CANT GET F430 OIL ON DIPSTICK

Something should be showing on the dipstick with 10 1/2 quarts and the engine warm.
Did you get it to operating temperature by driving it?


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When you add oil, it drains down to the engine’s oil sump. The dip stick is in the oil sump. Since you added the recommended volume of oil, there are 2 possible reasons for your problem. The dip stick is not the correct one for your car (too short). The dip stick is not fully seated into the engine sump. I assume your car is on level ground.

 

When Ferrari states engine should be up to temperature they are speaking of oil temp. It is distinctly different than water temp.

It should be above 185 degrees on the oil temp gauge. It makes a very big difference because oil has so much thermal expansion.

I use an IR Thermometer and shine it down in the oil tank at the oil in the bottom.

 

You are checking the level with engine running I hope? Dry sump is different from normal cars in that way.

 

Is there oil visible in the oil reservoir where the dip stick screws into? Sometimes with a fresh oil change, the level is so transparent on the stick you actually have to do a double look and look for the gloss level on the stick and compare that against the non glossy dry stick. What oil pressure is registering on the panel? How much oil drained out vs replaced? 10.5 is Capacity as you state. No leaks? was the oil that drained contaminated with anything. Im wondering if it is possible to have an air lock in the filter for some reason that is blocking flow and causing a low reading? Very strange on a 3K mi car. Please post a follow-up on your findings.

 

google says 11.5l which is 12qts dry. Typical between lines is 1 qt so you are 10.5qts in and see nothing on the stick. That makes sense. I'd be adding more oil. Follow the WSM checking and capacity instructions.

 

Are you checking the oil while the car is running? As mentioned, it's a dry sump oil system, so not like checking the oil on your Toyota or Honda.

Page 99 in the owner's manual.

Ray

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It is always a surprise to me when we get a question like this and all the great answers helping and ZERO from the OP after that.
What happened? Did you find oil? Did you leave the drain plug out and now have a huge mess? Was it so clean it was hard to see on the stick?

Come on, the world wants to know.

 

I have always checked my oil in the scud, with the cap resting on the neck at the proper temp. Last week I was told by a ferrari tech at the dealership, when the car was in for the brake fluid cap recall, that the dip stick should be screwed all the way down to get a proper measurement. With the oil measured like this they said my engine was over filled and they removed some oil. What do you think?

 

This is why I don't let people at the dealership touch my cars.

Ray

 

The measurement will be correct if the cap flat spring bayonet lugs drop down into their respective slots and the cap gasket is resting on the sealing surface of the filler neck on the reservoir/aerator. It doesn't have to be locked/screwed in as long as the above parameters are met. I think that by stating that it should be screwed down obviates any potential error that might occur if attention is not paid to getting the cap to fully drop down on the filler neck. The error is about a half inch difference if the cap gasket is not seated on the sealing edge of the filler neck.

 

Yeah, as Lyle says above there, the spring part has to sit down in the lugs / cut out area, but don't go screwing the cap down tight.

Ray

 

Thanks guys

 

Some caps are 1/4 turn and some are threaded. My personal rule, just what I use and by no means is this to be taken as the way it should be.
If it is a screw on cap, I add oil until it is just before minimum after startup. It will rise to almost max when hot. If it is a 1/4 turn, I have it seated and at minimum after start up. I have had cars come in that have nothing on the stick and it still has plenty of oil. I tell my clients that if they check the oil and the see anything on the stick, they will be fine. I have had too many over fill trying to "get it right". There is plenty of oil in these cars. I want my clients to drive and enjoy the car. I also let them know that if they loose enough oil to be an issue, they will know it, see it, smell it.

 

Wow! after only 3K miles? can't imagine what would go wrong causing metal shavings after an oil change. Can you see anything in the drained oil?
GL wi that mess. Please let the forum know the findings.

 

Umm..you can tell you have metal shavings in the oil..but you have no oil on the dip stick?

The 430 engine is pretty damn solid. I think you are doing something really wrong.

 

On my Toyota pickup, it was drinking oil like there was no tomorrow. However, ran totally amazing. I did several 1000 miles trip, no sweat. However, it was using 1 quart of oil every 350-400 miles pretty routinely. Where the heck is the oil going???

I had run several compression checks on the motor and all the readings looked pretty decent across the cylinders. Motor was actually running very strong and gas mileage was excellent.

One day, I was at Costco and the motor made a funny stumble and then recovered. It was very mild, but I thought "that didn't sound quite right". When I got home, I ran yet another compression check and this time one of the cylinders was down maybe 30 PSI below the rest. Oh, oh. I put a bore scope into the chamber and definitely something had gone through and banged up the piston a little bit and scored the side of the cylinder wall.

I decided to pull the motor back part (I had rebuilt the top end only 4000 miles previously, but foolishly didn't bother with the short block because it appeared the previous owner had bored it +.020" over). Anyway, I pulled the motor apart and what I found was every upper compression ring on every piston was fractured into multiple pieces. One of the pieces had made its escape by digging a small hole through the piston ring lands. Wow.

I ended up buying new pistons and rings and rebuilt the motor. During the rebuild I discovered that whatever rocket scientist had rebuilt the motor previously had installed the incorrect size rings. Yes, they did bore the block over .020"; yes they did buy new ACL pistons that were .020" larger.. however, apparently someone didn't understand that you also have to buy piston rings which are also .020" oversize. Whatever clown assembled the motor used STD rings, which of course were too small and thus did not maintain the right arc, black spacing nor the correct tension or ring gap. The result was the rings failed and fracture. Oil rings barely had any tension against the cylinder walls. Never seen that before; my guess is a shop bored the block over, then someone without any real automotive knowledge bought rings without realizing they needed .020" over.

If your Ferrari is consuming the level of oil you are suggesting here, I think some failure in the rings would be high on my list of possible suspects. Either that or some failure in the crankcase ventilation system, which might be allowing oil to be burned steadily through the intake. Have you tried smelling the exhaust to see if you smell oil? Or maybe have someone drive behind you and see if any blue/white smoke is coming out under hard WOT runs?

Ray

 

I can certainly recommend removing the plugs and taking a look inside the cylinders with an endoscope, as Ray suggested. I bought this cheap one on Amazon and it works really well for that purpose and others. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B8HKQFPD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Also check the plugs for oil fouling or any oil burned onto the plug / smell of oil, etc.

Ray

 

Are you saying the engine oil is going from the engine into the gearbox by itself? There’s no way it could do that. It would run out of the engine main seal in front of the clutch, then onto the ground.

Not questioning you, because I see by your profile that you are a diesel engine mechanic. Just wondering what’s going on with your car.


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Technically the lubrication system for the gear box and motor are two different systems. The oil separator / reservoir for the dry sump system is bolted to the top of the transaxle though.

There's only so many ways out for the oil.

Ray

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