Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by SWS
A factor to consider:
I live in a hilly area - e.g. my street is a 26% grade.
On steep hills I wonder about how much margin I have above the oil pickup when I am below ‘full' on the dipstick.
I think it's a valid concern - although the oil light has never come on in 30 years in various cars.
No idea if my Hondas have baffles in the oil pan to help keep the pickup covered.
Maybe someone from San Francisco can offer a worst-case scenario.
^^^^ This ^^^^
Depending on the car, dipsticks can give false readings if the car is not on fairly level ground. My driveway is at about 12-15 degrees slope. If the Mazda is parked uphill, it shows slightly above full, on level ground it shows a midway reading and parked downhill on the driveway, shows at the low mark. I've also learned from experience, that from mid-way to the high mark is about 1/2 quart (on my Mazda). Two different Toyotas read with different imprecise indications.
Suggest parking on level ground and get a baseline reading. FWIW, on all my vehicles, I fill to the top of the mark and when the next OC comes along, it's down to just a little bit.
Ray
Oil should always be checked on level ground [or at least level to the eye] or the reading isn't going to be accurate. With regard to a 26% grade, one would hope the engineers took that into consideration when they established the safe range on the dipstick. The engine oil level at the low end of the safe range "should be safe" under any conditions encountered. Operative words being "should be safe." Me I wouldn't wait until I hit the low end of the range. If I have the hood up and the oil level is a little low I top it up, and I always check oil on level ground.