Oil level question?
 

Ok, I bought my first NA rx7 back in June. First thing first, get the oil changed with 20w-30. I know when to change at 3k mi but for some reason it totally slipped my mind that these babies burn oil right out of the pan. I know better, but this past weekend on filling up I pop the hood to check the oil level.....oil mark is about 3mm above the bottom of the dipstick. So I grab the quart I keep with me and dump it in, bringing the level to about 1mm above the 'low' end on the dip stick.

My question, could I have done damage to the engine b/c I forgot to put a quart in after running 1,500 mi? I'm sort of concerned, not b/c I hear or notice any difference, but b/c this is an '86 w/ 64,xxx origional miles on engine and body. As you can see, I really want this car to go the distance and I hope I didn't shaft myself by forgetting to put in a quart mid-oil change.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. And yes, I do know better, doh!

It should be ok, as long as there was still enough oil for the MOP to pick up and squirt into the chamber, which Im sure there was. Id say that you're fine, although in the future remember to always check the oil frequently, and you may want to change it a little sooner than 3000 miles, being that dirty oil is more detremental to a rotary than a piston engine, because of the fact that crankcase oil is burned in the combustion chamber.

Running low on oil is not good. Erratic oil pressure could cause early engine death.
If you are an aggressive/abusive/extreme driver, then you shortened the life of your engine.
If you drive like a wimp, then there shouldn't be any issues.

Low oil also affects oil temperature. Since you were 2 quarts low, I'd go get an oil/filter change right away. You probably toasted the oil a little and shortened its life.

Yeah, I pretty much knew this and I'll be changing it out at 2,600 mi this time around. I knew they burned oil out of the crankcase but until I actually checked I didn't realize how *much* went into combustion for lube. Lessoned learned, lemme tell ya! I just have to get back into the habit of popping the hood every time I filler up!

your rex will be Ok, He told me to tell you not to let it happen again, and he is glad you learned your lesson!! just messin with you

It's getting changed on Wednesday. I only put 20mi on it a day so I should be ok, the oil on the stick didn't seem overly dark. And yeah, I drive like an old lady and since it's an auto NA I really am kinda stuck. Don't get me wrong, it gets up to about 90mpg on the freeways here, I'm just never gunning it off the line, I rarely ever get above 5k rpm.