xdave

as above , i check my oil nearly every other day and the reading is sometimes low and sometimes its showing well over max , any ideas please !
im parked on level grond when i check it , before that question comes up lol .

saiklon

How long has the car been sitting before you measure. If you give the car more time to settle, more oil should flow back to the sump.

xdave

it sits all day or all night before i check it .

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

It can be a bit of a bugger trying to get an accurate reading. Try dipping the stick 4 or 5 times (after wiping the oil off between dips) to see where it seems to be ending up.

Also, don't forgat that the min is the bottom most 'hole', the max is the top 'hole' and NOT the semi-circular notch in the side further up. The notch is the max level of oil BUT when oil is hot (thermal expansion)... and not to go by for the stone cold reading.

his-n-her-scoobs

iTrader: (5)

When you take the dipstick out of the tube sometimes a level of oil is left behind in the tube giving a false reading (and I suspect leading to SOME of the premature engine failure stories you often read on here), a phenomenom I have only come across on Subaru engines.

Try joz8968's method of dipping 3 or 4 times, but I find it far more effective to BLOW the false level out of the tube. Works every time for me, but I don't mind the taste of engine oil, nor am I overbothered by the fact that it may be carcenagenic. A fact I may regret later, just the same as the proverbial bus I may step out in front of LOL.

Also, as mentioned earlier, the top hole is the max level stone cold. The notch is oil warm, but leave 10 mins or so for the rest of the oil to drain back to sump. Not a good practice to check levels and top up warm as it leads to overfilling.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

You have the same disregard/cavalier attitude to one's health as I have LOL. I'm always freaking my much more fearful work colleagues out with the way I DON'T take H&S issues seriously LOL

his-n-her-scoobs

iTrader: (5)

Don't think it is really a problem to blow into a dipstick tube once a week if you have cleaned it first and don't breathin/swallow. Just if I hadn't mentioned the dangers we would have had every moaning minnie for 100 miles pointing out the bleedin obvious.......ingesting engine oil aint good for you LOL

The point I was making is that it works. The more safety concious may adapt the idea with a foot pump or similar.

xdave

well blowing sounds like the right thing to do then i will try it in the future , thanks ..

his-n-her-scoobs

iTrader: (5)

Let us kow how you get on.

xdave

i was really worried , because the oil pump failed last year and anything oil related now worrys the sh**e out of me .

dj219957

the trick is to take the dip stick out and leave it out for a few minutes. then check the level.

dan/scooby

iTrader: (2)

i had it once where mine kept reading empty

Wenker Man

When looking at the dipstick, ignore the traces of oil at the sides of the stick. The level is actually when it can be seen to cover whole width of the dipstick, not just the edges. It will be the same on both sides of the dipstick (obviously! but to the uninitiated, one side of the dipstick can sometimes seems to show a higher level than the other).

Also read the level as soon as you remove the dipstick. Don't faff about reading it, as the oil runs from the edges back into the centre of the dipstick, giving a false high reading.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Fully agree with this... very good salient points.

RB5 Boyo

I got this good tip from someone on here before as i could never get an accurate reading ....now i take the dipstick out (when the car is stone cold) and leave it out for a minute or so and then dip it, and its always a spot on reading....simple wee tip that works