probably daft question - dipstick question

[Anonymous]

Hi All

this is probably a daft question, but when checking your dipstick for oil, which side of the dipstick do you check???

The only reason I ask is because when i pull the dipstick out of my car, the side facing me shows about 3/4 full, but when i flip it over it shows it full. So which side should i be looking at??

Cheers

Alan

[Jap GT300]

Do you park your car on a hill?

It should be an even measurement!

[Anonymous]

i park on my drive which is fairly flat but it does have a very slight slope. I will try parking on the road and then check it

[Anonymous]

Alan, I have REAL trouble reading the dipstick. See some of my posts about this. Not really any conclusive answers unfortunately............

[aaronjb]

Just thought I'd resurrect this (really) old thread..

I noticed recently, during paranoid-oil-checking, that I have the same thing..

One side of the dipstick reads about 1/2 full, the other side seems to read over-full (well, the entire side is oily, really).

I wonder if the side that reads over full is the side that gets dragged up the 'bottom' of the dipstick tube (the underside, basically), so just gets oil smeared all over it..

And therefore the side to be reading is the one that reads half full.

Anyone else noticed this?

Dman Japanese dipsticks  s:) s:)  The Z has the same design - bulbous end with hatching on it, also always a pain to read, though at least all the sides read the same on that one  s;) s;)

[spit]

Anyone else noticed this?

Yes

Could this be my shortest post ever?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

[philster_d]

But is the engine half full ? or half empty ?

[roger]

Half full, because when its empty, there still some left   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Anonymous]

I find if i leave the car overnight and check the oil in the morning i get a good indication on both sides. If i try and read it even 1-2 hours after stopping the car i get what you describe.

It is without doubt the longest and most difficult to read dipstick ive ever had on a car.

I'm getting plenty of practice reading the dipstick at the moment but thats another story!

[edward.carter]

i get it too, one side shows half full and the other side shows over full just guessing   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Anonymous]

Tip to make reading dipstick easier   s:idea: :idea: s:idea:  

Let your oil go black and dirty and then the dipstick is easier to read

[Anonymous]

i have the same problem. I've only ever tried to read the dipstick in a short time period after the car has stopped. one side reads only 1/4 full other side shows full (i think) but hard to read cause even the oil up to the full line is patchy.

[edward.carter]

it was until i had it serviced the other day  s:) s:)    best way i have found that when its cooled down, put the dipstick back in leave it for a while and then pull it out and check it and it kind of settles down and works round to the otherside

[Two's Company]

I have found the reading to be more consistant if the oil is checked when the car has been left overnight.

[Anonymous]

Hmm... I never check oil level except before the car has been left overnight.  Nor do check/inflate tyres except when the car has been stood overnight..

As for long dispsticks, the MR2 dipstick is miniscule compared with that in my wife's A2 - on that, because it doesn't have a hinged bonnet, the dipstick comes out through the access flap which is the dummy front grille.

[kanujunkie]

I have found the reading to be more consistant if the oil is checked when the car has been left overnight.

i dont know what Toyota recomend, but at work we always have to check oils within 1/2hr of the engines being shutdown, this is to compensate for thermal expansion, the idea being that if you check it hot then the oil cannot be overfilled and damage seals and alike. Personally on car engines that are not so highly pressurised i dont think it matters so much but if it were me id check the oil when hot rather than cold, but i'd leave the engine for 20mins or so to allow the oil to run back to the sump

[Anonymous]

IIRC the handbook says check oil when warm after allowing vehicle to stand for 15 minutes

[kanujunkie]

IIRC the handbook says check oil when warm after allowing vehicle to stand for 15 minutes

thought it might for the reason i've mentioned above, oil does have quite a lot of expansion from cold to hot

[Anonymous]

IIRC the handbook says check oil when warm after allowing vehicle to stand for 15 minutes

thought it might for the reason i've mentioned above, oil does have quite a lot of expansion from cold to hot

Okay, so I've been doing it wrong for the last 35+ years!  A couple of things come to mind, though:

1.  Whenever I've checked oil level on cars which have had a garage service, my method always gives a 'Full' reading.

2.  After an oil change, it's necessary to get the engine up to full operating temperature before you can check that the level is correct.

3.  Is it good practice to add cold oil to a hot engine?  Should the oil be pre-heated before you pour it in?  Do you wait for the engine to cool down before topping up, then run it again to check the level?

[Beowulf]

What should happen is after leaving the car for a short time (to allow all the oil to fall back into the sump(say 15 min),take the dipstick out,wipe it with a clean cloth,then re-insert.Leave a few secs then check.Should be an even reading on both sides.

[aaronjb]

Should be an even reading on both sides.

Should be.. but isn't  s;) s;)

[kanujunkie]

Peter,

the thing to remember is that cars have a relatively small oil system, in our case under 4L, so the difference in oil level due to heat is pretty damn small, perhaps a few ml, certainly not enough to make a problem on any car

[Anonymous]

... so the difference in oil level due to heat is pretty damn small, perhaps a few ml, certainly not enough to make a problem on any car

Indeed - which is why I prefer to always check levels under the known, repeatable, conditions of being stone cold!