Oil loss query

[egor617]

I last changed the oil changed in april, since then it's done 2 motorway journeys maybe 500 miles max and everything else has been short distance town driving.

Just checked the dip stick and the oils down to half, is this normal?

There is some oil around the rocker cover, but none on the drive way or on the work parking space.

[mikeWalsall]

When you did your oil change .. did you check the oil level .. after .. the engine had been running for a short while .. as the oil filter / galleries will have used some of the fresh oil when they fill ..

[Simon Jones]

If you have a diesel engine, then some slight oil usage is normal. I would suggest fill it to the max now on flat level ground and then check it again after a few hundred miles.

[egor617]

Yeah re checked it after engine had warmed up.

Thing that worries me is there is no big puddle of oil so where has half the oil gone? surely it shouldn't of used that much in 4 months?

The engine did sound a bit noisy (tappetty/metallic) today hence why i checked oil , but there's no puddle of oil, no smoke out the exhaust, coolant is fine, only thing is he back of the rocker cover on the drivers side has some oil on it , but it's not much and it's nowhere else in the engine bay.

I guess next step is to check/tighten rocker cover bolts, could the egr pipe leak oil?

Thanks for your time.

[Simon Jones]

If you check the engine when hot it will give you a lower reading so it's best to do it when cold so more of it has made its way back to the sump. A few leaks around the rocker cover won't make any great difference to the level, and if you've got no other visible leaks, then it would suggest its going out the exhaust. This could be due to worn valve stem seals, worn piston rings or worn turbo, but I wouldn't panic yet until you've done a few more checks to establish exact usage. What sort of mileage has the engine done?