Low Oil?

[Perrfekt]

Hey guys, haven't gotten around to an introductory post yet, 2nd shift doesn't allow enough time to detail the car and take the pics with my wife's camera (much better than my potato phone) the way I want. So that will come soon!

Anyways, yesterday my wife cranked up the car to head out and I saw some blue smoke. I had her shut it off, checked the oil and it was 3/4 below the minimum line and bottom of the dipstick. Checked it 2 days before and it was a bit over half (oil change due end of this week anyways) so I didn't worry about it then. Now today I get ready to head to the store to go ahead and get the oil and change it today, check the oil, and it's back to just at/over half. I've read the head likes to pool oil but didn't know that much!

On to the question then! What is the actual SAFE minimum for the oil to be at? Is it just because it's a smaller engine it looks worse than it is? I would prefer to not blow things thing up as it's my baby. Just need to know when panic mode should kick in is all.

I'm also going to change valve seals within the next month and probably valve cover gasket as well.

 

[kms1990]

3.7 quarts is the spec for full fill, the upper and lower marks,just as with any dipstick represent about a quart of fluid and 2.7 quarts is about the minimum however i would not run the car that low long, just because i am a car guy and a repair nut and would fix the issue, plus its not great for the car to run low on oil.

 

[tweety2300]

Let the car sit about 15 minutes before checking the oil. It can appear to be 1/4-1/2 a quart low depending on the car. If it smokes when you start it up your valve seals are bad

Burning oil is normal for older cars. Especially when it burns oil from the factory due to being a ford made 4cylinder

 

[Perrfekt]

well soon as i saw the smoke i knew i was in for a seal change, also found the valve cover bolts were very loose, so tightened those this morning. on my jeep the oil never dipped so low on the stick right after shutting it off though. different cars different designs. i think if it's nice out this friday i'm going to give it a good wash and detail and get some pics up.

one thing i've found about this car though...... upgrades are spensive :/

 

[P-Funk!]

Let the car sit about 15 minutes before checking the oil. It can appear to be 1/4-1/2 a quart low depending on the car. If it smokes when you start it up your valve seals are bad

Burning oil is normal for older cars. Especially when it burns oil from the factory due to being a ford made 4cylinder

Nope. Made in Japan. Google it.

 

[hotcracker69]

how are you checking the oil? checking the oil right after the engine is off is inaccurate. you must let it settle. follow the owner manual for proper procedure.

 

[Perrfekt]

bought it a hair over a week ago. didn't have the owners manual with it which is normal with me being the fourth owner. felt that asking other owners is the safest thing to do.

 

[hotcracker69]

bought it a hair over a week ago. didn't have the owners manual with it which is normal with me being the fourth owner. felt that asking other owners is the safest thing to do.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/mazda-prote...017?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item2ed569e301

^ buy one. is good to have. this site might not always be around. it covers the maint intervals, fluids, minor maint.

I read mine no matter how much i think i know. it ony take about 20 min as you dont need to read every page

 

[tweety2300]

Nope. Made in Japan. Google it.

Fsde was made in the 90s for fords and mazdas and was designed by ford. My mazda 3 is a nice big fomoco stamp on it, and burns a quart in between oil changes with 48k miles and has done so since I got it with 19k on it

 

[P-Funk!]

