Checking oil: Hot or Cold

[rowhard]

Okay Bart, this is the way I was taught and by god, it's even in the workshop manual, page 19. "The best time to check the engine oil level is when it is warm. After stopping the engine with the vehicle on a level surface, wait a few minutes to let the oil drain back into the oil pan." There are a few other things like keep the tip down and stuff. Hope that answers your question.

[Chopper]

Or it's all a myth... Hi Joe! j/k

[nfpgasmask]

Okay Bart, this is the way I was taught and by god, it's even in the workshop manual, page 19. "The best time to check the engine oil level is when it is warm. After stopping the engine with the vehicle on a level surface, wait a few minutes to let the oil drain back into the oil pan." There are a few other things like keep the tip down and stuff. Hope that answers your question.

Thanks. What does "keep the tip down" mean? The tip of the dipstick?

Bart

[rowhard]

Yes, that way you won't get a false reading, the oil flowing over the mark on the stick.

[jgalt]

Yeah, the manual says to do it warm, which is what I've always done (after fill-up and 5-6 minutes of "settle-time"). Whatever you do, though, I think it's best to be consistent.

The only problem with checking while "cold" is that the oil will be somewhat condensed and you could overfill, but that's not necessarily a killer ...

Just be consistent.

[SuperDave]

I slightly over-filled mine one time. The crazy thing was I noticed much less oil consumption, it didn't go below the 'max' line until just before the next oil change. So I figure I lost about 1/2 quart after 3000 miles. I kicked it around for a while that maybe I would always over-fill but wasn't sure what that would do to the motor. Any ideas?

Once I too slightly overfilled my VX with no problem. Apparently our seals don't blow as easily as those of my last car (Pulsar SE, 1987). I'm still too scared to make a habit of it. It's ironic that VX survival depends on dipstick technology. I wouldn't want to rely on electronic or mechanical sensors.