confusing oil level indication

[colt45]

I had an oil change recently and i witnessed that the petron guy did put the right amount of oil (a little below the MAX mark). However, after using my truck for several days, i noticed that the dipstick level is way, way above the maximum mark. I checked it on a level ground while engine is cold. What could be wrong?

[cocoy]

the petron guy probably put too much oil. when u put oil u do hav to wait 5 to 10 minutes before u check the oil level because some of the oil is still circulating around the engine.so u hav to wait until it all drains down to the oil sump to be able to get the most accurate oil level reading.

[blink21me]

the petron guy probably put too much oil. when u put oil u do hav to wait 5 to 10 minutes before u check the oil level because some of the oil is still circulating around the engine.so u hav to wait until it all drains down to the oil sump to be able to get the most accurate oil level reading.

The Petron guy did a good job. He was being careful not to put too much nor too low oil that's why it's in a little below the FULL mark. Those guys are supposed to be trained not to overfill oil. You do not have to wait 5-10 minutes before you check the oil level, in fact, you do that while the engine is in it's normal running temperature. In order to measure the oil level accurately, you have to check it while some oil is still up circulating throughout the internals, why would you have to wait a few minutes?

When the engine runs and reaches its normal running temperature, the oil gets as thin as water as it heats up little by little. You are concerned of oil level when it's running, not when it's sitting down. If you measure it to FULL level when the engine is cold, you might not have enough back-up when the engine heats up due to normal very little burning of oil due to immature sorts of air leak.

How to measure the oil level right and accurately:
- let the engine heat up to it's normal running temp
- turn off the engine
- pull out the dipstick
- wipe the dipstick off with a clean cloth/towel
- stick it back in
- pull out the dipstick again
- read the oil level

[mbeige]

Cocoy is right.

Blink, why won't you have enough back up? Kaya nga full na siya, the engine has enough oil to circulate through the engine. When the engine is cold, all the oil is in the oil pan/s. That is the best way to measure the oil, because nothing is circulating in the engine. Excess oil will put too much pressure on the seals, gaskets and what not.

[slip-slick]

there are two marks on your oil dipstick. these marks have been calibrated for checking the oil level when the engine is cold and the oil has settled down into the oil pan. as long as you keep the oil level between the two marks, you're fine.

[blink21me]

as long as you keep the oil level between the two marks, you're fine.

True, keep the oil level between the two holes when the engine is warmed up...

[blink21me]

Cocoy is right.

Blink, why won't you have enough back up? Kaya nga full na siya, the engine has enough oil to circulate through the engine. When the engine is cold, all the oil is in the oil pan/s. That is the best way to measure the oil, because nothing is circulating in the engine. Excess oil will put too much pressure on the seals, gaskets and what not.

You gotta measure to the FULL mark when the engine is warmed up. Say, if the engine is COLD, which means the engine has been sitting down for hours, and if you fill the oil to the FULL mark while it's cold, what do you think happens when you turn the engine on and warm it up as you drive it??? The oil goes up and thus the amount of oil that was in FULL when the car was cold, is NOW below the FULL mark because the engine has warmed up and in use...

You gotta understand that your main concern is for the engine to have the sufficient amount of oil while it's RUNNING, ***not while it's sitting down***.

The procedure of how to check the level of engine oil I posted above is the same procedure that was taught by my automotive teacher back in highschool, who worked for a Nascar Team as one of the technicians for more ~20 years...

[slip-slick]

blink,
you're automotive teacher must've been high on gas fumes when he taught you how to measure oil level.

you measure the oil level when it's cold. if you have the correct amount of oil when its cold, you will still have the correct amount of oil when it's hot and running.

i just read your last post.. yeah, warm is ok too.. kaya nga may gap ung mark sa dipstick, it's not an exact amount.

[mbeige]

Are you saying that when it's running at operating temp, that's when you check the oil and make sure it's at the FULL mark?

Or are you saying that right after shutting it down, you check the oil to make sure it's at the FULL mark?

Like NazQ posted, oil expands when hot. So if you measure your engine COLD, and it's at FULL, it will register slightly higher when it's already at operating temperature and the oil is HOT because it has expanded. Thing is we don't see this because the rest of the oil is still in and around the engine so you'll read a lower level.

On some diesel engines the turbocharger is cooled by the oil, and overfilling it will cause the gaskets and O rings to give in. This causes a runaway diesel to happen, the revs climb all the way up until the engine explodes or throws a rod. Overfilling is definitely to be avoided. So if I may ask you, how do you measure if one's engine is overfilled?

[Psylocke]

How to measure the oil level right and accurately:
- let the engine heat up to it's normal running temp
- turn off the engine
- pull out the dipstick
- wipe the dipstick off with a clean cloth/towel
- stick it back in
- pull out the dipstick again
- read the oil level

You have to wait at least 5 mins to let the oil drain back to the pan. The dipstick is calibrated on this assumption.

Your instructions above don't have this 5min waiting time so it's wrong.

[blink21me]

You have to wait at least 5 mins to let the oil drain back to the pan. The dipstick is calibrated on this assumption.

Your instructions above don't have this 5min waiting time so it's wrong.

I don't time myself, like I said before, IMHO 3 minutes would do it...

[Djerms]

In my owners manual (isuzu), it specifically says there to measure the oil when the engine is cold, before the operation of the engine.