dynamho

I can't believe it's so difficult to find a dashboard mounted oil level gauge in the aftermarket.

This would be awesome unless you actually like checking the oil level with a dipstick.

I'm not certain if this information can be inferred from oil pressure gauges or if it's the same thing.

½mv²

I'm pretty much a car-tard, so this is more of educated guess as to why they don't exist...


...your oil isn't like gas; it doesn't just sit there in the container. It's in a pressurized vessel constantly being pumped through areas with moving parts, and eventually into the motor and burned. You can't neccessarily weigh something that's always on the move, nor in a space that's pressurized (air pressure = weight on scale).
And if you ever do get too low, you'll lose some of that pressure, at which point your handy-dandy oil pressure guage will let you know.

In short: it wouldn't serve any real purpose...






at least... I think that's why...
Any gearheads here care to correct me?

dynamho

I can see that a continuous monitoring of oil level is technically difficult, but what about a check on demand oil level button? Press it when you want to check oil level. An indicator that has the same calibration as the dipstick can show where your level is.

Can't we just plug something in place of a dipstick that's wired to show the level in a dashboard gauge instead?

dynamho

If that is the case, then you're basically saying the oil dipstick doesn't serve any real purpose?


All I'm saying is... there's no reason to pop the bonnet to check fluids when the technology is there to monitor everything in the driver's seat, like brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid, and oil levels. The gauge position in the cockpit justifies itself as the frequency to check rises, as is the case with oil levels and rotary engined cars.

It's probably an economic issue why it hasn't hit the market.

gixxer2go

I think that this measurement needs to be read while the engine is off. You have lots of "cavitation" motion in the oil pan when the engine is on...well, perhaps not so much in our rotary world, but in the world of crankshafts, rods and pistons there's a lot to stir up the oil and give a variety of readings.

I like the idea though...seems like some highly paid engineer could figure that one out!

½mv²

no - you check the dipstick when the car is off and the oil is stable.

The "oil on demand" button would be something you could only check when the car was off anyways - there's a reason you have to wipe it clean first...

I'm not saying it isn't possible, it's just not practical.

You have to replace the dipstick with something electronic that operated whille the car was off. Functional electronics while the car isn't on is something carmakers steer clear of (dead bateries). Sticking something electronic into a flamable stubstance is also a big engineering no-no. And, unless you wanted to relay the information from the elctronic dipstick via wireless or bluetooth (not very reliable & would require the owner to replace batteries...), you'd have a wire attached to your dipstick... a LONG wire, too, so that you could still pull the dipstick out and check it manually. There's no place to tuck it either...

So, you'd have a long, lose, wire, just dangling by superheated moving engine parts, just waiting to get caught in a belt or something, which could rip your dipstick out, spraying oil all over the inside of the engine bay, OR cause a spark IN the oil pan....
....I'm not trying to be an ***, here - I just think there's a lot of overhead involved in creating/installing one of these that just isn't worth the trouble in the end.

I'm sure it's possible, and I'm sure some people could get some good use out of it, but if you're the kind of person that likes to check your oil levels so frequently that you're looking for a way to speed up the process, odds are you're probably already under the hood every other day anyways!

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

The omission of a real oil pressure gauge from the 8 was/is a serious one, IMO.


Adding a faux one, instead of just inserting an idiot light, only added insult to injury.

dynamho

I buy these reasonings.

½mv²

WTF?? SOMEONE AGREED WITH ME???
ON THE INTERNET?!?!?!?!




*waits for universe to collapse*


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...It's coming, just wait a sec...



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dynamho

Oh wait, I take that back about agreeing with carmakers steering clear off functional electronics while the car isn't on, but I can see your angle and I'm agreeing with that.

- waiting for universe to collapse...

8rotor8

iTrader: (2)

There is something like that already........



Low oil light!!! When it comes on, put more oil in.

Phantom Menace

There is a solution. Simpler that any on demand button or guage. It is found on all modern motorcycles. An oil sight glass. On the side of most motorcycles there is a sight glass that you can actually see the oil level, its condition (i.e. color), and see it flowing. You can tell when the oil is warmed up when it flows similarly to water. When the oil is cold it looks like syrup.

A sight glass somewhere on the engine would solve all these issues, you wouldn't even need to warm the engine to get an accurate reading. There are two marks on the glass, low and max. So long as its in the middle, your're fine.

Why Mazda didn't do this for a car that must be checked constatnly, I don't know.

redcivic

I had my bosses CL65 for the weekend and it checks the level and quality of the oil but the car has to be off. Oh, and it also does rowdy tail outs in my parking lot

Krankor

Well, me, I agree with the OP. I don't see any good reason they couldn't do one, and I for one would like to have one. The reason I believe that it shouldn't be so hard to do is simple: they already are able to do *idiot lights* for oil quantity. There's an idiot light in the 8 if your oil level is too low, and there's an idiot light on my motorcycle for if the oil quantity is too low. So there obviously is *some* relatively easy, relatively cheap way for the electronics to know the oil level. Even if it were something crude and non-continuous, just showing in, say, half-quart intervals. That's all you really need while driving anyway. For finer-detail info, I'd be content to have to check the dipstick.

Astral

The stock idiot light measures oil *presssure*, not level.

dynamho

I wonder what method of oil level measurement the CL65, that redcivic mentioned, uses. If it's patented by Mercedes-Benz, that could be a good reason why we're not seeing any in the aftermarket.

It seems even the CL500 has it. Here's an exerpt from specs (source - mbusa.com):

Multifunction display in speedometer face can be scrolled via steering-wheel controls to operate and display various menus and vehicle features: odometer and resettable trip meter, Maintenance System, tire pressure, engine oil-level check, and digital speedometer. Radio station, CD player/CD changer, Mobile phone book 1, Navigation system route guidance. Distronic adaptive cruise control settings,1 trip computer (elapsed time, fuel consumption, distance to empty), vehicle reminder and malfunction messages.Driver-programmable settings for instrument cluster, clock, lighting, vehicle and convenience features.

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

GM has oil level and oil quality electronic gauges in many of its vehicles.

Most Buicks, Cadillacs and Pontiacs have it.

dynamho

There you have it. Now I really can't see why we can't get one in the aftermarket. We probably check our oil levels far more frequently than piston-engined car owners.

redcivic

Yeah, my boss also has an 05' S55 that has it as well. His daily driver is a 00' S500 and it has an early version that just gives you oil life remaining. I'll have to check his QX56 and see what Infinity offers. I know it also has a bunch of options under maintanance. I drove a Ford Taurus rental while my engine was being replaced and was impressed that it told you both how many miles you had left in a tank of gas and real time gas mileage. I drove it well below empty and judging by the amount of gas it took upon fill up it was pretty damn accurate. the car was a piece of **** but that aspect would be greatly appreciated in my RX8.

Oh, and I do remember my bosses old hummer (biggest waste of money ever) had something like this as well but I thought it was just MPG and oil quality remaining like his S500. the reason I know so much is that I volunteer my self for any trips to the benz dealer so I can get soem seat time. I once had the CL65 for a whole weekend.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

They could of at least placed the dipstick in a better to reach spot - what were they thinking?

Razz1

All you need is a good pressure gage.

Mine moves a 1/4" when it's low 1 quart.

juanjux

My ex-Fiat Stilo JTD had it. When you move the key to the "on" positition, on the display a series of dots (from, 0 to 6, which indicated full level) show you the oil level, just before the engine starts. I don't know why the RX-8 doesn't have something similar.