How many quarts low before "Check Oil" light comes on??

[Mustang5L5]

Is it 2 quarts low??

I've driven my car 500 miles and the check oil light came on! Wow does that seem bad. A quick look under the car and i found the oil plug was slightly loose and the bottom of the pan covered in oil which blew back onto the trans. Not quite sure that this is the source of dropping 2 quarts though.

I've tightened it up and cleaned it up well, i drove around 20 miles today and it looked dry afterwards.

Guess i'll top it off again and monitor the consumption. I don't notice smoke out of the tailpipes or anything.

Guess i should start looking for a low mileage explorer/mountaineer 5.0 this winter.

 

[skunk21]

The oil light comes on when it's about a quart low, I doubt you hurt anything.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I don't think i did either. I don't put enough miles on the car to worry about adding a quart every month or so.

What bothers me more is where the oil is going. 1 quart in 500 miles is a lot...but it very well could have been the oil plug gasket. When i put the car away for the winter, i'll do a oil change and replace it