"The FS is a 2.0L straight-4 cylinder foreign engine manufactured by Mazda. It has a cast iron engine block and an aluminum alloy cylinder head. The first F engine of this family by Mazda was introduced in 1983 as a 1.6L F6. Mazda produced four cylinder head designs within the F family, a diesel SOHC [single overhead camshaft] 8-valve, the gas SOHC 8-valve, gas SOHC 12-valve, and the gasoline DOHC [double overhead camshaft] 16-valve.
Since 1993 the FS motor has been installed in five different Mazda applications and one Ford application. The list includes Mazda 626 from [1993 to 2002], Mazda MX-6 [1993 1997]. Mazda MPV [1993-2001] JDM only, Mazda Capella [1999 to 2003], Mazda Protege [2001 to 2003] and Ford Probe [1993 to 1997].
JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market. To avoid confusion concerning exactly what the Japanese Domestic Market is and exactly what a JDM engine is, take a second to read this post on JDM engines.
A very solid engine, rated highly by Consumers Digest, contributed to Mazdas quest for small engine dominance and fuel efficiency. Only a couple of significant design changes were made to said engine.
The updated FS-DE [as it is called] engine enjoyed a few minor technical updates, such as:
-VICS (Variable Inertial Charge System) – A system that can vary the fuel and air mixture and volume of the intake manifold resulting in a broader power band.
-VTCS (Variable Tumble Control System) – A set of butterfly plates in the intake manifold that would close to promote low emissions combustion under cold start at low engine speeds.
-Windage Tray under the intake manifold to direct engine oil back to the oil sump."

AFAIK For the Mazda3/Ford Focus they collaborated on the engine.

Please cite where your info comes from. if I am wrong - I apologize.
Thanks!

 

[kms1990]

yes always wait 10 or more minutes before checking oil if you have been driving, the fsde 2.0 was a mazda built and designed motor and it does use a few ford parts but nothing internal engine and the p5 was built in japan so...

 

[katapaltes]

My P5 has never, ever burned oil, but I did loose a quart recently due to loose valve cover bolts as so many on this forum have experienced.

The dealership wanted to do a pressure test to find the oil leak(s), which I declined. I asked if they could simply do a visual check while changing the oil. They did and told me that, at a minimum, there was a leak at the valve cover gasket. This was true, but what they didn't mention was that it could simply be loose bolts, which they could have checked with their fingers in two seconds. You just know they've seen this many times before.

Anyway, they've taken care of me otherwise and my advisor even pointed out my dirty air filter the last time, suggesting I change it myself. She also mentioned that "All the mechanics here drive Protgs."


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[tweety2300]

"The FS is a 2.0L straight-4 cylinder foreign engine manufactured by Mazda. It has a cast iron engine block and an aluminum alloy cylinder head. The first F engine of this family by Mazda was introduced in 1983 as a 1.6L F6. Mazda produced four cylinder head designs within the F family, a diesel SOHC [single overhead camshaft] 8-valve, the gas SOHC 8-valve, gas SOHC 12-valve, and the gasoline DOHC [double overhead camshaft] 16-valve.
Since 1993 the FS motor has been installed in five different Mazda applications and one Ford application. The list includes Mazda 626 from [1993 to 2002], Mazda MX-6 [1993 1997]. Mazda MPV [1993-2001] JDM only, Mazda Capella [1999 to 2003], Mazda Protege [2001 to 2003] and Ford Probe [1993 to 1997].
JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market. To avoid confusion concerning exactly what the Japanese Domestic Market is and exactly what a JDM engine is, take a second to read this post on JDM engines.
A very solid engine, rated highly by Consumers Digest, contributed to Mazdas quest for small engine dominance and fuel efficiency. Only a couple of significant design changes were made to said engine.
The updated FS-DE [as it is called] engine enjoyed a few minor technical updates, such as:
-VICS (Variable Inertial Charge System) – A system that can vary the fuel and air mixture and volume of the intake manifold resulting in a broader power band.
-VTCS (Variable Tumble Control System) – A set of butterfly plates in the intake manifold that would close to promote low emissions combustion under cold start at low engine speeds.
-Windage Tray under the intake manifold to direct engine oil back to the oil sump."

AFAIK For the Mazda3/Ford Focus they collaborated on the engine.

Please cite where your info comes from. if I am wrong - I apologize.
Thanks!

