Low Oil Level Warning

[DKZ5745]

Ok, so, the dreaded warning has finally got me. I'm sure there has been something relating to this previously on here but haven't managed to find it yet.

Got the message on startup this morning, went off after @ 30 seconds. Checked the oil level, and as usual could see f<[# all on the dipstick. Had to go out anyway, and had no oil to hand anyway.

Bought some oil while out and put @ 2 litres in on return. Managed to see (maybe) an oil level on the dipstick, and pretty sure it was at least to the top mark, probably over, but who knows.......

Tried the car again, several times, each time, low oil level warning on startup, but disappeared after a few seconds.

The car is in warranty anyway, but obviously if it was just low on oil I would look stupid to take it in to the dealer for that, so wanted to try to make sure there wasn't actually a problem before approaching them.

Also of course didn't want to drive round if it actually needed oil. But I'm pretty sure there is at least enough oil in there, so it looks like a call to the stealership tomorrow & get it booked in for a check.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure others on here have had this, so how did you get on? Repaired under warranty? Just a sensor fault?

(I must admit, I was driving it VERY hard yesterday, and the needle did spend an awful lot of the time near the wrong end of the red zone, but then, if you can't drive it like that occasionally, what's the point?)

 

[RCZ1]

When I've had this message I find it takes a while for the message to disappear, after topping up with oil. You may find tomorrow that you don't see the message again....... Or it could be you have a dodgy sensor. In which case they fit a fake sensor which means you have to manually check the already hard to read dipstick.

 

[Anonymous]

Using papertowel can help, even better if the oil is a bit darker. When checking again, the mark should be where's glossy. Quite trick but never had bigger problems checking.
As mentioned before, the warning take some time to disapear.
One advice is keep checking the level, as I don't really trust the sensors and in my RCZ the oil level drop quite fast, considering other cars I've drove before, nothing alarming, but it's something I check every 2 weeks.

 

[renegade79]

Ok, so, the dreaded warning has finally got me. I'm sure there has been something relating to this previously on here but haven't managed to find it yet.

Got the message on startup this morning, went off after @ 30 seconds. Checked the oil level, and as usual could see f<[# all on the dipstick. Had to go out anyway, and had no oil to hand anyway.

Bought some oil while out and put @ 2 litres in on return. Managed to see (maybe) an oil level on the dipstick, and pretty sure it was at least to the top mark, probably over, but who knows.......

Tried the car again, several times, each time, low oil level warning on startup, but disappeared after a few seconds.

The car is in warranty anyway, but obviously if it was just low on oil I would look stupid to take it in to the dealer for that, so wanted to try to make sure there wasn't actually a problem before approaching them.

Also of course didn't want to drive round if it actually needed oil. But I'm pretty sure there is at least enough oil in there, so it looks like a call to the stealership tomorrow & get it booked in for a check.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure others on here have had this, so how did you get on? Repaired under warranty? Just a sensor fault?

(I must admit, I was driving it VERY hard yesterday, and the needle did spend an awful lot of the time near the wrong end of the red zone, but then, if you can't drive it like that occasionally, what's the point?)

make sure and check the driveway in the morning aswell for signs of oil..

 

[DKZ5745]

Cheers guys, yes, my Father-in-law used to be head mechanic for a Vauxhall dealership some years ago, and he said, does your car have a lot of smoke coming from the exhaust - no. Does your car leave oil on the ground - no. So your car shouldn't be low on oil. (vastly simplified but kind of generally true).

I did use a roll of white paper to check the dipstick, as the oil appears to be a similar colour to the actual dipstick. But it appears that oil is smeared all over the dipstick when you re-insert it, as every time I wiped it, I seemed to get oil from all over it.

I had considered using a long piece of plastic, the same length as the dipstick, and sticking it into the dipstick hole and checking that, but the block was far too warm earlier, so I might need to try again tomorrow once everything is nice and cool.

I might run it tomorrow & see what happens. Not too keen on the fake sensor option, might have a few things to say about that under warranty, so hopefully the sensor is just taking a while to re-set itself. If the warnings continue though, I will be going to see my "friendly" Pug dealership & asking them to sort it, or at least get someone with x-Ray vision to check the dipstick.

 

[Anonymous]

If the engine is/still warm, would be harder to check the level. Try in the morning.
Last MOT, about a month ago they've (Pug Dealer) reported oil leak. Never notice anything before. Still, time to time the oil was a bit down and them top up between the changes. I like to change every 6 months, or a bit longer. Usually 6-8k miles. Just today I was able to notice the oil marks in the engine bay, in front of the engine block, more precisely over the tubes next to the filter. Isn't a lot but I'll book in to sort it and other little things.

 

[DRTDVL]

If you have added oil take it to pug and get them to check it. You do not want extra oil in the engine!

 

[DKZ5745]

Yeah, my thoughts too, was thinking about it in bed last night & thougt it was worth a drive through. Explaining & just getting them to check the oil level. If they can't see where it's at there's something wrong :eusa-think:

 

[DRTDVL]

We managed to get an extra 4.5 ltrs into is due to that bullshit dipstick and the sensor fault!

