Air Bubbles on Oil Dip Stick during level check

[BlazerLT]

Ok, please don't laugh, this is a serious question.

Recently, as a test, I warmed up my truck, took it for a 10 mile drive, parked it, turned it off and within 1 minute I took an oil level reading from the dip stick.

When I pulled out the dipstick, I noticed groups of bubbles along the stick and preceded to clean it off and take another reading.

Again, the small bubbles were there again. 5 minutes later I took a reading and the bubbles were gone.

Now tell me this, is something wrong with the oil? Or am I completely normal.

Oil: Castrol Syntec 5w30

Miles on oil: 2700miles severe service city stop and go and short trips.

Let me know guys.

 

[haley10]

What level did you see on the dipstick?? This might happen if you have over-filled the crankcase too much. Syntec is resistant to foaming, so I would not suspect the oil itself in anyway.

 

[BlazerLT]

The oil was a fraction was a small amount below full on the dipstick. I am very anal retentive about overfilling my oil.

The oil was darker, but completely clear with no coolant in any way shape or form detected.

The bubles were not a foam in any form but about 5 small bubbles on the dipstick. The oil was replaced back in June with a new AC Delco filter. My oil treatment is the textbook case for severe service with numerous short trips, mostly all stop and go traffic with maybe 20% highway.

Is my oil in need of a change?

 

[Audi Junkie]

I'd be concerned. See if you can determine under what conditons it happens. Drain and refill with a different oil keeping the same filter and see if the problem appears again.

 

[BlazerLT]

But why?

An remember, this was about 20 seconds after the engine was stopped.

 

[Ken42]

Did you add anything to the oil?

 

[BlazerLT]

Not at all.

Maybe the anti foaming agent are wearing out due to the severe service?

 

[Dr. T]

Unless the oil level was exorbitantly high, you were probably simply seeing oil as it was coming of the recenly moving parts and splashing down into the pan.

 

[BlazerLT]

That makes sense.

 

[Fitz]

Do you have an accurate oil-pressure gauge on your dashboard? If you do, and there's serious foaming going on, you'll see oil pressure start to fall as you raise the RPMs on the engine. That's because when you start to introduce air bubbles into the oil stream going through the oil pump there's now a liquid-air interface, and air is compressible (oil isn't), so you lose pressure by compressing the air.

If you don't have an oil pressure gauge, the only other way to tell is to go to your local parts store and buy a pressure gauge that ties into your oil system (commonly there's an access for a fitting just above the oil filter on the filter housing itself). Get one with either the platic tubing or metal tubing-they're the cheapest. Then test your oil pressure that way.

If your oil pressure stays normal, then you're fine. If not, then you have to look for the reason why air's getting into your oil. Most commonly it's from an over-filled crankcase, and then the crank counterweights slosh through the oil as the crank spins. Offhand I can't think of any other reasons why you'd get air bubbles in your oil-someone else might know though.

Hope this helps-Fitz

 

[BlazerLT]

No pressure drop at all.

It's not a huge amount of foaming bubbles, just a some on the dipstick.

 

[oldmoparguy]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BlazerLT:
Ok, please don't laugh, this is a serious question.

Recently, as a test, I warmed up my truck, took it for a 10 mile drive, parked it, turned it off and within 1 minute I took an oil level reading from the dip stick.

When I pulled out the dipstick, I noticed groups of bubbles along the stick and preceded to clean it off and take another reading.

Again, the small bubbles were there again. 5 minutes later I took a reading and the bubbles were gone.

Now tell me this, is something wrong with the oil? Or am I completely normal.

Oil: Castrol Syntec 5w30

Miles on oil: 2700miles severe service city stop and go and short trips.

Let me know guys.

---

Noticed the same thing yesterday on my turbo mini. Wife has been commuting lately while her van is being repaired. A carefull check didn't turn up anything meaningful, so I drove her to work today. Right away I noticed that it was slow to warm up, and never got up to normal temp. After I got back, I did a complete cooling system check and found the thermostat was stuck partly open.

Changed it this evening and warmed it up good, no more bubbles on the dipstick.

You might want to make sure that your engine is getting up to operating temp.

Wayne

 

[jcarnut]

How many months are on the oil now in the car?

 

[BlazerLT]

5 months / 2500 miles : Severe Stop and Go and Short trip driving.

Engine:

1995 4.3L Chevy V6
130,000miles