Hi,
The shop put in 5 quarts of oil during the last oil change. I am unable to check using the dipstick whether this much oil is appropriate or not. Does anyone know how much oil a 4-cyl accord will need? Can excess oil harm the engine?
The other thing is that the check engine light was on. Before I could get it checked out, a friend managed to turn it off. Do you think I can still get the problem checked out using an autoscanner?
Thanks.
Open your owner’s manual. What does it say about oil capacity?
Why can’t you use the dipstick? A lot of excess oil could be bad but 5 quarts isn’t too much to cause trouble.
The codes were lost when your friend reset the light…Why can’t read the oil level on the dip-stick??
Can excess oil harm the engine? Yes, but a little over will not. Why can’t you use the dipstick?? Frankly the dipstick is a critical part of any car.
Keep your friend away from your car. CELs should not be just turned off, you want to know what the problem code is. It should be in the form [P1234]
I agree with all of the previous posts.
First, I would appreciate it if the OP could explain why he/she can’t use the dipstick to check the level of the oil.
I find that statement to be very curious, to say the least.
As others stated, the answer to the question of this mystery-vintage Accord’s oil capacity can be found in the Owner’s Manual. If you do not have a manual, you need to obtain one (e-bay is a cheap source) and you need to read it.
And, as Mr. Meehan implied, your friend did you no favors by turning off the check engine light.
If your friend was a radiologist, would he “touch-up” someone’s X-rays in order to conceal the presence of a lung tumor? In effect, that is what he did by erasing your trouble codes without first determining what the codes were.
If/when the problem(s) that resulted in the glowing CEL return, the CEL will once again start to light up. At that point, the OP should drive to an auto parts retailer in order to get the stored codes read. Then, the codes can be posted in this forum for more specific help.
The OP’s “problems” can probably be resolved easily if he/she will just be more proactive.
Thanks, everyone for the input.
According to the owner’s manual, the engine capacity is 4.5 quarts. So, 5 quarts of oil is okay. Now, the problem I am having with the dipstick is that after I pull out the cleaned dipstick, there is oil way over the top level mark. I think I am getting a clean push-in or pull-out, which is making the measurement difficult.
I will keep my fingers crossed that there was nothing serious about the CEL. If it come on again, I will bring it to be checked out.
Thanks.
First thing in the morning before you turn on the engine check the dip stick. All the oil should have settled so you should get a true reading.