 

[DKZ5745]

So, haven't had chance to go to the Pug money Pit, but, more importantly, as RCZ1 said, time is a great healer.
So far today, NO warning messages. This just leaves the concern that I may have added more oil than necessary due to the absolutely marvellous dipstick supplied by those wonderful people at Peugeot.

I added @ 2 litres of oil, which I know is no help whatsoever, as I don't know what level I was starting from.

Maybe those of you who are more knowledgeable than I am in all things RCZ will know, if the oil level reaches the point where it instigates warning messages, how much oil would be required to get it back to the full mark on the dipstick, if in fact you could see where the oil level was on the dipstick?

Having added @ 2 litres , and still having no clues from the dipstick, am I likely to do any damage driving round in it?

I may try calling the stealership if I get chance and ask the service manager if he has any more idea about the Prince Engine than I do. I suspect not actually.

 

[tianorth]

The only other way to confirm oil quantity is to drain the oil and then measure it and put it back in the engine.

 

[renegade79]

you're in a bit of a quandary mate! a trip to the dealer looks evident... :eusa-whistle:

 

[2retro]

Brace your wallet for impact!

 

[DKZ5745]

It's already crouched with its little press stud arm over its head :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

I had exactly the same issue. Topped it up twice over several months and then worried about it! I believe it is 1L from the low mark to the max mark... (Will see if I can find that written down for you).

I took mine in under warranty to Fish Bros Swindon look at that and several other potential issues before the warranty expired. They thought they had discovered a leak but on further investigation found there apparently wasn't one!? (however they copperslipped my front and rear brake for free, vs £70 they were going to charge me, so I'm not complaining). However I got them to change the oil as it was due it's 3 yr service at the same time and then I knew it would be exactly right. They then said to monitor it, as the issue has been recorded they can now assess the consumption rate as they know when it was serviced and the mileage - if it turns out to be excessive they will still do it under warranty for me (have purchased extended warranty anyway, in cases of dreaded temp sensor fault).

While I was there I had a good chat with the Service Manager and his comment was that if it is used for shorter journeys (like mine is) vs long motorway commutes it is going to use more oil (due to the type of engine it is) - oil consumption on this engine is well documented if you search vs RCZ/Citroen DS/Mini Cooper S (just search for "Prince engine oil consumption" on google!). Mine is not leaving puddles, or smoking, however it is still possible for the engine to use some oil from cold without it being a dud, I guess it all depends on the clearances etc as some people seem to need to top up, others don't between services... From reading around/asking Pug dealer 1L/1000 miles seems to be the maximum allowable before the dealer will start investigating other options.

As yours is under warranty I'd defo report it so it is on file, get them to check the level, record the mileage and then drive it until it shows up again, that way you've got a quantifiable consumption rate... I'm going to carry a 1L bottle in the boot, just in case I get the top-up message when away from home, obviously I check the dipstick too but as most people have already commented, it's pretty tough to tell what the level is, unless the oil is fairly dirty - I like the paper towel/kitchen roll suggestion though!...

More threads on it here:

http://peugeotrczforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9175
http://peugeotrczforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8432
viewtopic.php?f=43&t=9279

 

[DKZ5745]

In a Eureka moment, in bright sunlight, the first we've had since this problem reared its ugly head, I have managed to see an oil level on my dipstick for the very first time :dance:

Unfortunately, it does confirm as I thought, I have overfilled, although, not by a great deal.

Does anyone have the technical knowledge to know if this amount is likely to cause a problem?

The green line shows where the level is :eusa-think:

 

[renegade79]

Doesn't look to be too far over the max limit. You might be ok!

 

[Anonymous]

I think should be fine. I would use some vacumm oil extraction mechanism so you can solve the problem now.

https://teon.co/cars/peugeot-rcz-petrol ... extraction

I'm using one, and it's really easy. For some models you may need thinner tubes, but once you get the one you need, doesn't takes more than 10 minutes for an oil change. Price wise, it was quite cheap.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5l-or-4l-Oi ... 1e7a902860

 

[DKZ5745]

Good call on the oil extractor marinipersonal, might give that a whirl, so long as I don't take too much out, get a low oil warning message & we can start this thread all over again :wtf:

 

[Anonymous]

Just onw advice: if you're going for the extractor, the one I've mentioned, the tubbing is too thick.
I've got from ebay,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_nkw ... 2749.l2658

6mm OD and 4mm ID. Just keep the engine on for few minutes, then (obviously off, hahahaha) and you're ready to go.
As you need to extract just a bit, no big deal, as you can stop and check every time you need.
When you go for an oil change, if you decide to do so, them when the pump stop "sucking" the oil, you may move the tubbing up and down a bit to make sure you reached the bottom. The only problem to perform an oil change, in my case, was the fact that I had to order an torx to remove the filter, but in the link provided before, they explain the "how to".