You would think by now that car manufactures would have made the ideal Dipstick that can be accurately checked. My old Chevys oil dipstick is similiar to my Fords Tranny dipstick except it's flat black on the end.....which makes reading it alot easier. I guess I'm going to paint the Fords dipstick now.
Hard To Read Dipsticks
- Thread starter Warstud
- Start date
HAHA! Whenever I get a painted dipstick car, I sandblast the end. Want to see how clean the oil is.
The orange Honda plastic ones are worthless unless your oil is filthy.
Miss Moneypenny's dipstick is so hard to read they make an aftermarket one that works.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
Surprisingly the dipstick in the Maverick's Hybrid is easy to read, even with clean oil.
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The one on my Odyssey is ok?
is it possible to scuff the metal maybe a pic to show why its hard to read?
Yeah, I was a little over the top...
I blot the tip of the dipstick laterally on a white rag or paper towel. Harder to see with fresh oil...
I like it because it conducts less heat, but it could be easier to read...
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My Jaguar doesn't even have a dipstick. The oil level is checked electronically. When I did my own oil & filter change I refilled it with exactly what the owners manual says is the capacity. The electronic reading, which is supposed to be taken with warm oil, 15 minutes after shutting down the engine read just below the maximum mark.
Then I let the dealer do an oil change. They over filled it causing a warning message on the readout. I told them to remove some oil.
I don't know how much they removed but probably too much. So I started adding 1/4 quart at a time and checking the readout.
Now when I check the oil I get the warning message that it is overfilled but it immediately turns off and I can see the level drop one graduation on the gauge and then another. So I am assuming that it is OK but why does the warning message come on for a second and then shut off ?
I sure wish it had a conventional dipstick. How much money would it have cost them to add one ?????
Then I let the dealer do an oil change. They over filled it causing a warning message on the readout. I told them to remove some oil.
I don't know how much they removed but probably too much. So I started adding 1/4 quart at a time and checking the readout.
Now when I check the oil I get the warning message that it is overfilled but it immediately turns off and I can see the level drop one graduation on the gauge and then another. So I am assuming that it is OK but why does the warning message come on for a second and then shut off ?
I sure wish it had a conventional dipstick. How much money would it have cost them to add one ?????
The best reading setup on a dipstick is the two holes between "full" and "add one quart" hashes, crossline stampings, do not help.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
I have those on a few of my cars. It still isn't great trying determine transmission level, but they are certainly better than most.
You'd think it would cost more to use sensors and program the computer vs adding a dip stick.
This. Absolutely this. The oil level in my wife's 1.5T Civic is near impossible to check.
All it's good for is checking to see if there is any oil in it because it'll be wet. Beyond that, it's useless.
If the stick doesn't have any small holes put couple in makes reading easier.
It looks like this which is aluminum and is hard to see fresh trans fluid. Flat black tip is much better to see.
Try reading the POJ dipstick GM put in the Colorado / Canyon V6. It's a stiff cable with pill-shaped piece of pot metal pressed onto the end. The best you can hope to do is dip it, get it under a very bright light, and look for where the shiny part ends. The flat dipsticks in the Mustangs are far easier to use.
Older Altima's the best.
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