Overdue for oil change....car acting strange

you need the full 3.5 quarts or so to not cause any further damage! you’re already having bad symptoms, i’d especially make sure to add the right amount of oil before driving any more miles, which will cost a lot less than a new engine or car

 

that I can’t help you with

 

How many total miles are on the car?

What oil change interval do you normally use? Are you saying you typically follow a 5,000 mile OCI and right now the last change was more like 6,000 ago? Or do you follow a 10,000 mile OCI and the last change was 11,000 ago?

How often do you routinely pull the dipstick and check the level between changes? (Do you routinely do that?)

Changing the oil should not be something you think of as adding new oil after the old oil is gone. Unless there is an engine problem, the old oil should still pretty much all be there by the end of your OCI. It will just be dark and degraded. The change is to drain out the dark degraded stuff and refill with new.

The point of checking the dipstick between changes, which you also need to do, is so you will know about any engine problem that is using the oil up, and you can top up if need be so you keep the level correct for the whole time between changes.

1/3 below the top notch? Or 1/3 above the bottom notch?

Where did it come to rest after the quart that you added?

 

That's what I'm wondering. If it was between the dots, you overfilled it.

This just in. Better check it again. I'm pretty sure it's over filled.

Also pretty sure the performance degradation has nothing to do with the oil, but too much oil will cause additional issues.

You're just about due for a tuneup. I'd go ahead and do that.

 

you still have a lot of life left in the vehicle! my advice is to just keep your oil level full (not overfilled) and stay on top of the 5000 mile oil changes. some people check their oil level at every gas fill up or every other gas fill up. find out what your routine should be by keeping an eye on the dipstick and your engine will be happy!

 

If it was only a quart down, I doubt that any engine issue you might be having now is a consequence of low oil. You can probably salve your conscience on that point. If there is some other driveability issue going on, that will just be its own thing to diagnose.

Meanwhile, you have learned your engine now uses about a quart in 5,200 miles or so. That's why leaving the dipstick-checking to the oil change appointments is a risky strategy. Now that it has begun to use some oil, it may continue for a long time to use at that relatively modest rate, or the rate may increase. A habit of dipstick-checking is how you can stay on top of that.

"Check the dipstick at fillups while you're waiting for the pump anyway" was the good advice when I was in driver training. A lot of things about cars have changed since then, but dipsticks, not so much.

 

No I don't I run mine way down alot and I'm on 10K changes for near 100K miles now. 330K headed to 600K if idiots stay in they lanes . Yeesh

SM-A715F ?

 

Sounds like you're fine, at least in the oil department: you're slightly past the second gen (convservative) oil change interval, and never ran the oil level lower than spec.