kbuskill
***CAUTION*** I do my own stunts!
Ok... I wasn't gonna chime in on this but here I go... lol
When I first purchased my Burb with around 154K miles on it, I checked the oil level religiously for the first few oil changes to see if there were any problems.
Once I developed a good understanding of what I could reasonably expect I stopped checking it so frequently.
I know that, in my case at least, I can go for 7,500 miles or more before she is a quart low on oil... about half way through my service interval of around 13-15K miles.
Granted my filter system is not the normal, as I have the dual remote mount filter setup with big over sized filters plus the external oil cooler so my truck holds 9 quarts total and around 8 quarts at an oil change... but my oil sample report from Blackstone was good.
Now with that being said... I have never had the low oil level light come on so I can't say how low the oil level might actually be when the light comes on.
What I do know is that if the oil level doesn't show up between the hash marks and holes on the stick you are a quart low... if it's not showing on the stick at all you are probably closer to 2 quarts low.
My biggest concern with your method of "checking your oil level" is... what happens when the oil level sensor malfunctions for what ever reason???
You could potentially do great damage to your engine without ever getting a warning... granted the odds may be slim that this scenario would ever happen BUT it is a possibility.
I guess what I'm saying is that technology is a great thing, until it malfunctions. It's just hard to beat simplicity and a dipstick is about as simple, and reliable, as it gets.
Ultimately, it's your boat... what ever floats it.
As I said earlier, I DO NOT check my oil every time I fill my tank but I do check it from time to time. I also keep an eye on the ground for spots and an eye on the back of the truck for oil.
When I first purchased my Burb with around 154K miles on it, I checked the oil level religiously for the first few oil changes to see if there were any problems.
Once I developed a good understanding of what I could reasonably expect I stopped checking it so frequently.
I know that, in my case at least, I can go for 7,500 miles or more before she is a quart low on oil... about half way through my service interval of around 13-15K miles.
Granted my filter system is not the normal, as I have the dual remote mount filter setup with big over sized filters plus the external oil cooler so my truck holds 9 quarts total and around 8 quarts at an oil change... but my oil sample report from Blackstone was good.
Now with that being said... I have never had the low oil level light come on so I can't say how low the oil level might actually be when the light comes on.
What I do know is that if the oil level doesn't show up between the hash marks and holes on the stick you are a quart low... if it's not showing on the stick at all you are probably closer to 2 quarts low.
My biggest concern with your method of "checking your oil level" is... what happens when the oil level sensor malfunctions for what ever reason???
You could potentially do great damage to your engine without ever getting a warning... granted the odds may be slim that this scenario would ever happen BUT it is a possibility.
I guess what I'm saying is that technology is a great thing, until it malfunctions. It's just hard to beat simplicity and a dipstick is about as simple, and reliable, as it gets.
Ultimately, it's your boat... what ever floats it.
As I said earlier, I DO NOT check my oil every time I fill my tank but I do check it from time to time. I also keep an eye on the ground for spots and an eye on the back of the truck for oil.
