help.
Am going to do a motor maintenance course after this!

Fingers crossed for me!
Thanks

Slidey

Best of luck 2mrw, make sure the rear belts are not under the seats, ie they cab be checked and that all your lights are working, no point failing on a headlight bulb.
Bon chance and do file a report!!

eringobragh

i'd say depending on your model the oil tank should be 3 - 3.5 lites i'd start by putting a litre to a litre and a half in and start the car and let it run for a few then check the dipstick by wiping the dipstick re-inserting it and check it again

the dipstick when its at the min level there's about a litre difference between that and the max.

Whatever you do don't overfill it.

Biro

suzieb wrote: »

Defo no oil leaking as no marks in my parking space at my house.
Possibly can sometimes get smell from the exhaust but actually got part changed tonight in fast fit called the central box i think as they said it was wrecked and car would fail on the emissions.

Yeah i reckon the car was neglected by last owner so its prob in my best interest if i just try get rid of it and buy a new one as i cant afford to put anymore money into it.So car loan looking likely.

Hang on, you're saying you can't afford to put money into a car, but you can afford to buy a new one and get a car loan? That makes no sense.
Anyway, Civic's typically burn no oil at all. I had one for 3 years and 65k miles, and it never burned a drop. But that's beside the point. Previous owner obviously neglected it, and it's overdue a service (esp oil change) by 20,000 miles or more. They need a kick in the privates for that, and don't deserve a car.
However, what you need to do is buy a bottle of 10W 40 semi-synthetic oil for now, top your car up, as in pour in about half a litre, check the dip stick, and so on until you see it appearing on the dipstick, then pour some more in until it's reached the top of the marked section. Then put it through the NCT. Then afterwards get it serviced fully, as in oil change, air and oil filter, and spark plugs. Keep an eye on the oil level for a few weeks after that to make sure it's not burning any more oil.
Also, check tyre pressure and condition. Anyone who neglected a Honda to the point where it's burning oil neglected everything and doesn't deserve a car.

JHMEG

If you are dipping the oil immediately after running the car it's not unusual for no oil to show on the dipstick. Let the car rest (engine off) for 20 mins before dipping to let the oil settle.

(This sounds like a D-block engine) What model is it?

Topping up is no problem. Use a name brand 10w40 semi synthetic oil. Be careful not to overfill. (Put in a bit, wait a few minds, dip, repeat if necessary)

Not unsual for Civics to burn a bit of oil, esp as time goes on. Not unusual for them to burn no oil either.

suzieb

Hey thanks to everyone for their advice. Car failed on emissions so think it needs cat convertor according to mechanic friend.
I went to consort today and they topped it up with oil for me,it wasnt as low as i first thought.

Biro I mean I cant afford to pay out hundreds of euro in one go to get car fixed and with an older car(97) its more likely that it will need repairs often(esp after prev owner neglecting it)
So the difference with a loan would be that I could get a small enough loan over few years and wouldnt notice it coming out of my account due to pay rise.
Am sure a lot of people are in the same position due to mortgages etc!

Anyway thanks to all for their help,needless to say i will always look after my car.
suzie

eringobragh

if its the CAT read this thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055237390

It'll save you a few bob.

suzieb

Hey thanks for that eringobragh,

Mite look into that if my friend cant get the part.
I was quoted €450-€500 in a carburettor place on nottingham st dublin and €280 for part in fast fit but my friend says he can get me a good second hand one for about €100. He works at doing cars up and know he knows his stuff so think ill chance that option.

Dades

I had an Audi 80 that failed the NCT due to emissions, and my mechanic told me I needed a new carburettor to get it sorted.

I bought a bottle of engine cleaner, put some in the tank and a few squirts in the carb itself, and it passed the re-test - AND the one two years later no problems!

Slidey

JHMEG wrote: »

Let the car rest (engine off) for 20 mins before dipping to let the oil settle.

Your not taking any chances... i think 1 min will have most of the oil in the sump!