There was a huge debate awhile back about it on this forum. Also I love the part about small engine dominance and fuel effeciency. Even the dodge neon made the same power and better fuel mileage, I won't even get started on comparing it to a Honda motor. Although I have a slight hate for the fsde so I am biased I guess

 

[Maroon]

I like how there are hundreds of other engine types out there that go 200,000 miles without burning oil, but Mazdas still do it off the flipping showroom floor! Damn it, it's not 1970. The science behind making an engine that doesn't burn oil is well developed. It's just another example of Mazda's ignorance in engineering. How many dumb things can the same people do in the face of thousands of examples of how to do it the right way?

And this engine's counterintuitive power vs mileage relationship probably has something to do with the moronic zoom-zoom campaign. I know, instead of giving the engine more power, we'll just put stupidly tall gear ratios in the transmission!! And that's probably why things like valve seals wear prematurely; they're being cycled more than they should be.

 

[kms1990]

I like how there are hundreds of other engine types out there that go 200,000 miles without burning oil, but Mazdas still do it off the flipping showroom floor! Damn it, it's not 1970. The science behind making an engine that doesn't burn oil is well developed. It's just another example of Mazda's ignorance in engineering. How many dumb things can the same people do in the face of thousands of examples of how to do it the right way?

And this engine's counterintuitive power vs mileage relationship probably has something to do with the moronic zoom-zoom campaign. I know, instead of giving the engine more power, we'll just put stupidly tall gear ratios in the transmission!! And that's probably why things like valve seals wear prematurely; they're being cycled more than they should be.

thats funny, my 2003 protege 5 does not burn a drop of oil and never has. it has been a very reliable car since my dad (who i bought it from) got it in 2004 never needs parts before they are supposed to wear out (eg the struts finally wore out at around 130,000 miles, the factory clutch just recently went out at 145,000 and it runs great) granted i am a big nissan fan as i have had several and all ran great and had few if any issues same as this p5. nissan and mazda are my top 2 picks when car buying time comes around.

 

[Maroon]

thats funny, my 2003 protege 5 does not burn a drop of oil and never has. it has been a very reliable car since my dad (who i bought it from) got it in 2004 never needs parts before they are supposed to wear out (eg the struts finally wore out at around 130,000 miles, the factory clutch just recently went out at 145,000 and it runs great) granted i am a big nissan fan as i have had several and all ran great and had few if any issues same as this p5. nissan and mazda are my top 2 picks when car buying time comes around.

Burning oil is very common with these engines, and if you venture into the Mazda3 forum, you'll see it mentioned on low mileage 3's as well. Mazda just doesn't care.

Because of the total disregard for doing things the right way - at least with this car - I will never touch another Mazda again.

 

[kms1990]

Burning oil is very common with these engines, and if you venture into the Mazda3 forum, you'll see it mentioned on low mileage 3's as well. Mazda just doesn't care.

Because of the total disregard for doing things the right way - at least with this car - I will never touch another Mazda again.

just like i will never touch another toyota because the one i had was a POS and had too many issues to list

 

[hotcracker69]

new car usually have break-in period. usually between 600 miles to 1000 miles. Many people that i know that i gotten a new cars never knew about a break in procedure. because they never read the the owner manual.

I think this is why some car eat oil and some dont.

even the new 2014 still has break- in period. as so many new cars. the geography of the USA might not help with the break in as we usually drive for constant speed of long time.
city driving is the best during break-in

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/musa2/pdf/smartguides/2014_MAZDA3_5DOOR_QT.pdf

page 6.


i think this break -in period might have something to do with all bunch of engine issue that people start to have. sure some is just failure from bad manufacturing or assembly.
but i think the break- in period were extremely important for vehicle in 1990-to early 2000s,

 

[P-Funk!]

Vs. my experience of 225K+ miles/no oil leaking or burning...

[shrug]

 

[tweety2300]

just like i will never touch another toyota because the one i had was a POS and had too many issues to list

My celica had 311k miles when I sold it and didn't burn half of what my mazda 3 does with 48k miles

I have a 323 gtx as well and it's a very solid car and lived 10 years of it's life seeing nothing but rally cross and still didn't burn as much oil as my mazda 3