Thread: Checking oil level

Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

...then there "must be" (IMO) a live level system operating.

I can tell you from personal experience from just a few weeks ago that while driving our MY15 TDV6, a warning light came on (red triangle) with the words "Critically Low Oil" below it. I stopped, switched the engine off, waited about 5 minutes, started again and no message. However about 10 minutes later it came on again.

Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

IMO the oil system on the D4 3 litre can be explained (and I am a fan of dip sticks):

- Wait until the add oil warning comes on
- Use the oil level / level ground / hot oil system to work out how much oil to add.

It's concerning that evidently over topping oil into the diesel motor can damage the motor.

Good news is that the 3 litre doesn't seem to use much oil.
Bad news is that may not mean much, because distillate leaks into the lubrication oil (this happens to all diesels). This is more of an issue when LR change oils at long intervals (26k KM for non towing or non harsh driving). Which is why Toyota change oil in diesels more often.

Do LR test the oil for dilution when they change the oil?

I do wonder too what defines harsh driving - for instance, is Darwin classified as harsh, or Alice Springs in the summer time?

Toyota change oils in diesels more often because they are DIRTY engines,they turn sump oil black,and if you dont change it often it will set in the sump.All older jap engines are the same,having owned a diesel triton and worked with the 4.2 toyota,4.2 nissan,3.0lt Rodeo,2.8lt and 3.0lt Hilux.If you dont change the oils in these,and the reccomendation is 5000km the soot in the oil glazes the bores.One then needs to use a de-carbonising product to stop them using oil and regain lost output.
My D2 had been on synthetic oil since new,20000km service intervals,sold it at 290000ks.The oil may have looked discoloured on the dipstick,however it was never dirty enough to stain your fingers,try that with a dirty diesel.
Our engines are built to eurospec rules,the others arent.
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Toyota change oils in diesels more often because they are DIRTY engines,they turn sump oil black,and if you dont change it often it will set in the sump.....

My D2 had been on synthetic oil since new,20000km service intervals,sold it at 290000ks.The oil may have looked discoloured on the dipstick,however it was never dirty enough to stain your fingers,try that with a dirty diesel.
Our engines are built to eurospec rules,the others arent.
Andrew

Firstly, I don't know how dirty my oil is in my D4. Because it doesn't have a dip stick. Maybe the oil filler area would show me the oil - I should have a look I guess.

Secondly, while the motors you've mentioned are dirty, they are not common rail diesels. The Toyota D4D engine oils get contaminated very quickly, because of the EGR setup (exhaust gas recirculation). The EGR setup was done I understand, to satisfy Euro Nox standards - some say though that Nox is converted in the catalysers anyway. Such contaminants going back into the inlet some say also cause engine wear. A common cure is to put a blocking plate into the EGR, with a 6 or 7mm hole in the middle of the plate. This restricts flow, yet avoids error lights occuring. Some experts say that the much lower amount of crankcase air and particles that gets through to the inlet can be handled by the engine without worries. While the oil of a D4D is sooty and black at 1,000km, some experts claim that a D4D motor with an EGR restrictor plate will result in lubrication oil that will be clean at even 13,000km. But all D4D owners I think do change oil by 10k, and many stick to 5k. Because its a safe practice, and the oil is cheap. Unlike the very strict oil that LR specifies, which is also costly. An oil and filter change on a Prado or Hilux D4D costs $60, if you do it yourself. Its cheap to do and hence most regard it as sensible.

I am not sure if the EGR blocks things in the Dagenham 3 litre diesel motors. Or if there is a way around the issue of crankcase goo in a Disco common rail diesel. Because I tow at times, I am changing the oil at 13,000km intervals. I suppose I should test the oil, perhaps I am wasting money. But many think its cheap insurance.

I find the in dash system temperamental as well. There should be a dipstick supplied for quick check when doing long haul trips. They have effrontery to put sign on fuel cap that oil is to be checked every 1000km, then have a system that only seems to work under very strict conditions. Not once after fueling, going in to pay, then returning to car, did oil level check work during two return trips Sunshine Coast to Melbourne. Sometimes, only after say lunch, it did. I reckon pretty useless really as gauge for owners to verify that oil level is ok. There should be a dipstick for quick verification. This on a car that was at time blowing oil smoke so you want to keep an eye on it.

Even if you checked with a dip stick you would be required to wait for the proper conditions to get an accurate level. The D4 system just does this for you. However, with a dip stick it is possible to do a quick check to estimate the level near enough, even though it doesn't comply with the specified conditions.


My BMW motorcycle is even worse, although it has a dip stick. You must check it with the engine hot after at least 30 minutes of riding and after idling for 60 seconds after the fan comes on. You then have to wait a set time for the oil to settle before checking it. If you don't, the oil doesn't touch the dip stick, which is very short and only measures a small amount of oil loss. It also does a self check but while riding to work, this check says it's unavailable until I stop at traffic lights for a long time after riding for at least 20 minutes. I think it is the modern way, unfortunately.

Understood it is "modern" way however sometimes the technology hasn't yet caught up with the idea. My bet is in years to come these systems will be far better. Unfortunately for manufacturer to go "backwards" and fit say a dipstick means admitting that perhaps the system wasn't flawless. Which they never seem to do

Originally Posted by Meccles

Understood it is "modern" way however sometimes the technology hasn't yet caught up with the idea. My bet is in years to come these systems will be far better. Unfortunately for manufacturer to go "backwards" and fit say a dipstick means admitting that perhaps the system wasn't flawless. Which they never seem to do

Exactly,once again technology for technology's sake.

With no real advantage for many.

As I have said,dipstick and level switch,which many vehicles have,no issues at all.