I’ve been driving with very low oil level

About 500 miles ago I had my radiator and oil cooler removed so that the rad could be rebuilt. They also replaced an oil line as a precaution. All went well with no issue. 1995 456gt.
I have a trip coming up this week so I decided to check the oil level today. Hot oil, engine off. The dipstick was dry! I had to add 3 quarts of oil to get back to midway between the high/low marks.
The oil light goes out after the car is started so I know the light works, but there was no warning light on the dash. Oil pressure seemed fine since the repair and oil temp has also been fine. There is no oil on the garage floor.

I’m starting to think that they did not top up the oil after removing the oil cooler. The car runs fine and I’ve only done gentle local runs since the work.

Please help me to sleep soundly by telling me that it’ll be fine.

 

Thank you. Thank you.

 

I checked the oil immediately after stopping the engine.

I have just checked the invoice for the radiator repairs are they did not charge me for any oil at all. I think that they did not top up the oil lost during the works.

 

Thanks Eric. I assumed that they’d at least replace the lost oil!
Lesson to myself, always check fluid levels after someone else has worked on your car.

 

I changed the oil back in April this year. I checked the oil today and the dipstick was dry again!!

I checked the oil when the engine was hot. Engine off then check oil.

I added 3 quarts to get to minimum level. There are no oil leaks on the garage floor..no smoke from exhausts ever, even when accelerating hard. No oil in the coolant.

Could I lose 3 quarts of oil without noticing?

 

Oil pressure was good. Oil temp normal. No warning lights on.

 

The underside of the car is dry, with no oil dripping on the garage floor, not even a drop. And no smoke from the exhaust.

 

I won't be able to check the plugs until the weekend, but I drove the car to London last night which is about 140 miles. The car runs beautifully with no warning lights at all. I am guessing that fouled plugs would have made their presence known on a journey like this, with fast A roads, motorway and London traffic?

 

Thanks Timmo, I did not know that. I will pull a few plugs out at the weekend. I’m missing 3 litres of oil though, could this much oil be lost in this manner without any symptoms?

I’m beginning to think that I must have under filled the car when I did the oil change in April or May this year. Although I am usually so careful about this. I would have checked after the oil change a few times as well. Very strange.

 

I thought that a symptom of failing valve guides would be some smoke on a cold start after a week or 2 of sitting in the garage?

The emissions were also all ok at the last MOT check. Wouldn’t excessive oil in the exhaust show up in the emissions tests?

I just remembered. When I had a misfire due to a broken ignition lead this summer the Ferrari trained mechanic checked all 12 spark plugs and only found an issue to the plug with the broken ignition lead. Would failing valve guides show oil on the plugs?

Oh, and the car idles perfectly.

 

No rifledriver. No need to argue. I’m just asking polite questions. No need for sarcasm.

I have a long awaited trip to Italy in the car in 2 weeks so some might be able to understand why I am asking politely about symptoms. Forums like these are all about thoughtful and courteous discussions as far as I’m concerned. That how I intend to conduct myself on here.

Will this scupper my plans to take the Ferrari?

 

Thank you for your optimism Terry. I needed that.

I have another 150 mile drive home tomorrow. I will carefully fill the oil to the correct level and see what happens to the level after 150 miles. I am still amazed that there is no smoke on start up, but others know better than me. I will get leak down and compression tests done on Monday.

I’ve done about 2,500 miles since the oil change.

The car is ‘95 6speed with 60k miles. The last owner drove 55k of those miles. He was the chief engineer for a British F1 racing team.

 

I called the mechanic to book the car in for leak down and compression tests. He suggested that I run my finger inside of each of the exhaust tips to feel for any oily residue. He also suggested that there would be some smoke from a cold engine left overnight before the cats warm up.
I’ve just done this and all 4 were bone dry. I attach a photo.
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