Dipstick from [censored]

[2016Accord]

Originally Posted By: heynow
Check when cold.


Originally Posted By: mclasser
Check the level first thing in the morning with the car on level ground.


This is what I have started doing. I can just get a read first thing in the morning. With fresh, clear oil it is still a challenge!

Originally Posted By: PeterPolyol
I'd imagine a lot of members on this board have this problem; Your oil is too clean!

LOL, yep, just put in some PP and it IS too clear to see easily on the stick.

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
What does the Owner's Manual say?

Good question. In my memory it said to check it only after the oil has warmed, not cold. But I was wrong. Here's what it says:

Quote:
To assure proper engine lubrication, the engine oil must be maintained at the correct level. Check the oil level at regular intervals, such as every fuel stop. The best time to check the engine oil level is about five minutes after a fully warmed engine is shut OFF or before starting the engine after it has sat overnight.
Checking the oil while the vehicle is on level ground will improve the accuracy of the oil level readings. Maintain the oil level between the MIN and MAX markings on the dipstick. Adding one quart of oil when the reading is at the MIN mark will result in a MAX reading on these engines.


My regular checks will now be cold.

Originally Posted By: spackard
Try this method

That's a good idea too.

Originally Posted By: Run
I would pull the dipstick out before firing up the engine. Let it run for a minute or 2 and then check. I find Chryslers are easy to read when cold.

This is also a good idea. When my wife gets home at night, I may pull and wipe the dipstick and set it aside, then check the level in the morning. Perhaps this would be the best of both worlds as the oil will have settled, and I won't have to do the "pull and wipe" and dirty the tube.

Thanks for the tips guys. I guess this is the one drawback to clean oil!

 

[DoubleWasp]

I love the dipsticks in my Cummins engines. They're big cables with plastic pieces on the end. Very hard to get a bad read, combined with the black oil on the yellow plastic.

But they do have to be read cold, or at least 10 min after shutdown. Cummins engines take time to drain back. Generally read about a quart low just after shutdown.

 

[Lightninrod]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Nissan dipsticks are worse! They don't seal properly and don't even give an accurate reading either!


Yes. Though the dipstick on my wife's Murano seals like it should, the oil level is screwy. It's different on either side so it's a guessing game for oil level checking.

 

[Bgallagher]

My Equinox has perhaps the worst dipstick I have ever seen. it is buried in the transmission mount and bolted down with a 11mm. I need two extensions and a swivel end to get the bolt off then try to pop the stick off with a flat head. Minus taking the radiator or transmission mount it's the only way to check it.

 

[DeafBrad]

Never tried this trick... but I read a trick about being able to see the oil level. Clean off the dipstick and use a black sharpie to mark the area between low and full.

 

[2016Accord]

I stumbled across a post on the FJ Cruiser Forums where a guy has come up with a pretty clever solution. It might be the best I've seen so far.
He is taking a length of small plastic tubing, inserting it into the dipstick tube, sliding it all the way down, then placing his thumb on the top of the tube (like a chemistry pipette), pulling it out and then comparing the level of oil in the tube against the marks on the dipstick.

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/maintenance-tech/117734-ultimate-fj-oil-level-check-tool.html

This seems like a pretty good solution for the really difficult to read dipsticks.
Assuming the dipstick tube and crankcase design allows this, can you think of any reason NOT to do this?

 

[funflyer]

I had the same issue with a few different vehicles. My fix was to scuff the dipstick using 600 emery paper, clean with acetone and dust the tip with some flat black BBQ paint. It was like night and day when reading the oil level. The paint would wear off in some spots but lasted for years before needing to be done again.

 

[KrisZ]

I'm tempted to put the shiny dipsticks for AT and engine in my Mazda into battery acid to take some of that shine away.

 

[Kestas]

With one car I had, the level would read way up the dipstick first thing in the morning. Near as I can figure, the top of the dipstick made such a good seal, that the air in the tube contracted during cool down and pulled oil up the tube. I'd have to break the vacuum and wait a few minutes for the oil to settle before taking a reading.

 

[rob0781]

My 02 Toyota echo has a plastic yellow dip stick and it's horrible. I've always liked the big wide steel ones..

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: rob0781
My 02 Toyota echo has a plastic yellow dip stick and it's horrible. I've always liked the big wide steel ones..


Why what's wrong with it? You can easily see the level.

 

[artificialist]

VW doesn't do a good job of building dipsticks either. Having the tube crack or handle break away is extremely common on VW engines.

 

[rob0781]

The golden oil on a yellow stick isn't very easy to see. I usually have to look at it from different angles or run a rag very slow till oil appears on it.