Does anyone have a car with a dipstick that's hard to read. I have a V8 4Runner that is 3 years old with 47k miles and reading the oil level on the dipstick is really difficult. I usually futz with it about a half dozen times with I change the oil to make sure I've got it at the right level. Other cars are not problem, but this 4Runner is difficult at best.
Dipstick
- Thread starter Lonnie
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What's wrong with it? Is it just hard to see the markings? You can take a small (1/32"?) drill bit and put two holes where the Full and Low marks are.
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"Wer viel misst, misst viel Mist."
(He who measures much, measures much muck)
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The one on my Caravan is odd. You have to read both sides ..and usually multiple times. A real pain.
My toyota has a bright yellow one, useless unless about 6K into an OCI.
Subaru is the worst. I have to leave it out o'night to get a sensible reading.
The Chevy Colorado has the most useless one I have seen yet, including Subaru. It's a cable with a little rod fastened to the end. No matter how many times I try, the best you can do is to see oil all over the rod and know that there is oil there.
Same setup with the Honda V6 3.5. It has the cable and MAN, very hard to get a reading on.
The worst I've ever seen.
Bill
This reminds me of the Toyota 3.4L V6 setup. A big pain.
Warning: I once thought that if there was oil on the dipstick, all was well principle with my automatic transmission. Until I finally learned how to get an accurate reading with the stick, that's what I followed for my Saturn AT. Big mistake. Turns out, I had been running the unit 1.5 quarts low for the last 25k miles!
The worst ones I have experienced are on some V6 Nissan cars. You have to wait forever after filling up the crank case before you can get an accurate reading. The oil will be way above the full mark for a long time.
yep - i changed my dads oil yesterday on his yaris and its the first time ive ever encountered a plastic dipstick, i thought it was very easy to read though.
This is a good fix. Our Ford van has the holes in the dipstick, it makes it easy to read. I modified my my Chrysler dipstick by drilling three holes in it, one at the 1/2 way mark as I don't like to run it a full quart low. One thing, the dipstick may be spring steel, I had to use a carbide drill bit to make the hole, a regular high-speed steel drill bit wouldn't touch it.
JHZR2
Staff member
I rarely have trouble with oil. even on those wirey dipsticks, with light oil, it works well enough to get a reading.
However, I am not able to get an ATF reading on ANY AT car that Ive seen! MB, toyota, GM, chrysler - not a one! The fluid never leaves a proper mark and line, and I cannot get a read, plus, it flows away from where it was coming out so fast that any chance of a good read, even cold and sitting for a long while, is for naught.
Any hints for doing that one???
JMH
However, I am not able to get an ATF reading on ANY AT car that Ive seen! MB, toyota, GM, chrysler - not a one! The fluid never leaves a proper mark and line, and I cannot get a read, plus, it flows away from where it was coming out so fast that any chance of a good read, even cold and sitting for a long while, is for naught.
Any hints for doing that one???
JMH
Remove the dipstick, wipe it clean. Quickly, and I mean quickly, insert the dipstick into the hole "straight." The moment it touches the end of the tube, pull it out FAST. Try this a few times and you'll get the hang of it.
Following this method allowed me to obtain an accurate reading on my GM.
JHZR2
Staff member
The problem is that most ATF dipsticks have three or four twists in them, which make good, fast insertioninto the tube very difficult... Ill give that a try for ATF though.
Thanks,
JMH
Thanks,
JMH
Kestas
Staff member
Some vehicles suck fluid way up the dipstick after it has sat overnight.
I took me two years to learn how to use a Subaru dipstick.
Sorry, thought this topic was about me.
You rang ??!!
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