Checking oil level daily...

[rcy]

..I can't help it. I just love pulling the dipstick out, wiping it, reinserting it, taking it out again and looking at the golden nectar clinging to the dipstick.

If I keep doing this (daily level checks) do I risk depleting the quantity of oil in the engine? After all, every time I wipe the dipstick clean I must lose a bit of oil, no?

 

[Hermann]

In the name of the Bitog, and of the oil, and of the filter, Amen.

A prayer for all, who are addicted to oil.

 

[Brogy]

I do the same thing, best way to do it is check it in the morning, when all the oil has drained into the sump and off the dipstick. That way you don't have to waste any oil by wiping it off.

 

[Laminar Lou]

Quote:

---

..I can't help it. I just love pulling the dipstick out, wiping it, reinserting it, taking it out again and looking at the golden nectar clinging to the dipstick.

If I keep doing this (daily level checks) do I risk depleting the quantity of oil in the engine? After all, every time I wipe the dipstick clean I must lose a bit of oil, no?

---

Honestly, I have worried in the past that the shop towel that I wipe the dipstick off with could be contaminating the oil.

Never worried about that until I came here and did some UOAs. Does that mean I need to do a VOA on the towel? A VTA (Virgin Towel Analysis) if you will?!?

 

[alreadygone]

You guys are nucking futs!! 215,000mi on a 4.3 GM and I never raise the hood between changes!

Bob

 

[Drew99GT]

Yea, phew. I know I'm OCD (medically diagnosed) but I'm not that crazy!!! I just about know when my Corolla needs top off; that's when the hood gets popped.

Don't you worry about breaking/wearing out the hood latch/cable etc.

 

[blupupher]

Quote:

---

... I never raise the hood between changes!

Bob

---

Ditto. Neither of my vehicles uses any measurable oil between changes. I may check it once if I am doing something else under there, but that is rare, I do it all at once usualy.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

I'm doing 800-1000 miles a week, I feel compelled to check every time I get gas unless the weather is hideous with blowing rain, or extreme cold..

 

[kapps]

It also depends on what kind of car you drive. A new car running in its prime shouldn't need to be checked that often. Some cars (most notably old British one's) should have their oil level checked every time you start them up; although you can usually tell by the size of the puddle underneath how much they lost.

 

[Gene K]

I check mine each time I fuel.

 

[thrace]

Wearing out the hood release is a risk of daily oil level checks. Prepare yourself. Find out how to open the hood if the hood release cable breaks.

 

[Auto-Union]

For amatauers, I suggest resetting the trip-o-meter and checking oil and tires every 1000mi.

 

[crw]

Quote:

---

It also depends on what kind of car you drive. A new car running in its prime shouldn't need to be checked that often. Some cars (most notably old British one's) should have their oil level checked every time you start them up; although you can usually tell by the size of the puddle underneath how much they lost.

---

Indeed, take it from someone who owned a Triumph Spitfire....

 

[The Critic]

Or a Saturn S-Series.

Or a Mazda RX8.

 

[Lonnie]

I used to work on British cars in the 60's. If there is not a puddle of oil under the car in the morning you're in trouble. There's no oil in the car. On some of those cars you do more than check the oil on every fill-up, you add oil. You carry it in various places. Then you take a can opener, punch two holes in the top of the can, opposite each other and pour the oil. The holes need to be big or you'll be there a long time holding the can while the oil drains. If you drive one of those cars you had a close relationship with every thing under the hood. You knew how to adjust everyting, and you knew exactly how fast the oil was going away, out the exhaust and past the seals. You could read the puddles, anti-freeze, engine oil or gear oil and sometimes brake fluid. Today it's kind of boring checking the oil. It almost never needs attention. And who the h e l l knows what all that other stuff is? At least there is a tool that will fix anything and every thing on a new car. It's plastic and called a credit card. Works almost every time, but boring.

 

[Cutehumor]

checking oil daily is nuts unless you are losing a quart of oil a day

 

[Shannow]

must confess that at one time, I had a (fake) chamois in a zip lock bag stashed behind the battery to check the oil with...I didn't trust the paper towels out in the dust-storms.

Anyway, while the bonnet was open, and you had the air filter off the centre S.U. carby to feed it 5ccs of ethanol to get it started, checking the oil was the least that you could do.

 

[jmac]

Quote:

---

I used to work on British cars in the 60's. If there is not a puddle of oil under the car in the morning you're in trouble. There's no oil in the car. On some of those cars you do more than check the oil on every fill-up, you add oil. You carry it in various places. Then you take a can opener, punch two holes in the top of the can, opposite each other and pour the oil. The holes need to be big or you'll be there a long time holding the can while the oil drains. If you drive one of those cars you had a close relationship with every thing under the hood. You knew how to adjust everyting, and you knew exactly how fast the oil was going away, out the exhaust and past the seals. You could read the puddles, anti-freeze, engine oil or gear oil and sometimes brake fluid. Today it's kind of boring checking the oil. It almost never needs attention. And who the h e l l knows what all that other stuff is? At least there is a tool that will fix anything and every thing on a new car. It's plastic and called a credit card. Works almost every time, but boring.

---

Ahh, now this post brings back some memories.
'55 MG-TF 1500

 

[CharBaby]

It's a good idea to learn your vehicles' habits. Start by checking every week or two and then move on to every 2-3 weeks and then once per month. And thats just for city driving! If you drive on the open road more often, then you may want to check the oil more frequently as higher speeds/rpm's may warrant a closer look.

 

[eljefino]

I'm pretty sure the o-ring on top of my dipstick isn't as tightt as it used to be. Am starting to pick up road grime on the outer tube surface. Could be from obessively checking my saturn over its 179k, so far, life.

Hood latch is fine, clean and well lubricated. Had to rig something on wife's corsica near the 200k mark though when the cable snapped.