So I brought it in to jiffy lube cause since I'm dropped now, its about the only place around me with an open floor, anyway... so I went in for my oil change at 2,975 miles, so the guy comes in and tells me that their no oil on the dip stick, but I'm not low on oil, then he says all Eclipses that we service are like that... is this true, or is he full of shit? Is there something wrong with my car, I tried switching to synthetic and that didn't even last me 2500 miles, does it have something to do with my commute to school which is like 80 minutes round trip daily? or is it something else? Thanks for the help guys.

the guy is just stupid, if the dipstick doesn't have oil on it your in trouble. thats the whole reason for them- so you know if your low on oil.

He's an idiot. He works at jiffy lube. if there is no oil on your dipstick, you're pretty damned low on oil (like 2.5qts down!).

hmmm, thats odd.


Anyway, I don't think the long commute is a problem. It would be worse if it were an extremely short commute, like 5 minutes or less one way. Then you would want to change your oil pretty often.

I'm not positive, someone correct me if I am wrong, but a long commute such as his shouldn't be a problem

There is an easy way to check. Since they changed your oil and they (at least I hope they did) added the 4.5 quarts total the engine is supposed to have, check the dip stick and see where the oil level is on it. If the dip stick has oil on it, then you were low. If after filling to the proper amount there is no oil on the dip stick then your dip stick is somehow messed up.

Although I would guess the guy working there doesn't know what he is talking about.

Wait... When I went to get an oil change, I was so low on oil that there was no oil on the dipstick, but after getting on there's oil now, question was what cause me to run so low on oil because this not the first time that this has happened. Thanks

uhhh...keep an eye on that oil...You should never run your car low on oil...And you shouldnt be losing that much oil during every oil change. I loose about 1/2 a quart every 3000 miles.

you could have a leak somewhere, but our cars do burn some oil, its quite common, but if your that low after only 3000 miles youve got a leak somewhere, do you see oil on the ground anywhere

Nope, no oil anywhere, I've gotten the car checked out even at the dealership where I got it from and there's no leak, so they told me that my oil system needed to be flushed, so they did that and still, so then they told me that eclipse just burn alot of oil?? This is why I want an iol pressure guage so I dont have to pop the hood all the time I can just see it from the comfort of my seat, is that a good thing for me to do? I know nothing compares to just checking the dipstick, but would a guage be a better saffeguard? Thanks

i'm not sure about this but you said:

<Is there something wrong with my car, I tried switching to synthetic and that didn't even last me 2500 miles>

when switching from reg-syn-reg doesn't the additives in one break down the other? wouldn't the breaking down of the oil and additives along with what you loose from the PCV system cause the loss of oil?

i dont know the anwser but the same thing happened to me, they told me there was no oil in the oil pan, he said synthetic burns faster, so i'm back on 10w40, i dont need to run low and blow my engine

short trips= change your oil more often
longer trips 5-10miles min all the time= normal oil change



Michael 99gs
HRC Stage 2
Stage 3 process begins gathering parts for rebuild

http://www.dreamwater.net/purplebeast

Well, an oil pressure gauge is a valuable gauge to have on any car with a 420a. This motor is known to spin rod bearings if it runs low on oil. Keep in mind, though, that this gauge will only measure the pressure of the oil, not the volume, so you should alwys be checking the dipstick. I like to do it before I go for a drive (but then again, I have lost 2 motors to spun rod bearings).
Synthetic oil won't break any additives down or do anything mystical, but on an older engine that has seen conventional oil, deposits are left in all of the seals, such as the valve stem seals, that are cleaned off by the synthetic oil. This is why oil consumption can become problematic after switching from conventional to synthetic. Synthetic, however, is that much cleaner and less likely to leave a deposit. Whatever you choose will be alright, but I like the warm fuzzy feeling that synthetic gives me. :D Just remember 2 things though... check your oil level often, and get an oil pressure gauge.
Don't rely on the oil pressure gauge to tell you everything that is going on in your engine, though. Use the dipstick. It would be like using a fuel pressure gauge and not checking your fuel level. The car will work perfectly fine until there is no more fuel. Same goes for oil. If you starve the pickup and your oil pressure plummets, you have already more then likely spun a bearing, at the very least.
-=B-=

well that's one reason I don't let anyone change my oil I do it myself and take the old stuff to pick n pull.

If there wasn't oil on your dipstick your out of oil, you'll be low like a quart. Was this after or b4 the oil change? It's normal for the oil level to go down after a couple miles of driving also, cuz it's gotta circulate through the filter and other stuff. Bwaahhaa since I have a oil cooler I gotta put an extra quart in there.

just pop ur hood and check ur dipstick for oil. get in to the habit to do it at least twice a week. thats from personal experience though, i do alot of short trips.

Our cars do have a problem with oil seeping from the valve cover and into the spark plugs. You can check by looking at your spark plugs most of the time it the last one on the left number 1. But check they all.
You might want to check this out.
http://www.2gnt.com/www/corbin/vc.html

if your car is burning oil, your probably gonna get blue or black smoke.The most likely culprit is a leaking headgasket.My car is doing this right now and i loose a quart of oil every 1000 miles.It doesn't leave spots in my driveway (not sure where it goes) but it is a very commom thing for 420a eclipses once they get some miles on them.have it checked out.

If it's a leaking HG then it's going into your coolant. You need to look in your coolant resivoir (sp?) You'll prolly have alot of oil in there. Oil in the coolant breaks down the coolant's cooling abilities. You need to check that quickly.
Also if you have no oil in your pan something is really wrong... your engine should be dead.