Ok i've been changing the oil on my car ever since I've had it but a question just popped in my mind. In the Helms it says "run the car for more than three minutes and check for leaks and oil level".

Well after letting the car sit overnight, I drained the oil and replaced it.
I filled it up to top hole on my dip stick,
Started the car for about 3 mins and rechecked the oil level.

Now the oil is at the bottom hole. Is this normal since the oil is now circulating in the engine? Or am i supposed to fill it up to the top hole again.

 

It's normal. that's why they have you start it and run it for 3 minutes. You can't tell the true oil level before you start the car - now you can top it off to the top mark if you like. As long as your level is within those 2 marks, it is acceptable.

I will usually top it off to the top line so that it's easy for me to check if I am losing oil due to burning, leaks, etc. The difference between the top and bottom mark is something like half a quart, on my car at least.

 

Wow are you sure? I'm not going to bust any seals or anything by "overfilling" it back up to the top level am I?

 

Yes, positive. It's only half a quart difference anyway between those 2 lines. When I fill my car (92 Integra LS) I put in 4 qts as the manual requests. Then I start the car, let it run, and shut it off. When I pull the dipstick it usually puts me a hair above the bottom line, so I tend to put another 1/3 qt in, which brings it a little bit below the top line. Then I have a good reference point when I check my oil.

BTW - My car has 146,000 miles on the original motor, no busted seals, no leaks, no burning.

 

There was no oil in the filter, so when you started the car the level went down. It tells you in your owners manual that the oil level should be no lower than the first dot, and no higher than the second dot.

 

Oh yeah, forgot about that possibility. I always put some of my oil into the filter before I put it back on, then put the rest into the crankcase.

 

changed my oil yesterday on ma 95 dc4 i think i used 10w40 is it aight??? or should i be worried now???

 

you can use 10w40, some people don't like to. If you actually look in the European honda manuals, they have an oil chart similar to the US manuals - but instead, it says you can use 5w30, 10w30, or 10w40 (or maybe even 15w40).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by purplegsr (Exospeed) &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can use 10w40, some people don't like to. If you actually look in the European honda manuals, they have an oil chart similar to the US manuals - but instead, it says you can use 5w30, 10w30, or 10w40 (or maybe even 15w40).</TD></TR></TABLE>

is there a big difference between 5w30 and 10w40????? besides price of course

 

5w-30 oil is an oil that acts as a 5 weight oil at cold temperature, but would only thin as much as a 30 weight oil at 100 degrees Celsius. So, a 10w-40 oil is an oil that is thicker when cold (5&lt;10), and would thin as much as a 40w oil when hot. So overall, the 10w-40 is a thicker oil than a 5w-30 or 10w-30. However, when comparing 5w30 to 10w30, the weight properties are about the same at 100 degrees, but the 10w-30 is thicker and more protective in cold temperatures.

This is why Honda suggests using 5w-30 oil in colder climates (areas that get below freezing temps), while 10w-30 is fine in warmer climates (always above 32 deg F). 10w-40 should also be fine in warmer temps, although you won't want to use it in Michigan during winter.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedymon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Now the oil is at the bottom hole. Is this normal since the oil is now circulating in the engine? Or am i supposed to fill it up to the top hole again. </TD></TR></TABLE>

after you ran the engine, how long did u wait before checking the oil again, you should wait a couple minutes with the engine off before checking it

 

Hmmm i didn't wait long at all. That's where the Helms left off. It said to let the car run more than 3 mins and then recheck. Didn't say how long or nothing. But thanks for the advice. I'll recheck the level in the morning.