Busy working 80 or so hours a week in the game industry and I guess I lost track of my oil level. The oil light flicked on briefly before turning off again as I drove home. I turned off the car, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, and checked the level. It was low. Added .5 qt, still low, added another .75qt and it was mostly full. Kept adding and emptied the bottle. Now I'm a hair ( just about one millimeter)above the top line. The manual said to take it to the F line.

First off, I want to know if that will cause any problems going a hair above the line.

Second, did I cause any problems having it low enough to warrant the oil light coming on?

Third, other than the two mistakes above, was the rest done correctly?

I just want to make sure and you guys have been great.

 

[ IMHO ]

High is always good. Not WAAAAY too high, but even a little above high is no problem. Only real drawback is that it can be spitted in the intake, but with a catch can the problem is solved.

Low is bad. Less pressure, some components may be starving for oil. Seeing the oil warning light a single time should be of no concern... always waiting for the light to come on before filling up will sooner or later kill the engine.

[ /IMHO]

 

1mm over the full line is a total non-issue.

A one-time flicker of the low oil light, not a big deal. But like MAO said, it's not something you want to make a habit of.

And yeah, you checked/filled the oil properly. (Presuming you were on a level surface.)

 

No. The oil light on an 8 indicates level, not (as Mao mistakenly said) pressure. If the pressure gauge (which is essentially an idiot light) did not flicker you're fine - you were not sucking air or losing oil pressure. There are actually people who never check the dipstick, but just wait until the light comes on. Not the best strategy, but not castastrophic.

What year is your 8? '06's can tolerate overfilling oil better than '04's or '05s - they changed the breather configuration. I concur with Wingznut that 1 mm over is not a problem for any of these. On my '06 filling oil to the top of the flat on the stick (which my dealer does on every change) does not cause problems.

Ken

 

I think MAO was just saying, in general, that low oil level can cause low oil pressure and oil starvation.

 

oil expands when heated. and I think the oil indicator on the dip stick means "HOT" oil level.

but honestly, even you fill it to the line when the engine is cold is not going to kill you.

 

Thanks guys. My 2004 RX-8 is purring fine.

 

How much oil would you need to add for it to kill you???

 

try not to overfill next time and keep your oil level above half mark. heavy corning can cause engine to suck air at low oil level.

 

Where is this intake for oil level too high? Those DA's at a quick lube place overfilled mine bout 1 quart then I noticed a leak. Seems to be passenger side of motor under coolant hoses...

 

its the rubber tube after your MAF tube. take the MAF out and use a flashlight see if you have oil inside that rubber tube.
if yours look like this, you need to clean it up and probably replace the airfilter, clean the MAF.