is it ok to add motor oil between oil changes and how much oil can a 2010-2013 chevy equiox consume if i fill it up with 5 quarts?
Why do you think it has a dipstick and the owners manual says to check the oil level every fuel fillup ? And you just don’t put in a certain amount . You put in enough to have the oil at the full mark .
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Older cars can easily consume a quart of oil per 1,000 miles, although most of them don’t. That’s why you’re supposed to check the level frequently.
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Lacking info, I hope your post does not mean that you are discovering the motor oil level is not even touching the dipstick.
If so, that just makes a bad situation even worse as far as oil consumption. Even operating an engine a quart down is detrimental to the engine.
It’s common to have to add oil between changes. Check the dipstick once a week and top off if more than one half quart low. Better to error on the side of changing the oil and filter too often, than not often enough. An oil and filter change is the single best thing you can do for you car.
I respectfully disagree on this. Checking the oil level and topping it up to Full when needed is the best thing. Doing oil and filter changes on the carmaker’s recommended schedule is also worthwhile, but if this is delayed, it’s less of a problem than letting the oil level get low.
I have and had cars that use maybe no oil or 1/2 quart between oil changes. Sometimes I add a 1/2 quart and sometimes not depending on how close I am to change time. I had one car that used a quart every 500 miles and another that leaked a quart a week. I always added a quart of oil when they were down a quart.
You need to regularly monitor the oil level using the dipstick and never let it get more than one quart low. The one quart level is marked on the dipstick.
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I put a half a quart in yesterday after driving 1500 miles when the oil was last changed and the dipstick showed oil! The problem was that I don’t want to put too much oil in my engine!
That’s why you have a dipstick. Typically (but not always), the difference between the high mark on the dipstick and the low mark is going to be about a quart. Often times the amount needed to cover that distance on the dipstick will etched onto the dipstick itself. Simply use this as a guide as to how much to put it. When in doubt, put a 1/4-1/2 quart in and see what the level is on the dipstick after waiting a few minutes.
Hi,
I had a 2013 Equinox 2.4 4cyl for 9 years. A little after 20k miles it started using oil between changes. I checked the oil frequently and topped it off as needed. By 42k miles it was using a quart every 1500 miles and the engine was rebuilt under warranty. I traded it in at 106k miles, it was using at most about 1/2 qt between 5k oil changes at the time… To avoid overfilling the oil wait at least 2 hours after shutting off the engine to check the oil level. It takes a long time for the oil to drain down to the oil pan. I used to let it sit overnight before checking the oil.
The following thread may have some useful info for you.
Good luck,
Ed B.
The dip stick showed oil statement makes me think that you don’t have much experience maintaining vehicles. Do you not have anyone who does know in your family or circle of friends ? I wonder if you know how to check tire pressure , not letting your fuel level get to low or the reason for tire rotation . Your owners manual will give you a lot of guidance of what you should do.
Here’s what your owners manual says. You do have that, right?
Get a .pdf of the manual here:
00-Introduction_en_US 1…6 (gm.com)
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As mentioned above the dipstick usually indicates how low the oil is. Say you are 3/4 quart low. It can be hard to judge as you pour a full can of oil into the engine how much has gone in, and that can cause overfills. One method to avoid overfills is to first pour 1/4 of the one quart can into another container, then pour the remaining 3/4 qt into the engine.
It is essential to add oil between changes. The 4 cylinder engine is notorious for oil consumption. Keep an eye on it, fill it with the recommended oil - 5W30 I think and be sure it says demos on the can.
Sorry DEXOS - it is synthetic oil.