Oil only 3/4 full at oil change checkup

Just to clarify, how many miles since the oil was last checked? And was it at the full mark then?

If for example, it's been 10000 miles, and you're in for an oil change, and when it was last changed it was at the full mark, that is very minor, typical consumption for an engine with some miles. I'd do nothing, just continue to keep an eye on it.

 

you may need a belt, but get a second opinion and price. ignore the oil for now. look at the level after they change it and look at it before taking it in for the next oil change. oil consumption is fairly common in the engines and not a worry. all the best!

 

Monitor the oil level. It's better to have the oil level between the low and high marks than overfilled.

If you don't believe the belt is cracked, you can ask them to replace the belt but insist they return the old one to you for inspection.

SCH-I535

 

As others have said, it is very likely that the belt is cracked. Changing the belt is very easy so it shouldn't cost you a bunch. As for the oil level, 3/4 full might be where the last person filled it to. This post/thread illustrates why we check our oil regularly in between oil changes (I recommend once a month or 1000 miles until you get to know the actual oil usage for your car). Even if your car was full of oil, and it was at 3/4 full when it came time to do an oil change, that's not a big deal and certainly doesn't mean you have a loose piston ring.

 

if they're like my dealer, they expect to see the oil a half inch above the full line.

 

Cracked serpentine belt: Normal
Small oil usage: Normal
Loose piston: Unlikely.

The serpentine belt normally starts to show signs of many small cracks by about that age. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's about to fail, but it's due for scheduled replacement fairly soon (120k miles) anyway. And as usnavstgc said, it's not a very costly job (somewhere about $20 for the part and less than 1 hour to fit).

A lot of people notice a small amount of oil consumption at about that age. If you're at 3/4 full (assuming that means 3/4 between the low and high marks on the dipstick), then you've only consumed about 0.4 quarts, which is extremely minor. In any case, you should learn how to check the dipstick and monitor the oil between oil changes to see how much is consumed. Topping off the oil when necessary is very cheap and easy (about $2 of oil and 5 minutes of your time), replacing an engine not so much so. If you don't know how to check the oil yourself then just ask here. Plenty of people would be willing to help you with that.

Regarding the "loose piston", I'm guessing that the dealer actually said loose piston rings to explain the oil consumption. This is not a problem that you need to fix at this point. The fix is very expensive and it's basically easier to fit a secondhand engine in most cases. Very unlikely that you need to do anything in this regard unless the problem is like at least 10 times worse than what you stated.

 

well done, you're a quick study!

 

Ok, I was thinking the oil was only 3/4 the way between the empty and full marks on the stick, but now I see that they probably meant that the sump was only 3/4 filled. This means that you lost about a full quart.

Assuming that extra 1k takes you to 6k miles, then that works out to about 5oz of oil every 1000 miles. You'll probably only need about a one pint top off at around 2.5k to 3k miles. This is still not very serious, as long as you don't let it get to low (don't overfill though). Also be aware that oil consumption doesn't always proceed at a totally uniform rate. Sometimes with different driving conditions or if the mechanic uses a different brand of oil (or insert random reason) then the consumption may be higher or lower than expected. So you're doing the right thing to check it regularly.

 

Hello from SW Wisconsin. I think I need to change my serpentine belt-- glad to hear it should be around $60. Where did you have it done?