Reading Oil Dip Stick [I'm not stupid]

Just like you could set points if needed with a match book and roll start a car with a stick shift if you had a dead battery. Lol

 

Just changed the oil today in my 2014 for the first time (since I've owned it). I was struggling to determine what a full reading is supposed to look like myself. I happily convinced myself that if the upper and lower dimples of the dipstick appear to be "filled" with oil, that means the 5.5 quarts of Amsoil Signature Series I put in was juuuust right. If I'm wrong, please DON'T tell me I am! I'm happy with the "truth" I created.

 

I've never been able to read my dipstick - and I'm not an idiot either. I've tried hot, cold, overnight, etc... and it always comes out an oily, unreadable mess. Top to bottom.

I'll try the sandpaper mod next.

 

An accurate way to read the dipstick after an oil change or any time is run the engine for a minute then shut off, pull the dipstick and wipe clean, put an ear plug in the dipstick tube hole leaving good amount out to grab after, let vehicle sit for an hour or overnight, pull ear plug out, reinsert dipstick till it seats then pull and check. All oil has settled with nothing left in dipstick tube to give funny reading and very accurate. Hope that helps.

 

Are you sure you didn’t drain the transmission instead of the motor ? I have seen 3 or 4 threads about it this month .

 

After all these years, I’m surprised no one has marketed a performance dipstick with a crosshatched tip. Imagine the group buys, lol.

Something that bugs me is the oil fill reservoir. The engineers just couldn’t bring themselves to make it come all the way up and flat so you wouldn’t need a funnel when topping off at the gas station.

 

I can't remember which vehicle it was of mine but, the dipstick was actually a stainless steel cable with a one inch long cast tip that had cross hatching stamped into it. Helen Keller could have read that thing!

 

Our 97 F150 at work has that type. Easily readable.

 

That's what it was! My old man has an F150. THANK YOU BY THE WAY, TRYING TO REMEMBER THAT WAS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!

 

The old cab over Peterbuilts use this method. It's a pain in the ass to snake it back in, all sorts of corners and what nots to reach oil pan.

 

My wife's Honda Odyssey is like that. My Yamaha outboard motor has nice cross hatching as well.

The best thing I've found to do in the taco is an indirect reading off the dipstick. I lay the dipstick down flat on a clean paper towel and look at the oil marking left on the towel relative to the marks on the stick. I assume the true reading is at the continuous mark left on the towel.

 

It's not that hard to read

A Mobil1 container screws right in to the oil fill port. Cut off the bottom, screw in. You won't spill a drop

 

My duramax is like that

 

Pretty snazzy idea

 

I didn't use the word "cold" either. I do it the way I do so most oil drains back to the pan. Never have seen any vehicle manufacturer have specs for cold versus warm/hot oil. Have never seen significant change in oil level by dipstick on cold versus heated up.

 

If you let the vehicle set all night and then check oil, it’s “cold” because the oil isn’t at operating temperature. That’s all I meant.

Quoted from Page 344 of my 05’s manual:

“With the engine at operating temperature and turned off, check the oil level on the dipstick.”

 

My Solstice is like that but the oil is always too clean to see on it. I use a white paper towel and roll the end on that so I can see what the actual oil level is Must be a GM thing